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February 27, 2019

International Polar Bear DayInternational Polar Bear Day  is an annual event celebrated every February 27 to raise awareness about the conservation status of the  polar bear .

46th Annual Meeting of the Alaska Anthropological Association, February 27- March 2, 2019 (Nome, Alaska USA).  The 2019 theme is: Alaska Anthropology in the Age of Engagement: Communities, Collections and Collaboration. More information will be available online.
Media

clouds.jpg With More Dark Clouds in Horizon, Russian Arctic Meteorologists Get Almost a Billion for Studies of the Weather. The Russian government this week announced that it is allocating 868.75 million rubles (€11.6 million) to the Transarktika-2019 program, an initiative managed by the country's state meteorological institute Roshydromet. The goal is to improve the system of Russian meteorological security connected with maritime activities in the Arctic, the government says.  The Barents Observer
 
Russian Government Finances Arctic Scientific Expedition. Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev inked an order to allocate 868.75 million rubles ($13.2 million) to finance the Trans-Arctic 2019 scientific expedition, which will research and monitor the Arctic environment. The expedition will involve four research vessels of the national hydrometeorology authority, Roshydromet, the order reads. "The allocated funds are for complex scientific research and state monitoring of the Arctic environment, where Roshydromet's four scientific-research and expedition vessels will be used," the government's website quoted the official document, published on Tuesday. TASS
 
IMO: Consistent Implementation of 2020 Sulphur Limit- Draft Guideline Finalized. ...Reducing risks of use and carriage of heavy fuel oil as fuel by ships in Arctic waters. The Sub-Committee began its work to develop measures to reduce the risks of use and carriage of heavy fuel oil as fuel by ships in Arctic waters. A working definition for heavy fuel oil was noted, which says that "heavy fuel oil means fuel oils having a density at 15ºC higher than 900 kg/m3 or a kinematic viscosity at 50ºC higher than 180 mm2/s". Hellenic Shipping News
 
Healy, Coast Guard Coast Guard Icebreaker Crew Completes Second Arctic Mission; US Interests in Arctic Domain Depends on Fleet Recapitalization. The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy completed their second mission of their Arctic West Summer 2018 deployment Oct. 18. Mission 1802 was a scientific mission to study stratified ocean dynamics in the Arctic (SODA) for the Office of Naval Research and underscores the importance of Coast Guard icebreakers as a national asset. The project, led by Dr. Craig Lee of the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington, Seattle, aims to better understand how the Arctic environment affects the different water layers of the Arctic Ocean. Understanding these environmental factors may help better predict ice coverage in the region. DVIDS  
 
When Temperatures Drop, Siberian Miscanthus Plants Surpass Main Bioenergy Variety. Miscanthus is a popular, sustainable, perennial feedstock for bioenergy production that thrives on marginal land in temperate regions. A new study assessed Miscanthus collected on a Siberian expedition to identify three Miscanthus plants with exceptional photosynthetic performance in chilling temperatures that outstrip the industry favorite by as much as 100 percent. Science Daily
Future Events

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.

High North Dialogue 2019: Business in the Arctic, April 3-4, 2019 (Bodø, Norway). The High North Dialogue 2019 will discuss and develop ideas for the economic development of the Arctic region, with an emphasis on future scenarios, development cross sectors and governance needed in order to ensure sustainable growth.

The 5th International Arctic Forum: Arctic: Territory of Dialogue, April 9-10, 2019 (Arkhangelsk, Russia). The Forum is a key platform for discussing current issues relating to the socioeconomic development of Arctic regions and for developing multi-level, multilateral mechanisms for joint discovery and effective exploitation of the Arctic's rich natural resource potential. The Forum will take place with the support of the State Commission for Arctic Development.

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. Registration is now open. Additional information is available here.


North X North Festival, May 1-5, 2019 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). The third annual North x North Summit & Festival celebrates connection and culture across the North. The event features five days of conversations, workshops, exhibitions, performances, presentations, music, dance, installations, food, film and experiences highlighting Northern people, landscapes and cultures. The Summit (May 1-2), which is open to registered participants, focuses on resilience and research, with a special emphasis on gender and Indigenizing. The Festival (May 3-5) is open to the general public and features activities and conversations around climate, gender, innovation, food, indigenizing and earthquakes.

Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, May 7-10, 2019 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). This symposium aims to provide a forum for discussion on ways to facilitate effective cooperative research, a platform for scientific talks on the application and results of cooperative research, and opportunity to evaluate how such research might be best envisioned, applied and implemented. The symposium aims to involve participants from a variety of relevant marine industries, address these issues through facilitated discussion, identify best practices, and articulate a set of case studies for effective collaboration. The symposium also aims to involve scientists from a wide range of sectors, including state and federal agencies, universities, research institutes and industry science. This event is sponsored by Alaska Sea Grant College Program. 

Arctic Science Summit Week, May 22-30, 2019 (Arkhangelsk, Russia). The Arctic Science Summit Week 2019 will take place in Northern (Arctic) Federal University and Northern State Medical University, Russia, Arkhangelsk. Under the auspices of International Arctic Science Committee, participants from more than 23 countries and regions will be involved.

** New this week ** Resilience in Rapidly Changing Arctic Systems, proposals close June 14, 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.
   

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, and the Patuxent Defense Forum (run by the Patuxent Partnership) as co-hosts. 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.
 
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.

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.

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