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Today no Arctic science events are scheduled.
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Media
 Norway's Arctic Island at Risk of 'Devastating' Warming, Says Report. The thaw on the remote Svalbard islands, home to 2,300 people and where the main village of Longyearbyen is 1,300 kms (800 miles) from the North Pole, highlights risks in other parts of the Arctic from Alaska to Siberia. Average temperatures on Svalbard have leapt between three and five degrees Celsius (5.4-9.0 Fahrenheit) since the early 1970s and could rise by a total of 10C (18F) by 2100 if world greenhouse gas emissions keep climbing, the study said.
The Daily Star
The North Magnetic Pole's Mysterious Journey Across the Arctic. The north magnetic pole is restless. Distinct from the geographic North Pole, where all the lines of longitude meet at the top of the world, the magnetic pole is the point that a compass recognizes as north. At the moment, it's located four degrees south of the geographic North Pole, which lies in the Arctic Ocean at 90 degrees north.
New York Times
Exploring Permafrost Coastal Erosion in the Arctic. The remote town of [Utqiagvik], Alaska, home to more than 4,000 people, touts picturesque views of the Arctic Ocean as well as an unparalleled connection to the Alaskan wild, but underneath its stunning beauty lies a major global crisis-permafrost coastal erosion-causing
[Utqiagvik] to gradually slip into the sea. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, causing ice to melt and sea levels to rise, according to "Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA)," an update to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment.
Phys.org
 Arctic Methane: A Climate Sword of Damocles. Global warming is in danger of melting the Arctic permafrost and releasing methane - thus causing more global warming. Methane is produced near the surface, but there are also deep underground reserves in the frozen permafrost. As the weather has got warmer, the gas has started bubbling up through the tundra and lakes and into the atmosphere, reports Videnskab.dk.
The Copenhagen Post
Canada Awards Two Contracts to Boost Arctic Surveillance. The Canadian Department of National Defense has awarded contracts for defense research and development work in support of surveillance efforts in the Arctic. Through the contracts, the government aims to find solutions for challenges facing the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF), particularly in Canada's north. The two contracts worth an aggregate amount of C$46.2m ($35.23m) were awarded to Raytheon Canada and the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies' Space Flight Lab (UTIAS SFL) under the All Domain Situational Awareness (ADSA) Science & Technology (S&T) Program.
Air Force Technology
Controls on Nitrogen Nutrient Availability in the Arctic Tundra. Near the top of the world, plants grow on soil that rests atop permafrost, or permanently frozen soil. Just like plants in warmer regions, these need nitrogen to grow. The unique aspects of the permafrost environment create new challenges for representing plant-nitrogen interactions. Scientists measured how nitrogen availability to plants varies spatially and temporally in the Arctic tundra. They found that soil moisture plays a big role. In drier areas, nitrogen is present, but in the wrong form for the plants to use. Thawing permafrost increases soil moisture late in the growing season, but the newly available nitrogen near the permafrost boundary isn't available to roots.
Phys.org
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Future Events
Part of the AAAS meeting: Science in the New Arctic: The Converging of Natural and Social Sciences, (February 17, 2019). Organized by Andrey Petrov and Jack Kaye, moderated by Jessica Graybill, and with John Farrell as Discussant. Included talks are "Indigenous Knowledge and Interdisciplinary Science in the Arctic" (Carolina Behe), "Towards Knowledge Co-production in the Arctic" (Dmitry Streletskiy), and "Enhancing International Research in the Arctic" (Paul Berkson).
Arctic sciences are at the forefront of discovery resulting from research that engages indigenous knowledge and connects to policy decisions about the region. This session brings together speakers from various disciplines representing multiple organizations to discuss recent achievements in Arctic sciences with respect to fundamental and policy-focused interdisciplinary and international research. Topics to be addressed include examples of Arctic-based research that crosses regional and disciplinary boundaries, and the key methodological strengths of this research, as well as how Arctic-based research could contribute to disciplines and research in other regions, and the role of funding agencies in advancing this exchange.
 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.
 The 6th Annual Arctic Encounter Seattle, April 25-26, 2019 (Seattle, WA, USA). The sixth annual Arctic Encounter Seattle will engage the topic of innovation in the Arctic, specifically disruptive business and investment models, energy and power, climate research, national security, new economic and trade models, and popular media and awareness movements impacting the Far North. The 2018 Arctic Encounter Seattle drew over 300 participants from across Alaska, the U.S., and the world, including over 100 speakers, 32 sponsors, 11 media partners, fashion and photography installations, a live permafrost exhibition, 13 guest performers, fashion designers, and artist exhibitors to the downtown Seattle waterfront at Pier 66. The 2019 Arctic Encounter Seattle expects to increase engagement in new sectors and engage participants through policy debates, research presentations, performances, and more. The two-day Arctic Encounter Seattle will include an opening reception, two continental breakfasts, two keynote luncheons, a networking reception with Alaskan glacier ice cocktails, and a seated three course dinner including keynotes and live musical entertainment from the Far North. The Arctic Encounter is the largest annual Arctic policy and business conference convening in the United States, with partnerships and convening efforts worldwide.
Save the Date!
Mark your calendars to attend IDA-8, which some have called one of the best Arctic gatherings around. Historically, this biennial symposium was co-hosted by U.S. National/Naval Ice Center (NIC) and the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC). In 2019, these partners will join forces with the preeminent Wilson Center's Polar Institute, as a third co-host. The now 2-day symposium will be held in the Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater, in Washington, DC. The event will focus on a broad cross-section of naval and maritime operations and issues in an ice-diminishing Arctic. The symposium brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts on Arctic governance, geopolitics, marine operations, infrastructure, science, and environmental observations, from the local, regional, and pan-Arctic scale. Information on prior symposia, including lists of speakers, video clips, and copies of presentations, is available here. Attendance is free, and registration will begin in Spring 2019. The event will be webcast live, and video recorded.
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