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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
 leaders in Washington, D.C. As the largest Earth and space science gathering in the world, the Fall Meeting places you in th
e 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.
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Media
How a Shorter Sea Ice Season is Changing Life in the Arctic. People who live in the town of Utqiaġvik have seen dramatic effects of climate change during their lifetimes. Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow, sits right on the edge of the Arctic Ocean at the very top of Alaska. It's the northernmost town in the United States, and home to about 4,400. The coastline here used to be edged with sea ice for nearly the whole year. But that period is getting shorter and shorter, and as a result Utqiaġvik locals are dealing with coastal erosion and are changing how they hunt in the fall.
National Public Radio
 R/V Sikuliaq Connects Scientists to a Sea of Research. After over a month spent docked in Seward, the R/V Sikuliaq set sail last Wednesday. The vibrant blue-hulled, 261-foot oceanographic research vessel left on a 10-day trip out to the Gulf of Alaska and then down to Seattle, taking a roundabout route to pick up scientific instruments along the way before it pulls into port for a winter of maintenance.
The Seward Sun
Little Ventilation Project. This project looks at ventilation systems that can improve indoor air quality in small homes while limiting energy use. While the average home in much of rural Alaska is smaller than 1,500 square feet, current ventilation systems are not always well-suited for these size homes. Because they sometimes deliver too much cold air, use excess energy, or over-dry a house, they can get shut off entirely, creating air quality issues inside. For a situation where conventional ventilation may not be the best option, CCHRC is looking at alternative systems.
Cold Climate Housing Research Center
Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) Request for Proposals on Oil and Herder Toxicity. OSRI seeks request for proposals on oil and herder toxicity. The Oil Spill Recovery Institute (OSRI) in Cordova, Alaska supports research, education, and demonstration projects that improve understanding and response to oil spills in Arctic and sub-Arctic marine environments. The use of chemical herders to increase thickness of oil to allow for in-situ burning has been researched for use in ice-covered waters. In recent years, there has been substantial research conducted on the toxicity of oil and dispersant mixtures. Yet, few have looked at chemical herders that may be used to enhance burning and skimming operations. While the herder application volumes are expected to be extremely low, it is still important to understand the potential lethal and sublethal effects of these compounds. Additional information can be found
here.
The Arctic: Today and Future Forum Kicks Off. The eighth International Forum The Arctic: Today and the Future kicked off in St. Petersburg on December 5. The participants of the plenary session touched on many topics; in particular, they noted that the work of the State Commission on Arctic Development had been restored, that the Russian Arctic provided for about 90 percent of exports and, in fact, the Russian economy was based in the region.
The Arctic
 Coast Guard Commandant Hopeful FY 2019 DHS Budget Will Be Approved With Icebreaker Funding. U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz is guardedly optimistic his service will get funding for a new Polar Security Cutter in time to start construction in 2019. The Coast Guard - though considered one of the nation's five armed services - falls under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Congress has not yet approved the Fiscal Year 2019 DHS spending plan.
USNI News
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Future Events
USARC Commissioner Jacqueline Richter-Menge to deliver the Nye Lecture at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting, December 11, 2018 (Washington, DC USA).
The US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) is pleased to announce that Commissioner Jacqueline Richter-Menge will present this year's
Nye Lecture, titled "A Career of Change,"
at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington, DC at 2:50 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 in the Marquis room of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001.
Arctic Report Card Release, December 11, 2018 (Washington, DC USA).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  (NOAA) is expected to release the 2018 Arctic Report Card during the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual fall
meeting. A press conference of the release will be steamed live on the AGU press events webpage- see
here
. The 2018 Arctic Report Card brings together the work of more than 80 scientists from 12 nations to provide the latest information on Arctic environmental change, including air and sea surface temperature, sea ice, snow cover, the Greenland ice sheet, vegetation and the abundance of plankton at the base of the marine food chain. This year's peer-reviewed report led by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will also include special reports on the health of caribou and reindeer populations, harmful algal blooms, microplastic pollution, and connections between Arctic weather patterns and severe weather in the more populous mid-latitudes.
First Results From NASA's New Ice-Measuring Space Laser, December 11, 2018 (Washington, DC USA). Glacier crevasses, cracks in sea ice and forest canopies - the first height data from NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 are so clear that scientists can easily distinguish these and other features of Earth's surface. At this press conference, scientists will present the first results and new data visualizations from ICESat-2, which launched Sept. 15. They'll discuss how the airborne Operation IceBridge campaign led into ICESat-2 and how the satellite's seasonal measurements of changing ice sheets and sea ice will lead to better understanding of sea level rise and global weather and climate patterns.
Keynote: US Senate Perspectives on Science Policy, December 12, 2018 (Washington, DC. USA). U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Maria Cantwell of Washington will discuss today's top science policy topics, from hazards to scientific integrity. The senators will be sharing remarks on the science policy issues facing their constituents and the world, followed by a Q&A moderated by AGU CEO and Executive Director Chris McEntee. This event is part of the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.
The Synoptic Arctic Survey Informational Meeting During the AGU Fall Meeting, December 13, 2018 (Washington, DC USA). The Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) will be hosting an informational meeting during the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2018 Fall Meeting. This open meeting will convene 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, 13 December 2018 at the Cambria Hotel Washington D.C. Convention Center (899 O Street NW, Washington, DC, 20001), Duke Ellington Room 1, in Washington D.C. The SAS is a developing international program envisioned to mount a coordinated, multi-nation, oceanographic field-based effort on a Pan Arctic Scale quasi-synoptically over a single season to achieve the baseline understanding of the fundamental structure and function of the linked carbon-ecosystem-physical systems that will permit detection of ongoing and future changes. Development of the program has been ongoing since 2015.
Fast Thaw, December 14, 2018 (Washington, DC USA).
Arctic 21 will host a presentation with Dr. Katey Walter Anthony. The discussion with consider permafrost thaw and methane emissions from lakes in the Arctic.
'UK-US Maritime, Aerospace and Security Cooperation in the Arctic'. Delegates will discuss and debate trade and security-focused Arctic collaboration in the Arctic between US, the UK, and their allies. This convening is designed to deepen the UK-US special relationship by strengthening trade and cooperation in four areas in particular: maritime services, aerospace, fisheries, defense and security. The Arctic Encounter London is co-produced by the Polar Research and Policy Initiative and the Arctic Encounter. The Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI) is a London-based international think-tank dedicated to Arctic, Nordic, North Atlantic, North Pacific and Antarctic affairs. The Arctic Encounter is the largest annual Arctic policy and business conference convening in the United States, with partnerships and convening efforts worldwide.
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.
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.
 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.
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External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site (
www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.
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