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June 11, 2019

No Arctic-science events are scheduled for today.
Media

Adrift in the Arctic. The scientists walk across a frozen Arctic Ocean, dark specks in a sea of white. Pale clouds loom low over the bundled figures. The wind sends ice crystals skidding and swirling around them, erasing their footprints. Behind a large ice ridge, the group shelters from the subzero cold and 25 mph gusts to set up their experiment. They are learning to map an area's topography by shooting lasers across the ice and snow. Washington Post
 
NSF Grant, Sends Professor, 2 Students to Alaskan Arctic. Two Colorado College students will spend most of this summer in the Alaskan Arctic conducting plant ecological research. John Feigelson '19 and Hayes Henderson '20 are working with Roxaneh Khorsand, a visiting professor in Colorado College's Department of Organismal Biology Ecology, who recently received a $22,223 Research Opportunity Award from the National Science Foundation for her project, "The effect of climate warming on plant-pollinator interactions in the Alaskan Arctic." The grant is in conjunction with Steve Oberbauer, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University, and represents a collaboration between a liberal arts college and a research institution. Colorado College News
 
Russian Scientists Discover Natural Phenomenon in the Arctic, Typical for Warm Zone. Scientists of the Tomsk State University during studies on Yamal found swampy lakes, which typically develop in warm climate zones. The experts related this phenomenon to the global warming, the University's press service told TASS. "The Tomsk State University's scientists, working in the Russian Arctic zone, saw that many lakes grow swampy there," the press service said. "This phenomenon is typical for territories with rather warm climate, like, for example, Belarus, or Russia's taiga." TASS
 
ANWR Interior says no permit needed to take aerial survey of ANWR. The Interior Department did not permit a company to conduct a seismic survey in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge last winter, out of concern the heavy machinery could disturb polar bears. Now, a different company wants to conduct an aerial geophysical survey of the refuge, and the Interior Department says that does not require any permit. Alaska Public Radio
Future Events
 
Resilience in Rapidly Changing Arctic Systems, proposals close June 20, 2019. This joint Belmont Forum CRA calls for co-developed and co-implemented proposals from integrated teams of natural and social scientists, and stakeholders to address key areas of arctic resilience understanding and action. This collaboration of academic and non-academic knowledge systems constitutes a transdisciplinary approach that will advance not only understanding of the fundamentals of arctic resilience but also spur action, inform decision-making, and translate into solutions for resilience. The term "stakeholder" is used here in its broadest possible sense, allowing for co-development of projects with partners from, but not limited to, civil society, government, industry, NGOs, and Indigenous organizations.
   


Over 50 confirmed speakers including:
  • Sen. Lisa Murkowski
  • Sen. Angus King
  • Commandant Karl Schultz, US Coast Guard
  • RDML Tim Gallaudet, PhD, USN Ret., Deputy NOAA Admin.
  • Hon. Fran Ulmer, Chair, USARC
  • AMB Ken Yalowitz (State Dept. retired), Wilson Center
  • AMB Harri Mäki-Reinikka, Finland
  • AMB Marie-Anne Coninsx, EU Ambassador at Large for the Arctic
  • Presidents and CEOs of four Arctic Alaska Native Regional Corps.: Rex Rock, ASRC, Wayne Westlake, NANA, Gail Schubert, BSRC, and Aaron Schutt, Doyon

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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 Wilson Center's Polar Institute, the Arctic Domain Awareness Center at the Univ. of Alaska, and the Patuxent Defense Forum (run by the Patuxent Partnership), and St. Mary's College of Maryland as co-hosts.

The 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 here. Attendance is free, and registration is now open, here . The event will be webcast live, and video recorded.
 
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.

2019 Sea Ice Symposium, August 18-23, 2019 (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada). IGS co-hosts a sea ice symposium every 5 years. The Centre for Earth Observation Science (University of Manitoba) is excited to be hosting the first IGS event to be held in Canada. The symposium will include oral and poster sessions, and will provide a friendly and intellectually stimulating environment to facilitate face-to-face interactions and networking. Additional activities will include an opening reception, a banquet dinner and a mid-symposium afternoon excursion. 

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.

Alaska Unmanned Aircraft Systems Interest Group Meeting, September 23-26, 2019 (Fairbanks, Alaska USA). The Alaska Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) is accepting submissions from potential speakers through May 1. Focus areas include policy/ regulations, research and education training, commercial aspects of UAS. More information will be available here.

Bridging Science, Art, and Community in the New Arctic, Sept. 23-25, 2019, (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia USA). The University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, VA, is hosting a conference and workshop entitled "Bridging Science, Art, and Community in the New Arctic" from Sept. 23-25, 2019, sponsored by the National Science Foundation Navigating the New Arctic program, with additional support from UVA's Institute for Humanities and Global Cultures, and Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation. The UVA Environmental Resilience Institute's Arctic CoLab is organizing the event, with assistance from the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS).

EU Arctic Forum, October 3-4, 2019 ( Umeå, Sweden). The European Commission, the European External Action Service, and the Government of Sweden will jointly organize a high-level EU Arctic Forum . The EU Arctic Forum will bring together key Arctic players and stakeholders to assess recent developments in the region and to discuss the new challenges ahead. The EU Arctic Forum will include several keynote addresses and two high-level panel sessions on the morning of 3 October. Foreign ministers from EU member states as well as the Arctic Council will be invited to participate.

Large-scale Volcanism in the Arctic: The Role of the Mantle and Tectonics, October 13-18, 2019 (Selfoss, Iceland). The American Geophysical Union (AGU) Chapman Conference will focus on the diversity of Arctic magmatism and tectonics from the Paleozoic to present-day. The conveners are Owen Anfinson, Bernard Coakley, Carmen Gaina, and Grace Shephard. The program will focus on five themes including: Theme I: pre-breakup and rifting;Theme II: seafloor spreading;Theme III: mantle-derived heterogeneity (including plumes and large-igneous provinces);Theme IV: subduction related volcanism, and, Theme V: HALIP and environmental effects.  The website (link above) is currently open for abstract submission and will soon open for meeting registration.
 
Understanding and Responding to Global Health Security Risks from Microbial Threats in the Arctic , November 6-7, 2019 (Hanover, Germany). The workshop will be planned as a collaboration between the U.S. National Academies Polar Research Board, Board on Life Sciences, and the Board on Global Health as well as the InterAcademy Partnership and the European Academies Science Advisory Council. Additional information about the project and a form to submit nominations (by April 5) can be found here. Contact Lauren Everett ( leverett@nas.edu) with any questions.

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