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August 31, 2021

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No Arctic science events are scheduled for today.

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How a Volcanic Surge 56 Million Years Ago Cut Off the Arctic Ocean From the Atlantic

Travel back in time 56 million years, and you'd arrive during a period of heightened volcanic activity on Earth. The activity triggered significant shifts in the planet's climate, effectively turning some parts of the far north into a tropical paradise. The outpouring of carbon dioxide is one cause for this warming, but it seems there's more to the story. According to a new study, the volcanism plugged up the seaway between the Arctic and Atlantic, changing how the oceans' waters mixed.

Science Daily

The Arctic’s Most Populous Mammal Still a Puzzle for Researchers

Zoologist and researcher Dominique Fauteux was out on the tundra outside of Salluit earlier this summer when he noticed a least six couples of rough-legged hawks, screeching at him from a distance. The hostile sounds confirmed two things: that the birds were nesting, and because the hawks only nest when they’re well-fed, that also meant there must be an ample supply of their main food source, lemmings.

Nunatsiaq News

Measuring How the Arctic Responds to Climate Change

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The Arctic has been warming more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Meanwhile CO2 measurements show substantial increases in the amount of carbon absorbed into and emitted by Arctic plants and soil. Scientists assumed this was playing a large role in changes to the Arctic carbon cycle. But they were not able to measure carbon uptake and release independently. This study provides insights into this important process based on the modelling of atmospheric measurements of carbonyl sulfide.

Science Daily

International Inuit Org Begins Work on Protocols for Ethical Engagement with Indigenous Knowledge

The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) launched a session of workshops on Monday with a view to developing guardrails that will ensure ethical engagement with communities and Indigenous knowledge at the global level. ICC represents the approximately 180,000 Inuit in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka, Russia. The development of international protocols for fora, institutions and scientists engaging with Inuit communities and knowledge was set out as a priority in ICC’s 2018 Utqiaġvik Declaration, the document that outlines their four-year priorities.

Radio Canada International
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9:00 am ADT on September 8, 2021 | Virtual

Meeting 21st Century Maritime Challenges in the U.S. Arctic

Alaska Chadux̂ Network and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association are co-sponsoring a free collaborative virtual seminar that will focus on maritime challenges currently being faced in the U.S. Arctic. The 3-hour informative event will address a series of topics including a keynote address focusing on the role of the U.S. Arctic in national policies; current issues being confronted by stakeholders in the region; and future challenges. This unique event will bring together expert insight from across the maritime sector, arctic specialists, and government officials. Registration is now open.

Event Link

11:00 am ET on September 14, 2021 | Virtual

What Can We Learn from Ignorance? Arctic Energy Frontiers, Environmental Regimes, and Indigenous Rights Movements Since the 1970s

In this talk, Prof. Andrew Stuhl will examine the state of knowledge that Pimlott experienced as a constitutive element of energy frontiers, environmental regimes, and struggles for Indigenous rights in the late twentieth-century Arctic. This event is part of the Arctic Environmental Humanities Workshop Series and is hosted by The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies and the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge.

Event Link

October 14-17, 2021 | Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland

Arctic Circle Assembly

The annual Arctic Circle Assembly is the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic, attended by more than 2000 participants from 60 countries. It is attended by heads of states and governments, ministers, members of parliaments, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic.


For the most up-to-date COVID information, please see the the US Embassy in Reykjavik's COVID page: here.

Event Link
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OCTOBER 24–29, 2021 | BOULDER, COLORADO, USA

2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost/19th International Conference Cold Regions Engineering

For the first time, a Regional Conference on Permafrost will be combined with the bi-annual 19th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering. This conference is hosted by the US Permafrost Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Permafrost Association, the Permafrost Young Researchers Network, and the University of Colorado Boulder. A complete list of planned sessions is available here.

Event Link

November 2-4, 2021 | Virtual

The Maritime Risk Symposium

The Maritime Risk Symposium is an annual three-day conference in which government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, researchers, and solution providers convene to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. Government agencies, commercial entities, institutions of research, and higher education come together to discuss various threats, challenges, and risks to international and domestic maritime sectors.

Event Link

November 10-11, 2021 | Brussels, Belgium

EU Arctic Forum and Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue

The European Commission and the European External Action Service will organize a high-level EU Arctic Forum and the Annual Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue. The EU Arctic Forum will bring together key Arctic players and stakeholders to assess recent developments in the region and discuss challenges ahead. The event will provide a strategic outlook for the updated EU Arctic policy and delve into topics that are of particular significance for the Arctic’s inhabitants.

Event Link

November 17, 2021 | Portland, Maine USA

New England Arctic Network 2021 Meeting

The New England Arctic Network (NEAN) will host its 2021 meeting at the University of New England in Portland, Maine. Additional information will be published soon. 

Event Link

November 30- December 3, 2021 | Anchorage, Alaska USA

Reducing Arctic Risks and Advancing Cooperation, Alaskan Command Arctic Symposium 2021

Arctic Symposium 2021 continues momentum in Arctic defense and security collaboration established in prior ALCOM-hosted events. AAS21 seeks to address the challenges faced by the U.S. military and our allies and partners in understanding and responding to our respective national interests. AAS21 is planned and organized by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) in support and in compliance to guidance from Alaskan Command (ALCOM) Staff and Commander. More information available soon.

Event Link

December 6-10, 2021 | Virtual

A Blue Arctic Ocean: U.S. Arctic Research and Marine Infrastructure Needs

Hosted entirely online the ArcticNet Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting 2021 (ASM2021) is a hub for Arctic research in Canada. The ASM2021 brings together researchers from the natural, health, and social sciences to meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing Arctic region, shaped by climate change and modernization. This conference will push the boundaries of our collective understanding of the Arctic and strengthen our ability to address the Arctic issues of today and tomorrow.

Event Link

December 13-17, 2021 | New Orleans, LA USA & virtual

A Blue Arctic Ocean: U.S. Arctic Research and Marine Infrastructure Needs

The National Academies’ Polar Research Board is convening the following session at the Fall AGU meeting.

Event Link

MAY 9-12, 2022 | HANKO, FINLAND

2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses

Organizers announce, that due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses has been postponed to 2022. This symposium will bring together molecular microbial ecologists specializing in different organism groups to share our latest results and discuss methodological problems, as well as future prospects in the field, including practical international collaborations. The environmental focus will be on cryospheric environments including sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost, but excellent research in other polar environments is also invited. The methods to be discussed will focus on 'omics' techniques, ranging from single cells to metagenomes, but research using additional methods is encouraged as well.

Event Link
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