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November 15, 2019

AAS19 Arctic Symposium, November 13-15, 2019 (Fairbanks, AK USA). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, will host this event along with the University of Alaska and the US Coast Guard. The principal outcome sought in AAS19 is to improve understanding of the challenges in the complicated risk environment that describes the new circumpolar north. Symposium planners seek AAS19 to create thoughtful discussions in order to gain needed solutions to address and potentially reduce the associated defense and security risks. 
Media

Arctic sea ice Arctic Ocean Could be Ice-Free for part of the Year as Soon as 2044. It's hard to imagine the Arctic without sea ice. But according to a new study by UCLA climate scientists, human-caused climate change is on track to make the Arctic Ocean functionally ice-free for part of each year starting sometime between 2044 and 2067. Phys.org
   
Expedition Cruise Operators Formalize Ba on Dirty Heavy Fuel Oil in the Arctic. As Arctic sea ice is melting, more and more vessels are traveling through the Arctic Ocean and along North Norway's coastal waters. Most of these ships use and carry HFO, also called residual fuel oil, which is a leftover product of the refining process and is an extremely viscous type of fuel. It represents a large source of harmful emissions, such as sulphur oxide and particulates, including black carbon. High North News
 
Going with the Floe: Seas Ice Movements Trace Dynamics Transforming the New Arctic. Scientists have used MODIS satellite imagery to understand long-term ocean movements from sea ice dynamics. The engineers used image-processing algorithms to remove clouds, sharpen details, and separate individual floes. Image analysis algorithms mapped the floe movement over a period of days. The resulting ocean current maps were about as accurate as maps made using traditional methods. Tracking sea ice will help scientists better understand the sources driving sea ice transport. Science Daily
 
Science-Driven Treaty Could Prevent Harm to Central Arctic Ocean. As climate change continues to drive a decline in sea ice and a rise in the area of open, navigable water in the Arctic, scientists have led the way in preventing unregulated fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. This culminated in the creation of a treaty, the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean, that prevents unregulated fishing in the area for 16 years after ratification, or longer if necessary. During that time, the signatories-Canada, China, Denmark/Greenland, the European Union, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, and the U.S.-will implement a Joint Program of Scientific Research and Monitoring (JPSRM) to learn more about Arctic ecosystems. Pew
 
arctic shipping Alaska's US Senators Push for a New Arctic Shipping Committee. A new formal advisory committee could be one way to consolidate existing but scattered discussions about the U.S. federal approach to Arctic ports and shipping - and lead to better policies. That's the promise behind a bill introduced last week by Alaska's two U.S. senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both Republicans), to create an Arctic Shipping Federal Advisory Committee. The bill, which was also sponsored by Mississippi senator Roger Wicker, comes as Arctic maritime activity is on the rise. Arctic Today
Future Events
  
Greenland Science Week, December 1-5, 2019 (Nuuk, Greenland).  Greenland Science Week builds bridges between science and the Greenlandic society, business community and government, and creates a networking and cooperation platform for the Greenlandic and international science community around research in the Arctic.

ASM2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, December 2-5, 2019 (Halifax, NS Canada). Canada's North is experiencing unprecedented change in its sea and terrestrial ice, permafrost and ecosystems under the triple pressures of climate change, industrialization and modernization. The impacts of these pressures can be seen on food and energy security, shipping, sovereignty, northern community health and well-being, and sustainable development and resource exploitation. All these issues have brought the North to the forefront of national and international agendas. With a focus on networking events, this gathering of  leading Arctic researchers, graduate students, Northern community representatives, government and industry partners and stakeholders from all field s will provide all with  valuable connections where innovative ideas and initiatives  can  develop  in  support of health  and sound  governance in the Arctic.

Greenland Science Week, December 2-5, 2019 (Nuuk, Greenland). The Arctic research conference, Polar Research Day, will be held in Nuuk on December 4, 2019. Alongside the one-day conference, several additional science events are planned and organized, so that the conference, a public outreach day, themed workshops, seminars and networking activities will be part of Greenland Science Week. The event will include opportunities to meet and network with a broad range of researchers, business community, government employees and society in an Arctic context, and the organizers anticipate participants from all disciplines in discussions of Arctic science in relation to Greenland. Greenland Science Week is organized by Ilisimatusarfik, AAU Arctic, Sermersooq Municipality and Greenland Perspective.

Greenland Conference 2019, December 4, 2019 (Copenhagen, Denmark). Connectivity in the Arctic is the key for further business development and this year's topic at the Greenland Conference 2019 in Copenhagen.Companies on land, in the air and at sea will present their role in connecting Greenland locally and to the rest of the world. Greenland Venture present their work, and a Greenlandic tech start-up present their product.
 
