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October 24, 2018

USARC Press Release - Ministers From 25 Nations Gather in Berlin to Discuss Arctic Science. As attention turns to the far North, delegations of senior scientists and ministers from 25 governments and the European Union, joined by Arctic Indigenous Peoples from across the Arctic, will convene in Berlin, Germany for the second " Arctic Science Ministerial" (ASM), meeting on October 25 and 26. This meeting follows the inaugural ASM meeting convened in the White House in September 2016. Scientific results since the last meeting will be presented in Berlin, commitments towards new research objectives will be made, and a Joint Statement of Ministers will be released. For full release, see here.

Hillcorp Liberty Development and Production Plan. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will release a decision document  today on Hilcorp's Liberty Development and Production Plan. The Record of Decision on the environmental impact statement will also be released. Both documents will be available at  www.boem.gov/liberty.

2018 Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) Project Annual School and Meeting, October 23-26, 2018 (Bergen, Norway)  Major goals of this meeting are to coordinate FAMOS activities, report accomplishments, exchange ideas and hypotheses, enhance international arctic studies collaboration and discuss plans for continuing FAMOS work beyond 2019. Meeting registration form is available at project websites:  here  and  here.  For questions and details contact  A. Proshutinsky Mike Steele , and  Amelie Bouchat .
Media

Chinaflag Gray Zones in the a Blue Arctic: Grappling with China's Growing Influence. A few days ago, Ocean Network Canada confirmed that it had installed four underwater monitoring devices built by the Sanya Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, a unit of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, less than 200 miles from Naval Base Kitsap in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, as part of a grid of marine sensors stretching up to the Arctic. In September, Greenland's courting of Chinese investors and construction companies to help expand three airports prompted the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States to " strategically invest" in building infrastructure on the island. Also in September, China's icebreaker, the Xue Long (Snow Dragon), returned to Shanghai after its ninth research expedition to the Arctic, where it collected submarine typography. These are just a few recent examples in a long string of "gray-zone" activities - that is, competitive activities in the space between traditional war and peace - that China has employed to gain access in and influence over Arctic nations and their people. War on the Rocks
 
The Future of Arctic Shipping: Russia's Northern Sea Route Gets More Tanker Traffic, but it Remains a Risky Endeavor. As Arctic ice melts, the Northern Sea Route will stay navigable for longer periods, a result that could drastically change international trade and shipping. In February, China announced its "Polar Silk Road" plan that encourages Chinese companies to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages in the Arctic. By 2030, Russia plans to invest billions of dollars to develop infrastructure along the Northern Sea Route to facilitate ships traveling from Asia to Europe. Wall Street Journal
 
'Rewilding' Landscapes with Rhinos and Reindeer Could Prevent Fires and Keep Arctic Cool. Restoring reindeer, rhinoceroses, and other large mammals could help protect grasslands, forests, and tundra from catastrophic wildfires and other threats associated with global warming, new studies suggest. The findings give advocates of so-called trophic rewilding-reintroducing lost species to reestablish healthy food webs-a new rationale for bringing back the big grazers. Rewilding offers "solutions to some of the important problems arising from climate change," says ecologist Jens-Christian Svenning of Aarhus University in Denmark, an editor of a special issue on the topic published this week in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Science
 
Canadian Coast Guard to Increase Focus on Arctic Through Creation of New Branch. The Canadian Coast Guard is increasing its focus on the Arctic. Fisheries and Oceans Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is announcing that the coast guard is creating a new branch devoted solely to looking after Canada's northern waters. The new coast guard zone will be accompanied by an extensive set of talks across the North to discuss what the coast guard's future role in those rapidly changing seas should be. North Shore News
 
US Carriers are Operating in the Arctic Circle for the First Time in Decades. A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier is operating north of the Arctic Circle for the first time in twenty seven years. The USS Harry S. Truman and its escorts are currently operating in the Norwegian Sea, practicing cold weather operations-and acting as a not so subtle hint to Russia. During the Cold War, the U.S. Navy routinely operated north of the Arctic Circle. In the event of war, the Navy would have sent several carrier battle groups into the Norwegian Sea to attack Soviet naval facilities in the Murmansk region. Popular Mechanics
 
Healy, Coast Guard Coast Guard Icebreaker Crew Completes Second Arctic Mission. The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy completed their second mission of their Arctic West Summer 2018 deployment Thursday. Mission 1802 was a scientific mission to study stratified ocean dynamics in the Arctic (SODA) for the Office of Naval Research. The project, led by Dr. Craig Lee of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington, Seattle, aims to better understand how the Arctic environment affects the different water layers of the Arctic Ocean.  Military.com
Future Events

