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The COVID-19 pandemic has halted most US Arctic field research for 2020.
Seasonal scientific field work in the Arctic is being postponed or cancelled this year because
of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal officials spoke at a two-day virtual conference last week on "COVID-19 Impacts in the Arctic,"
sponsored by the U.S. Naval War College, the Wilson Center's Polar Institute, and
the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.
More than 50 speakers broadly addressed the pandemic's human health and economic impacts in Alaska and other Arctic regions, as well as the
disruption to international Arctic scientific research. The conference itself was a
testament to the scope of research affected. Hastily organized while numerous conventional spring
Arctic conferences were being cancelled, the online event drew more than 1,000 registrants with less than a month's notice.
"Frankly I was surprised," said Farrell, who was one of the conference's organizers. "The conference showed a huge interruption in our ability to conduct science in the Arctic region, especially science that requires field work."
Arctic Today
Because of Rising CO2, Trees Might be Warming the Arctic. The Arctic is one of the fastest-warming places on the planet -and scientists still aren't completely sure why. Melting snow and ice may be speeding up the warming. Changes in atmospheric circulation could be playing a role. Many factors could be influencing the region's temperatures, which are rising at least twice as fast as the rest of the world.
Scientific American
 Briefing on the Road to Nuuk: Economic Cooperation. MR BROWN: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to this on-the-record briefing entitled "Road to Nuuk: Economic Cooperation." Two weeks ago, Secretary Pompeo announced our plans to reopen a consulate in Nuuk, Greenland. The Governments of Greenland and Denmark had been working alongside the United States as we look at expanding our ongoing, longstanding ties with the people of Greenland. To complement the work of our reopened consulate in Nuuk, an important part of economic support and funding package will focus on expanding sustainable prosperity through a broad range of existing and new areas of economic and scientific cooperation.
US State Department
Scientists Fear 'Zombie Fires' May Have Been Burning the Arctic Underground for Months. Scientists fear 'zombie fires' may have broken out in parts of the Arctic with last year's devastating blazes laying smoldering underground. Some experts believe the rare natural occurrence could be partly responsible for a recent outbreak of new fires in Siberia.
The Daily Star
These Cute Fuzzy Green Moss 'Mice' Are Herding Their Way Across the Arctic. For decades, scientists have been intrigued and captivated by small, fuzzy balls of moss that slowly make their way across Arctic glaciers. Now we know more about how these 'glacier mice' are travelling together. While several reports have been filed observing these mossy balls, so far very little research has been done into how they move and how they develop - information that's useful not least because these rolling clumps are home to a variety of invertebrate life.
Science Alert
 Red Alert for Northern Siberia as Heat Shocks Threaten Life on Tundra. April 2020 follows in the wake of a number of months with record-beating temperatures in northern Siberia. The remote tundra lands located along the Arctic Ocean are now among the regions of the world with the quickest warming.Maps from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric show deviation from normal temperatures of more than five degrees Celsius over major parts of Siberia.
The Barents Observer
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Future Events
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.
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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