1st Southern Hemisphere Conference on Permafrost: Permafrost at Altitude and Latitude, December 4-14, 2019 (Queenstown, New Zealand). This conference will operate in a new format, with three-day field excursions offered before and after the conference session days. This will allow participants to make a roundtrip from Christchurch to Queenstown, with visits to glaciers and glacial lakes, the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, cultural points of interest, and scenic spots to discuss glacial and periglacial landscape development. 

IX International Forum "Arctic: Today and the Future," December 5-7, 2019 (St. Petersburg, Russia) The forum will consider Arctic development issues. The forum is supported by the State Commission for the Development of the Arctic, the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Public Chamber of Russia, and various federal ministries and departments government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

9th Annual Meeting of the Permafrost Carbon Network, December 8, 2 019 (San Francisco, CA USA). The 9th annual meeting of the  Permafrost Carbon Network will take place prior to the Fall 2019 American Geophysical Union meeting. Bringing together the international community of permafrost researchers, the program for the day will feature a series of presentations and speed talks to introduce break-out topics. Meeting participants will then have the opportunity to split into smaller break-out groups to discuss the Permafrost Carbon Network's ongoing and new synthesis products. The meeting is open to all members of the scientific community with an interest in permafrost research synthesis.
 
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. December 9-13, 2019 (San Francisco, CA). As per usual, there will be a lot of Arctic research presented at this huge gathering.

Arctic Frontiers, January 26-30, 2020 (Tromso, Norway).   Arctic Frontiers is a global scientific conference on economic, societal, and environmental sustainable growth. This year's theme will be "The Power of Knowledge," with a pan-arctic emphasis, and builds new partnerships across nations, generations and ethnic groups.  Arctic Frontiers provides a forum for dialogue and communication between science, government and industry in the Arctic. The  plenary program will have five main sessions with the following working titles: State of the Arctic, The power of knowledge, Robust and resilient Arctic communities, Powered by knowledge, Arctic oceans - distant connections, Sustainable business development. An abstract-driven science program will address Arctic Food Security, Local or Global Arctic? Multi-scaled considerations of connections and remoteness in climate-impacted, Disruptive Technologies and Knowledge-based Development in the Arctic.

** New this week ** Workshop on the Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers & the IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology Annual Meeting, January 28-30, 2020 (Obergurgl, Austria). In addition to sessions on glacier dynamics and mass balance, the workshop will host a cross-cutting activity by the Cryosphere and Marine Working Groups of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) on "Glacier-ocean interactions and their impact on Arctic marine ecosystems". This activity aims to provide an inter-disciplinary forum by bringing together glaciologists, marine ecologists and oceanographers interested in glacier-ocean interactions and to stimulate future collaborations.

ISAR-6: Arctic Research: the Decade Past and the Decade Future, March 2-6, 2020 (Tokyo, Japan). Rapid changes are taking place in the Arctic that impact regional human and natural systems, and affect the global environment. The International Symposium on Arctic Research (ISAR) will meet for the sixth time since its first symposium in 2008 to identify changes in the Arctic environment and society, and to discuss possible future sustainable development. The hosts invite all researchers with interests in the Arctic to participate in this multidisciplinary symposium and share their insights, their challenges, and to explore the possible futures of the Arctic.

International One Health, One Future 2020 International Conference, March 11-14, 2020 (Fairbanks, Alaska USA). This year's conference, presented by University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for One Health Research in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, will host internationally recognized keynote speakers across eight themes. There will be something for all stakeholders - community members, health care providers, state and federal agency employees, researchers, educators and students. One Health recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health, and that a holistic approach to the well-being of all will lead to improved health outcomes and enhanced resilience.

Arctic Science Summit Week and the 5th Arctic Observing Summit. March 27 to April 2, 2020, (Akureyri, Iceland). 
The Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) is a high-level biennial summit that provides a platform to address urgent and broadly recognized needs of Arctic observing across all components of the Arctic system. The theme of AOS 2020 is Observing for Action. AOS 2020 will be held in Akureyri, Iceland (March 31-April 2) and will focus on pressing issues related to the use, design, optimization and implementation of the observing system. To that end, submissions in the form of white papers, short statements and poster abstracts are requested that address any and all aspects of the overarching theme and sub-themes. Currently seeking submissions to the AOS. See link for additional information.

The 7th Annual Arctic Encounter, April 16-17, 2020 (Seattle, WA USA).  The 2019 Arctic Encounter Seattle drew participants and stakeholders from over 20 nations, including over 80 speakers, 27 sponsors, 17 media partners, northern fashion and photography art installations, 13 guest performers, the second annual Far North Fashion Show, live podcast recording sessions, musical and spoken word performances, and over 10 artist exhibitors. The 2020 Arctic Encounter Seattle expects to increase engagement in new sectors and engage participants through policy debates, research presentations, live performances, and more. The Arctic Encounter is the largest annual Arctic policy and business conference convening in the United States, with partnerships and convening efforts worldwide. 

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