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 Today's Congressional Action:
The House and Senate are in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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Nunavut Court Sees Major Drop in Criminal Charges: 2014 Report. The Nunavut Court of Justice saw a major drop in criminal offences against Nunavummiut in 2014, a new court report reveals. Last year, a total of 5,896 charges were laid in Nunavut - the lowest number the territory has seen since 2006. Since Nunavut's creation in 1999, the number of charges peaked in 2013 at more than 8,100 before dropping off in 2014. Nunatsiaq Online
 USGS Releases 5-Year Science Strategy to Keep Pace With Rapid Change. Better Alaska mapping, more understanding of mineral resources, more study of the effects of thawing permafrost and more help to Arctic communities coping with crumbling coastlines and vulnerable infrastructure are among the tasks that the U.S. Geological Survey plans in its newly released five-year Arctic strategy. The USGS, the science agency of the Department of Interior, identified six broad goals to guide its work from now until 2020. The agency plans to improve scientific information for Arctic communities and ecosystems affected by a rapidly changing climate; advance an integrated and more holistic understanding of changes across broad Arctic landscapes; assess energy resources and other minerals in the region, along with environmental implications of development; better understand how the changing Arctic climate is affecting environmental health, including distribution of mercury and spread of wildlife diseases; enhance scientific understanding of uniquely Arctic physical processes, like sea-ice and glacier dynamics; and improve all aspects of mapping throughout Alaska. Alaska Dispatch News
Port Commission Discuss Nome's Role in the Future of Arctic Shipping. Nome's role in the future of arctic shipping was the main topic of discussion at the most recent meeting of the Nome Port Commission. With the summer shipping season in full swing, harbormaster Lucas Stotts said the port had a busy July, emphasizing that, "both docks are completely jam-packed full until August 2." KNOM
 The Center for Arctic Study and Policy (CASP) at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy seeks a Visiting Professor of Arctic Studies for a two-year teaching/research fellowship position. The successful applicant will deliver Arctic-related undergraduate courses, seminars, or other academic instruction at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; develop and conduct rigorous academic social science, law and/or policy based research on Arctic-specific issues; serve as a faculty co-advisor to undergraduate advanced research projects; and advise on curricular development in the areas of Arctic studies and policy, to address challenges and opportunities in the evolving Arctic and maritime environment that are vital to the national interests of the US. The application deadline is August 19, 2015. For more information see here.
[Opinion] Alaskan Villages Imperiled by Global Warming Need Resources to Relocate. The Arctic is warming at a rate almost twice the global average, making climate change's effects there far more intense and rapid than any other ecosystem in the world. While nature photographs of polar bears and melting ice dominate media narratives, the top of the world is home to 4m people who face an uncertain future. Coastal erosion, forest fires and storm surges are threatening the physical and economic safety of settlements across the Arctic Ocean shoreline. Further inland, thawing permafrost is compromising the stability of transportation, sanitation and public service infrastructure built upon once-sturdy foundations. In Alaska alone, 31 villages face imminent threat of destruction from erosion and flooding. Many of these villages have 10 to 20 years of livability before their streets, schools and homes become uninhabitable. At least 12 have decided to relocate - in part or entirely - to safer ground to avoid total collapse. The Guardian
Special Report on Arctic Marine Ecosystems in "Progress in Oceanography." Read 17 new, multidisciplinary research papers on the 'new state' of marine ecosystems in the Pacific Arctic, written by over 100 experts on topics ranging from ocean physics to whales. These papers resulted from the Synthesis of Arctic Research (SOAR) project, led by NOAA scientists Sue Moore and Phyllis Stabeno, and supported by BOEM. Progress in Oceanography
 [Opinion] Canada's Ocean Science Capacity is Limited with Resource Constraints. The well-being and prosperity of Canada is intimately tied to the health of our oceans. It is thus crucial that we understand the impacts of environmental change and human disturbance on our marine ecosystems. Nowhere are the impacts of environmental change or the pace of potential economic development greater than in Canada's vast Arctic Ocean region. Yet it is precisely here that our country faces the greatest challenges in monitoring ocean conditions, as the events of the past week have demonstrated. On July 10, a group of approximately 40 Canadian researchers from across the country set sail from Quebec City on the Coast Guard ship Amundsen for a six-week expedition through the High Arctic. The researchers were conducting sampling activities and experiments to measure biological, chemical and physical conditions in Arctic Ocean waters. The Globe and Mail
Better Modeling, New Technologies Needed as the Navy Looks North. To help understand the changing environment in the Arctic and be better prepared for operation within its increasingly unpredictable climate, the Navy is working to improve its computer simulations. The loss of summer sea ice creates more dynamic conditions in the atmosphere, waves and ocean surface. "Understanding how these things work together is the first step towards making reliable predictive models for better forecasting," said Scott Harper, lead for the Navy's Arctic and Global Prediction initiatives. GCN
Canada to Collect More Data for Continental Shelf Claim. Canada announced a new scientific survey on Friday to contribute to the country's Arctic continental shelf submission. "This scientific survey is another step toward realizing this government's vision for the Arctic, which includes clearly defined boundaries and recognition of the full extent of Canada's continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean," said Rob Nicholson, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, in a news release. Canada's coast guard ships Louis S. St-Laurent and Terry Fox will be involved in the six-week survey in the Arctic Ocean and will return to the community of Kugluktuk in Canada's eastern Arctic territory of Nunavut on September 17, 2015. Alaska Dispatch News
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| Legislative Action No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday. |
| Future Events
Industry Needs for Seasonal and Sub-seasonal Sea Ice Information and Predictions, August 11, 2015 (Webinar AKDT). Sea Ice Prediction Network webinar will provide a brief overview of contrasts and commonalities between sea ice variables relevant for geophysical or climate research and those relevant for operational needs in Arctic seas. For more information, contact Betsy Turner-Bogren at ARCUS ([email protected]).
