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February 18, 2016
   
ARCUS DC Arctic Research Seminar Series, February 18, 2016 (Washington, DC). Does it seem as though the weather gods have gone crazy lately? It is not your imagination. The question on everyone's minds is why? And is it related to climate change? In this presentation, I will explain new research that links increasing extreme weather events with the rapidly warming and melting Arctic during recent decades. Evidence suggests that Arctic warming is causing weather patterns to become more persistent, which can lead to extremes such as droughts, cold spells, heat waves, and some flooding events. 

Jefferson Science Fellows Distinguished Lecture Series: Exploring Ice on Earth: From Sea Level Rise to Fish Habitats, and IPCC to USAID, February 18, 2016 (Washington, DC). Among all of the aspects and consequences of climate change, none is more easily visualized than sea level rise. It is also one of the most certain future environmental changes, although uncertainties in timing and magnitude of sea level rise create crucial differences in the severity of the outcomes. Among the several variables controlling the future rate of global sea level rise, it is the shrinkage of the world's glaciers and ice sheets that are the sources both of the fastest rates of change and of the greatest uncertainty. And in addition to sea level rise, ice in its many forms controls or influences an extraordinary range of other processes involved in climate change. Interested in attending? RSVP here:   http://sgiz.mobi/s3/f4337a48f4ed 

Today's C ongressional Action:   
The House and Senate are not in session.
Media  
 
beluga Researchers Record Arctic Ocean Belugas Diving to Depths of Nearly 3,000 Feet. Beluga whales off Alaska's northern coast target Arctic cod and will dive to great depths to reach them, according to data collected over 15 years that provides insight into their foraging patterns in the remote region undergoing profound changes from climate warming and a loss of sea ice. The dive information on two U.S. Arctic Ocean beluga populations showed the white whales in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas diving as deep as 900 meters -- or more than 2,950 feet. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Long Term Satellite Data Offers Insights Into Degree of Global Sensitivity to Climate Change. A team of researchers from several institutions in Norway and the U.K. has isolated the parts of our planet that appear to be the most sensitive to climate change using several years of satellite data. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the team describes their use of data covering the past 14 years and what their study revealed. Alfredo Huete with University of Technology Sydney offers a News & Views piece on the work done by the team and outlines the importance of such studies. Phys.org
 
Science Research Priorities for the Arctic Have Been Defined. International research organizations are defining priorities for the coming decade. The leading international Arctic research organizations have set common scientific objectives for the coming decade. The indigenous peoples of the Arctic were also involved in this process. Under the auspices of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), which is based at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Potsdam, they are about to submit a report that sets out the path for a jointly conceived and solution-oriented research agenda on the sustainable development of the Arctic and beyond. Arctic Journal
 
Integrating Arctic Research- A Roadmap for the Future. The official outcomes of the Third International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III) were published online today. The enclosed report, entitled "Integrating Arctic Research - A Roadmap for the Future" presents the key messages that emerged from the 2-year ICARP III process. Initiated by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) with engagement from its partners, ICARP III provided a process for integrating priorities for forward-looking, collaborative, interdisciplinary Arctic research and observing, and for establishing an inventory of recent and current synthesis documents and major developments in Arctic research. The report identifies the most important Arctic research needs and provides a roadmap for research priorities and partnerships. The ICARP process points the way for scientists to take action, in cooperation with rights holders and stakeholders, to produce results that will have global impact. It concludes that the role of the Arctic in the global system, the prediction of future climate dynamics and ecosystem responses, and improved understanding of the vulnerability and resilience of Arctic environments and societies must be prioritized. For more information please see the enclosed report and visit the ICARP III website:  http://icarp.iasc.info.
 
russian flag Russia to Build 2 New Arctic Remote Sensing Centers- Emergencies Ministry. The ministry added that it also planned to create a net of 10 search-and-rescue centers in the Arctic. Four of them have already been launched. "In October 2015, a joint Remote Sensing Center on the basis of EMERCOM's Murmansk department was launched. Similar centers will be deployed in Dudinka and Anadyr, which will enable control over the Russian Arctic territory," the statement issued by the ministry reads. Sputnik News

Legislative Action futureevents   

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events
     
IARPC Webinar Series: The Arctic Digital Elevation Model Project, February 24, 2016 (Webinar). The ArcticDEM project will produce the first very high resolution, publicly available digital surface model of the entire Arctic region above 60 degrees North including all of Alaska, Greenland and Kamchatka. The result of a partnership between the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and a group lead by the US National Science Foundation funded Polar Geospatial Center at the University of Minnesota, the project converges civilian, high-quality sub-meter stereo imagery, petascale computing, and open source photogrammetry software.  In addition, the USGS is collecting Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (ifsar) over Alaska as part of the 3D Elevation Program.  This webinar will provide information on the collaboration, the timeline, and the expected ArcticDEM products, as well as the data characteristics, acquisition status, and plans for summer 2016 ifsar acquisition. 
 
43rd Annual Meeting of the Alaska Anthropological Association, March 2-6, 2016 (Sitka, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Anthropological Association will be holding its 43rd Annual Meeting in Sitka, Alaska. This year it is being organized by archaeologists and anthropologists of the National Park Service - Alaska Region.

5th Annual Fletcher Opening Arctic Conference, March 12, 2016.  The Opening Arctic Conference builds on the Fletcher School's Warming Arctic International Inquiry series, to bring together high-level thought leaders from across disciplines, Fletcher's hallmark. Staged annually, Fletcher's event continues to address the foreign policy, economic, environmental and security implications of the opening Arctic, while dispelling myths.
 
Arctic Science Summit Week Arctic Observing Summit, March 12-18, 2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA).   ASSW is the annual gathering of international organizations that support and facilitate long-term planning in Arctic research. In 2016, ASSW will be held in conjunction with AOS, which brings people together to facilitate the design, implementation, coordination and sustained long-term operation of an international network of Arctic observing systems.

15th Annual Arctic Health Science Seminar, April 1, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The American Society for Circumpolar Health will host the 15th Annual Arctic Health Science Seminar in Anchorage, Alaska. This event will include the annual meeting of the American Society for Circumpolar Health, the Robert Fortuine Memorial lecture, and the Albrecht Milan Foundation will provide the Albrecht-Milan Emerging Professional Award to one of the Arctic Health Science Seminar presenters. The call for abstracts is open through  Monday February 29, 2016.

** New this week**  The American Arctic: The United States as an Arctic Power in Science, Technology and Security, April 4, 2016 (San Francisco, CA, USA). The Association of American Geographers will host a panel discussion on the American Arctic.  In 2015 the United States assumed the chairmanship of the Arctic Council. In recent years, the Federal government began to pay closer attention to the Arctic owing to dramatic environmental and social changes and growing economic interest in the region's vast resources. President Obama became the first sitting US President to visit the Arctic this August. US Arctic Research Commission Chair Fran Ulmer is expected to be a panelist.

Alaska Rural Energy Conference, April 26-28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Rural Energy Conference is a three day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska's remote communities. Building on the growing success, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power have joined forces again to organize and sponsor the 10th annual Alaska Rural Energy Conference.   

14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway).
The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
 
11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), June 20-24, 2016 (Potsdam, Germany). The Alfred Wegener Institute has teamed up with UP Transfer GmbH and the University of Potsdam to organize a great conference for you, permafrost researchers. The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering and outreach on a global and regional level.
  
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
 

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