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Polar Technology Conference, March 10-12, 2020 (Boulder, Colorado USA and via livestream).
A livestream broadcast of the Polar Technology Conference plenary sessions will be available March 10-12. The goal of the meeting is to link experts in polar science and technology development to discuss current technological resources for polar research and identify barriers to research and application of technology for problems unique to polar regions. Please visit the conference webpage to view details including the speakers, topics, agenda, abstracts, and details on how to access the livestream.
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 Global Inuit Group Voice Concern About Coronavirus Impact on Arctic Communities. The Inuit are potentially at much higher risk of exposure to such epidemics due to the chronic lack of basic infrastructure, including lack of sewer and running water in many communities, the council, which represents about 180,000 Inuit living in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia, said in a press release. Inuit communities historically experienced devastating loss of life due to lack of immunity to preventable diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis, and other viruses and diseases, the council said.
Radio Canada International
US and Canadian Air Forces Intercept and Escort Russian Planes Off Alaska's Arctic Coast. U.S. and Canadian aircraft intercepted and escorted two Russian aircraft that flew over the Beaufort Sea near the northern Alaska coast, military officials said Tuesday. The Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft were escorted by F-22 and CF-18 planes, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a release.
Anchorage Daily News
 Where Arctic Cod Goes, Marine Mammals Follow. A centerpiece of the marine food web, Boreogadus saida swims among the ice floes of the Arctic archipelago. A slender fish but high in fat, the Arctic cod, the northernmost marine fish, eats krill and plankton - and transfers that energy up the food chain as the preferred prey for a host of seabirds and marine mammals like ringed seals and beluga whales.
Earth Island Journal
Russian Academy of Science to Consolidate Official Take on Climate Change in the Arctic. At a meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences Presidium, Alexander Sergeyev, president of the Academy, called on scientists to form a common official stance on climate change in the Arctic. Specifically, he proposed holding a conference to compare perspectives. "We need to reach a consensus, even if it is only a number of hypotheses, but we need a shared academic opinion," he said.
The Arctic
 Seismic Activity May Cause Arctic Climate Change. According to Leopold Lobkovsky, Deputy Director for Research at the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, heightened seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean may cause Arctic warming. In particular, he highlighted that this region has the largest reserves of accumulated natural gas, including methane in the form of gas hydrates. Arctic faults discharge methane, a greenhouse gas, and this leads to atmospheric warming, Lobkovsky noted.
The Arctic
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Future Events
Linking Experts in Polar Science and Technology, March 12, 2020 (Boulder, Colorado USA). The Polar Technology Conference (PTC) brings together polar scientists, technology developers, and field technicians from academia, state and federal agencies, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. This interdisciplinary space provides an opportunity for technical and theoretical exchange on challenges impeding polar research and field operations. Community input is crucial to ensure that technological infrastructure investments are efficient, satisfy science drivers, and meet field requirements. The conference will address approaches to working and studying in the polar regions, including: terrestrial, marine, atmospheric, and social science disciplines; autonomous instrumentation; observation platforms; and all levels of logistical support.
** Updated **
Ice Core Science Community Planning Workshop 2020, April 2-3, 2020 (Virtual Meeting Only).
Please note, this event is meeting virtually only now. Scientific discoveries achieved in the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets and temperate glaciers are critical to society today, but they are not achieved without significant advance planning. The U.S. Ice Drilling Program (IDP) will sponsor an interdisciplinary ice community workshop to identify science driving future Arctic and Antarctic ice coring sites, the ice drilling technology that will be needed, and the timeline over the coming decade for advancing ice core science on multiple frontiers. The outcome of the workshop will be white papers describing community endeavors with associated timelines that will become part of the updated U.S. Ice Drilling Program Long Range Science Plan.
North x North Festival + Critical Futures, April 13-19, 2020 (Anchorage, Alaska USA).
North x North celebrates connection, creativity, imagination and innovation across the Circumpolar North and convenes people worldwide for a discussion about possible futures. It begins with Critical Futures
, a creative conference that focuses on language, visuals and ideas for creatively and critically thinking about the future and responding to climate change, and ends with a Fest featuring film, food and music. This event is hosted by the Anchorage Museum.
NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program Webinar Series, April 16, 2020 (Webinar). Deep-sea coral and sponge communities in the Aleutian Islands are important habitat features for many life stages of commercially important fish targets, including Atka mackerel, Pacific cod, and rockfish. The effects of commercial fishing activities on deep-sea corals and sponges has been difficult to quantify due to a lack of spatially-explicit fishery data, bottom contact by different gear types, undetermined location of corals and sponges, and the susceptibility and recovery dynamics these structure-forming invertebrates (SFI). To address these challenges, a fishing effects model was developed in the North Pacific to integrate spatially explicit VMS data with target-specific gear configurations for over 40,000 bottom trawls since 2003. Fishery observer coverage for Aleutian Island trawl fisheries is nearly 100 percent and records catch species composition. Species distribution models provide presence data for coral, sponge, Primnoidae, and Stylasteridae.
Securing S&T Success for the Coming Arctic, April 22-23, 2020 (Washington, DC USA). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center hosts this annual meeting. The meeting will review the Center's current research and discuss better leveraging ADAC. The agenda includes discussions regarding the transition of ADAC's mature research and the initiation of new research associated with ADAC's recently awarded projects from ADAC's Arctic Incidence of National Significance 2019 workshop.
ICESAT-2 Cryospheric Science Hackweek, June 15-19, 2020 (Seattle, Washington USA). ICESat-2 Cryospheric Science Hackweek is a 5-day hackweek to be held at the University of Washington. Participants will learn about technologies used to access and process ICESat-2 data with a focus on the cryosphere. Mornings will consist of interactive lectures, and afternoon sessions will involve facilitated exploration of datasets and hands-on software development.
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