The Alaska Arctic: A Summit on Shipping and Ports, August 23-25, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). Alice Rogoff will host the summit along with the state of Alaska and various partners, including President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland and Mead Treadwell, president of Pt Capital and former Alaska lieutenant governor. The purpose of the meeting is to build partnerships to develop safe and reliable shipping through the Alaskan Arctic. These partnerships will be necessary to finance needed ports of refuge, search and rescue equipment, transshipment facilities and icebreakers. At the same time, the interests of local and indigenous residents must be an integral part of any development planning.
104th Meeting of the USARC, August 25-26, 2015 (Nome, AK, USA).
USARC (Fran Ulmer, Chair) will hold its next meeting in Nome, where Ulmer will present the
2015-2017 Goals Report. The Commission will tour the new, light icebreaker vessel
R/V Sikuliaq in the Nome port, and will hear from local researchers on topics such as health, social science, marine science, marine mammal co-management research, federal research, renewable energy, climate shipping, port development, and water and sanitation, among other topics. A draft agenda is
here
.
Eighth Polar Law Symposium Alaska 2015, September 23-26, 2015 (Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska , USA). The Eighth Polar Law Symposium is co-hosted by Alaska Pacific University (APU), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage (through its Justice Center and its Institute of Social and Economic Research), the University of Washington School of Law, and Vermont Law School, in cooperation with the Arctic Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association. The symposium will be held on both campuses of the University of Alaska. The 2015 theme is: The Science, Scholarship, and Practice of Polar Law: Strengthening Arctic Peoples and Places.
2015 Arctic Energy Summit, September 28-30, 2015 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North's 2015 Arctic Energy Summit builds on our legacy efforts to address energy as a fundamental element of the sustainable development of the Arctic as a lasting frontier.Central to this concept is a focus on providing pathways for affordable energy development in the Arctic and for Arctic communities.
2015 Arctic Circle Assembly, October 16-18, 2015 (Reykjavik, Iceland). The Arctic Circle is the largest global gathering on the Arctic. It is attended by heads of state and governments, ministers, members of parliament, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists, and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic. The Arctic Circle highlights issues and concerns, programs, policies and projects; it provides platforms for dynamic dialogue and constructive cooperation. While the plenary sessions are the responsibility of the Arctic Circle, the breakout sessions are organized by various participating partners in their own name and with full authority over the agenda and the choice of speakers.
2015 Arctic Science Conference, October 1-3, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The conference theme is "Healthy Estuaries: Sustainability and Resilience." Conference topics include traditional scientific disciplines, science education, arctic social sciences, biomedical research, and artistic interpretation of the evolving North. Abstract submissions are now being accepted. The deadline is August 1, 2015.
The Polar Oceans and Global Climate Change, November 3-6, 2015
(La Jolla, California USA). The American Polar Society will host this Symposium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A flyer with a partial list of presenters is available on the Society's website (
americanpolar.org
) and from the Society's Membership Chairman by
email.
Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis Meeting, November 3-6, 2015 (Cape Cod, MA, USA). On November 3rd, the 2015 School for young scientists will consider "Regional Oceanography of the Arctic marginal seas" with lectures covering major features of atmospheric, sea ice and oceanographic regimes of the: Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort, East-Siberian, Laptev Sea, Kara, Barents and Nordic seas. On November 4-6, the meeting portion will summarize project accomplishments for the last 3 years of activities and will focus on the formulation of scientific questions and directions for FAMOS future research (2016-2019) to: (a) improve Arctic modeling, employing very high resolution models; (b) develop and test new arctic monitoring/observing systems and (c) improve predictions of Arctic environmental parameters with reduced uncertainties.
Due North: Next Generation Arctic Research & Leadership, November 5-8, 2015 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada).
The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) will convene an interdisciplinary conference of early career scientists working on Arctic issues. Topics will include:
Arctic Communities, Arctic Sustainable Development, Arctic Wildlife, Ecosystem and Biodiversity, Arctic Food Security, Arctic Landscapes, Climate Change and Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, Policy, Politics and Leadership, Arctic Environment (Data and Techniques), Arctic Resources, and Future of Arctic.
Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting, November 17-19, 2015 (Seattle, Washington). The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will be 2.5 days and held at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic - from academia, agencies, industry, and other organizations. The meeting will be convened as a combination of plenary talks, parallel science sessions, and a poster session. The agenda and registration information will be forthcoming. In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process 2015, November 24-26, 2015 (Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland).When the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the so-called Rovaniemi Process, was adopted in 1991, it aimed at overcoming divisions and turning the zone of Cold War military tensions into a region of peace and co-operation. In this joint effort focusing on the protection of environment, and later, sustainable development, the Arctic states supported by indigenous organizations laid grounds for institutionalized collaboration and the emergence of Arctic regional identity. The second international conference will bring together decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students to address these questions and discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives.
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.
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