Towards a Roadmap for Coordinated Arctic Observing, October 24, 2018 (Berlin, Germany). The side event is a follow up to the Arctic Observing Summit held in June 2018. The theme for the AOS was "Business Case for a Pan-Arctic Observing System." The first part of the session will demonstrate the value of Arctic observations, linking these to relevant Societal Benefit Areas. The second part will show how Arctic long-term observing systems are linked to and support decision-making from local to global scales. In the summing up panel, calls to action to the Arctic Science Ministerial will be formulated. This event is convened by the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) initiative of the Arctic Council, the European Commission, and the Arctic Observing Summit (AOS), an activity jointly overseen by SAON and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

Arctic Science Forum Associated with the 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial, October 25, 2018 (Berlin, Germany and via webcast). How vulnerable and how resilient are nature and the people of the Arctic region? How well do we understand the regional and global dynamics which are driving change in the Arctic? What impact will change in the Arctic have on us? These and other questions are the focus of this two-day conference. It will take interdisciplinary research in the Arctic to gain an understanding of past and future processes - a complex and cost-intensive venture. This makes an international network of Arctic research so important for delivering better results. Cooperation in research, the exchange of data, collaborative observation and monitoring schemes - international cooperation is imperative in research on the Arctic. Here is a link to the October 25th livestream.

Arctic Science Ministerial, October 25-26 (Berlin, Germany). On 25 and 26 October, science ministers, researchers and representatives of international organizations and Arctic Indigenous peoples will come together in Berlin to discuss the future course of Arctic research. A Science Forum will take place on the first day of the conference. A Ministerial Meeting will take place on the second day with the aim of producing a Joint Statement on international collaboration in the Arctic. The interim report of the Second Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM2) is now available for download at the ASM2 website. Please click  here to download.

Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS18) "Arctic Technology" November 15-16, 2018 (Newfoundland & Labrador Canada).  Now in its sixth year, MASS has gained an international reputation as a must-attend event to gain a wide perspective on challenges, opportunities and policies related to the Arctic and North Atlantic maritime environments. The 
aim of this Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador supported international conference is to promote stakeholder collaboration, technological innovation, harsh environment research & development, and world-class education efforts that are contributing to both Maritime and Arctic issues.  This two day conference will draw a diverse group of speakers and attendees representing government, military, Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard, industry, academic leaders, Northern Leaders, research and other key stakeholders. We hope you can join us to be a part of this important dialogue

American Geophysical Union Fall meeting, December 10-14, 2018 (Washington, DC USA). The AGU 2018 Fall Meeting will mark another dynamic year of discovery in Earth and space science, serve as the advent of AGU's Centennial year, and provide a special opportunity to share our science with world AGU logo leaders in Washington, D.C. As the largest Earth and space science gathering in the world, the Fall Meeting places you in the center of a global community of scientists drawn from myriad fields of study whose work protects the health and welfare of people worldwide, spurs innovation, and informs decisions that are critical to the sustainability of the Earth. 

ArcticNet: Annual Scientific Meeting 2018, December 10-14, 2018 (Ottawa, ON Canada). Canada's North is experiencing unprecedented change in its sea and terrestrial ice, permafrost and ecosystems under the triple pressures of climate change, industrialization and modernization. The impacts of these pressures can be seen on food and energy security, shipping, sovereignty, northern community health and well-being, and sustainable development and resource exploitation. All these issues have brought the North to the forefront of national and international agendas. Building on the success of its previous Annual Scientific Meetings and International Arctic Change Conferences, the Arctic Network of Centers of Excellence announces the 14th ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting. 

Arcti c F ron tiers, January 20-25, 2019 (Tromso, Norway) . The Arctic Frontiers  is a global scientific conference on economic, societal, and environmental sustainable growth.  This year's theme will be "Smart Arctic," with a pan-arctic emphasis, and an effort to build new partnerships across nations, generations and ethnic groups. Arctic Frontiers provides a forum for dialogue and communication between science, government and industry . The plenary program will have five main sessions: State of the Arctic, Blue Growth, Smart Solutions, Bridging the Gap, and Arctic business prospects. An abstract-driven science program will address Plastics in the Ocean, the Future of Governance and Handling Vulnerability in Arctic Ecosystems, State of the Arctic and A Smart Arctic Future.

Arctic Futures 2050: Science and Policy for a Changing Arctic, September 4-6, 2019 (Washington, DC USA). In 2019, the Study of Environmental Arctic Change  (SEARCH) and partners will convene Arctic scientists and decision makers to jointly forecast Arctic research needed to inform policy in the coming decades. The conference also is intended to foster more effective and iterative collaborations among Arctic scientists and decision makers.

of the AAG includes over 8,500 geographers converging from the U.S., Canada, and nearly 60 other countries in a typical year including geographers, GIS specialists, environmental scientists, and other leaders for the latest in research and applications in geography, sustainability, and GIScience.

18th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering / 8th Canadian Permafrost Conference, August 18-22, 2019 (Quebec, Canada). Sustainable infrastructure development and permafrost science, in a climate change context, will be the focus of the discussions of this international conference.

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