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 Mapping Snow on Arctic Sea Ice. For the past two decades, satellites and scientists have revealed an ongoing, decades-long decline in Arctic sea ice, with implications for global ecosystems, weather, and climate. Satellites are now tracking what's happening to the reflective, insulating layer of snow atop the ice. The snow layer is an important component of the sea ice system, affecting how the ice grows and melts. In winter, blanket-like snow cover insulates sea ice from frigid polar air, slowing ice growth. In spring, snow cover must melt away before the ice surface can begin to melt. By summer, melt water from the snow collects in ponds atop the ice; this water absorbs heat from the Sun and can accelerate the warming and melting of the ice.
NASA Earth Observatory
Permafrost in the Arctic Can Thaw Faster Than Presumed. Melting of ice in permafrost ground leads to processes of change in the landscape-thermokarst. This may cause faster thawing of the permafrost. Some of the coldest
permafrost on Earth might be more vulnerable to thawing than previously thought. In the PERMANOR project led by the University of Oslo in Norway, an international research team has investigated so-called thermokarst processes which can significantly accelerate thawing of permafrost. The study is recently published in Nature Communications.
Phys.org
 Report to Congress on Changes in the Arctic. From the report: The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. The seven other Arctic states are Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark (by virtue of Greenland), and Russia.
USNI News
Scientists Take First Census of Arctic Freshwater Molluscs in 130 Years. Based on previously released data and their own investigations, researchers at the St Petersburg University Laboratory of Macroecology and Biogeography of Invertebrates have assessed the diversity of freshwater molluscs in the Circumpolar region of the World. In total, they registered 104 species of these invertebrates living in waters within the Arctic Circle. Their hermaphroditism, their ability to freeze in ice and their 'friendship' with birds have all helped them to enter the Arctic and to survive under its harsh conditions.
Phys.org
Russia Considers Using Heavy Drones to Control Arctic Borders. The Russian industry considers developing heavy drones to control the border in Arctic regions, First Deputy Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Border Guard Service Head Vladimir Kulishov told TASS on Thursday."In the interests of carrying out border guard activity in remote Arctic areas and Far Eastern seas, medium- and heavy-class drones will be in demand in the medium-term perspective as they ensure the transmission of data on the border situation to large distances and are less dependent on weather conditions," he said in an interview with TASS timed for Russia's Border Guards Day celebrated on May 28.
TASS
 Killer Whale Migration Upends Arctic Waters. Slipping through the frigid water, the sleek black dorsal fin of a killer whale is iconic; but they're being seen in new parts of the world more frequently, thanks to climate change breaking up sea ice. Researchers at the University of Manitoba have been working to identify and quantify the expansion of the apex predator's range into the eastern Arctic off the northern coast of Baffin Island for the past few years. They use unique markings on whales to understand their movements and estimate the number that have taken up residence farther into the Arctic archipelago in the summer.
Winnipeg Free Press
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Future Events
** Updated **
ICESAT-2 Cryospheric Science Hackweek, June 15-19, 2020 (Virtual). 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.
Arctic Circle Assembly, October 8-11, 2020 (Reykjavik, Iceland). 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.
3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, November 21-22, 2020 (Toyko, Japan). Since the last Arctic Science Ministerial in 2018, changes in the Arctic ecosystem and the resulting impacts locally and globally have been severely felt. While the reasons for these changes in climate largely stem from activities outside of the Arctic, the Arctic is warming at a rate of nearly double the global average. Considering the need for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and repair measures, the relevance of an international Arctic Science Ministerial has never been greater. It is necessary to strengthen scientific cooperation and collaboration among both Arctic and non-Arctic States in order to develop our understanding of the rapid changes impacting the Arctic. The First Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM1) was hosted by the United States in 2016, and two years later, the Second Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM2) was co-hosted by Germany, Finland, and the European Commission. The Third Arctic Science Ministerial will be co-hosted by Iceland and Japan.
Arctic Science Summit Week, March 20-26, 2021 (Lisbon, Portugal). The Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Local Organizing Committee will host the Arctic Science Summit Week 2021. The Conference is organized by FCT, Ciência Viva, AIR Center, the Portuguese Arctic Community and by IASC and partners. Framed by the overarching theme for the Science Conference "The Arctic: Regional Changes, Global Impacts," Lisbon invites International experts on the Arctic and Indigenous Peoples to discuss the "New Arctic" and also its impacts and interactions to and with the lower latitudes.
Save the Date: 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses, May 3-6, 2021 (Hanko, Finland). Organizers announce, that due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses has been postponed to 2021. 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.
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** New this week **