Arctic Update Header
April 11, 2016
  
Today's C ongressional Action:   
The House is not in session. The Senate is expect to consider non-Arctic legislation.
Media  

permafrost Permafrost-Preserving Technologies May Work Better Farther North as Climate Warms. Some 200 big rigs travel the Dalton Highway on an average day to bring supplies to the giant Prudhoe Bay oilfield complex. All that trucking requires regular repair work along the 414-mile mostly gravel road - an ongoing and costly challenge that could become even more if road-building technologies developed to protect permafrost under roadways no longer work. "In Alaska and in the Arctic, the air temperatures are going up," says Jeff Currey, an Alaska Department of Transportation engineer. KUAC
 
'In Amundsen's Footsteps:' Expedition Retraces Route of Explorer's 1905 Journey. An international team of explorers returned last week from a grueling 700-mile dog-sled journey from the Arctic Ocean to Eagle, Alaska. They were the first to re-trace the route that legendary explorer Roald Amundsen took in 1905 after his historic transit of the Northwest. Winds were howling on Feb. 28 when the three explorers set down on Herschel Island, just off the coast of Yukon Territory about 50 miles east of the U.S.-Canada border. A breathless videographer announced their arrival after they flew in from Inuvik, Northwest Territories. KUAC
 
Arctic Study Finds High Correlation of Biomass to Species Diversity in Northern Chukchi Sea. Last summer, researchers began a five year study to monitor biodiversity in the Arctic Chukchi Sea from an ecosystem perspective, looking at microbes, whales and everything in between. Marine biodiversity is a key indicator of ocean health and critical ecosystem services that contribute to human life. Monitoring it improves our ability to interpret and forecast changes. The unprecedented effects of climate change combined with strong seasonal cycles and increasing human activities in the Arctic make this region particularly important to monitor. Bueau of Ocean Energy Management

Rescuers to Practice Search for Missing Foreigners on Arctic Coast. Large-scale rescue exercises will begin near Dudinka, Krasnoyarsk Territory, on Tuesday to rehearse the search for missing foreign tourists on Russia's Arctic coast, RIA Novosti reported." According to the drill scenario, nine foreign tourists taking a ride on snowmobiles fail to answer a radio call and later send an SOS signal," an Emergencies Ministry spokesman said. The exercises will take place in the Taimyrsky District on April 12-20, he added.  The Arctic 

Sergei Ivanov: We Must Clean the Arctic and Other Regions of the Country. Speaking at the first meeting of the organizing committee on preparations for the Year of Ecology in Russia in 2017 on Friday, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Ivanov emphasized the need to clean the Arctic and eliminate the damage done to other regions of the country.
"One more important task is to clean the Arctic. As you may know, we've already started this work on Franz Joseph Land and on Wrangel Island. We must also deal with the consequences of the damage done to the nature of other regions in the country in the past few decades," RIA Novosti quoted Ivanov as saying. The Arctic 

Siberian and US Scientists to Cooperate in Combatting Global Warming in the Arctic. Siberian and US scientists will work together collecting data on climate change and global warming in the Arctic. They plan to work out methods to prevent environmental disaster that could happen in the region, Julie Brigham Grette, professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, told the TASS news agency in Novosibirsk.  "There are various points around the Arctic (points, most suitable to begin research -TASS editor's note). Probably there are ways of obtaining more information from these locations. This is important since the temperature is already rising and we need detailed data, which could allow us to prevent temperature growth," the professor said. The Arctic
 
UK Submarines May Return to Arctic. UK navy officers are set to undergo training to navigate below ice and break through ice covers on a US submarine before being deployed to the Arctic, Sputnik reported. US experience will be used to prepare one Trafalgar-class submarine for work in the Arctic, Rear Admiral John Weale said, as quoted by the publication. Trend News Agency

Canadian Attawapiskat First Nation suicide emergency.  An indigenous   community in northern Canada has declared a state of emergency after 11 people attempted to take their own lives in one day.  The Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario saw 28 suicide attempts in March and more than 100 since last September, Canadian media said, with one person reported to have died.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the news "heartbreaking."  Canada's 1.4 million indigenous people have high levels of poverty.  Their life expectancy is also below the Canadian average. BBC

Legislative Action futureevents   

No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.

Future Events
 
2016 Social and Environmental Determinants of Health in Alaska Symposium, April 14-15, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA).  The symposium will bring multidisciplinary teams of biomedical and health researchers together to discuss translational research, with a goal to expand the INBRE network, and to enhance interdisciplinary and translational biomedical and health research.  Presenters from across the United States will speak on social and environmental determinants of health in Alaska, followed by panel discussions on each topic.  Registration is free.  For more information, please call  907.786.6460 or email  kalance@uaa.alaska.edu.

Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, April 14-16, 2016 (Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. This workshop will gather a diverse group of scholars to discuss the state-of-the art in Arctic social sciences and develop visioning scenarios for the future of social science research in the Arctic. The core topics will parallel discussions held at other regional workshops (Portland, OR and Providence, RI), which include: social sciences research and climate change; interdisciplinary research in the Arctic; social sciences and humanities in the Arctic, and applied social sciences research.

Service-Learning in Undergraduate Geosciences: A Workshop, April 20-21, 2016 (Washington, DC).  Pre-register  here  to participate in the NSF-funded workshop " Service-Learning in Undergraduate Geosciences"  that will be  held at the National Academies of Sciences in Washington D.C. on  April 20 & 21 .   This workshop will focus on what is currently happening in service-learning in the geosciences and what can be learned from service-learning in other disciplines.

Alaska Rural Energy Conference, April 26-28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Rural Energy Conference is a three day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska's remote communities. Building on the growing success, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power have joined forces again to organize and sponsor the 10th annual Alaska Rural Energy Conference.   

High North Dialogue 2016: The Blue Future of the Arctic, May 25-26, 2016.   HND is an annual conference hosted by the High North Center at Nord University, engaging a wide audience of researchers and future leaders of the region. It will address the necessary questions to effectively promote dialogue between interested stakeholders on how to sustainably develop the different realities of the many Arctics. PhD and Masters students can also participate in a week long credit awarding graduate course.

Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, May 31-June 2, 2016 (Providence, Rhode Island, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The workshop will bring together researchers working on multidisciplinary natural/social science projects addressing issues of contemporary change in the North with social scientists focused on policy development at a global scale. This focus draws on the expertise of Brown University's Watson Center for International Studies (http://watson.brown.edu), the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES, http://www.brown.edu/academics/institute-environment-society/about), and the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology's (http://www.brown.edu/haffenreffer) six-decade engagement with northern people and northern heritage.

14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway).
The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
 
11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), June 20-24, 2016 (Potsdam, Germany). The Alfred Wegener Institute has teamed up with UP Transfer GmbH and the University of Potsdam to organize a great conference for you, permafrost researchers. The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering and outreach on a global and regional level.

Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Rhode Island, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons.  The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.

Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia).  The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
  
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
 

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