No Arctic-research events are scheduled for today. | |
Housing in Alaska Can’t Survive Climate Change. This Group is Trying a New Model | |
Francis Waskey’s house used to stand four feet above ground on wooden stilts. Now, the mud underneath it has swallowed them whole. As the posts sank over the years into the thawing, carbon-rich frozen soil known as permafrost, Waskey tried propping up the 28-by-36-foot wooden structure with two empty propane tanks, to no avail. The ground shifted so much that the vinyl floor split apart. Nails popped out of the floorboards. The windows shattered, leaving Waskey — a Yupik native who grew up in the home with his family and remained after his parents passed — with icy drafts through subzero winters. | |
Biden Appoints 6 to Arctic Research Commission | |
President Biden announced six commissioners to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission today, after forcing several Trump administration appointees to step down in early September. The appointees — Michael Sfraga, Elizabeth Ann Cravalho, David Michael Kennedy, Mark Myers, Jackie Richter-Menge and Deborah Vo — will join the independent federal agency that helps craft U.S. policy and research goals in the Arctic. Sfraga is slated to chair the commission. | |
Four New Biden-appointed U.S. Arctic Research Commissioners Have UAF Ties | |
University of Alaska Fairbanks affiliate Mike Sfraga was appointed on Friday as the new chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. Sfraga, a UAF alumnus and affiliate research faculty member at the International Arctic Research Center, is one of four appointees with UAF ties appointed by President Biden. “The United States depends upon the USARC Commissioners to provide insightful guidance and rational, unbiased assessments of actions to maintain our position as an Arctic nation guided by science,” said the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy press release. | |
AOOS Awarded $4,176,512 for Ocean Observing | |
NOAA’s U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Office announced 11 new five-year cooperative agreements that support the continued growth, expansion, and modernization of our nation’s climate, coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes observing capabilities. In the first year, NOAA will distribute $41 million to cover efforts along U.S. national and territorial waters and coasts. Over the next five years, the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) will focus on maintaining and enhancing the Ocean Data Explorer data portal while supporting initiatives that respond to Alaska region needs, such as the Alaska Ocean Acidification Observing Network, the Alaska Harmful Algal Bloom Observing Network, the Regional Ocean Data Sharing Initiative, and the Alaska Water Level Watch. | |
White House Steps Up Work on What to do About Thawing Arctic | |
The Biden administration is stepping up its work to figure about what to do about the thawing Arctic, which is warming three times faster than the rest of the world. The White House said Friday it is reactivating the Arctic Executive Steering Committee, which coordinates domestic regulations and works with other Arctic nations. It also is adding six new members to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, including two Indigenous Alaskans. | |
Former Air Force Officer Named DOD’s Top Arctic Security Adviser | |
The Defense Department has appointed retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Randy “Church” Kee as its senior adviser for security in the Arctic, which is assuming growing importance among nations who are competing for resources and eyeing new potential shipping routes. Part of Kee’s job will be to oversee the establishment of a new DOD regional center focused on the Arctic, a Pentagon statement said. | |
Former Air Force Officer Named DOD’s Top Arctic Security Adviser | |
US Air Forces in Europe- Air Forces Africa has been actively taking steps to employ the Air Force Arctic Strategy since the inception of the plan nearly a year ago, and hosted the first Arctic Air Chiefs Symposium at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Sept. 15. The conference hosted senior defense representatives from seven of the eight Arctic nations, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the U.S. to discuss a variety of Arctic-focused campaigns and initiatives. | |
NEW THIS WEEK | 2:00 pm ET on September 28, 2021 | Virtual
Modernizing the Congressional Support Agencies to Meet the Needs of an Evolving Congress
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The House of Representatives Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress will hold a virtual hearing on modernizing the congressional support agencies to meet the needs of an evolving Congress. | |
12:00 pm ET on October 6, 2021 | Virtual
We’re All in the Same Boat: Newfoundland & Labrador
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NERACOOS and CIOOS Atlantic, with funding support from the U.S. Embassy in Canada, will host a three-part webinar series featuring discussions with local experts on scientific, economic, and policy issues facing coastal communities spanning the Arctic to the Northeastern seaboard of the United States. Each of the three seminars will coincide with part of the voyage of the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which has partnered with Canada to undertake a research cruise the Northwest Passage and circumnavigation of North America. As the Healy passes through the Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Maine, experts in a variety of subjects will speak about the challenges they're encountering, and how we can come up with solutions that transcend borders.
Conversations will include John Farrell, the executive director of the US Arctic Research Commission, and Larry Mayer, a former commissioner with the US Arctic Research Commission.
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October 14-17, 2021 | Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland
Arctic Circle Assembly
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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.
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12:00 pm ET on October 20, 2021 | Virtual
We’re All in the Same Boat: Nova Scotia & the Gulf of Maine
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NERACOOS and CIOOS Atlantic, with funding support from the U.S. Embassy in Canada, will host a three-part webinar series featuring discussions with local experts on scientific, economic, and policy issues facing coastal communities spanning the Arctic to the Northeastern seaboard of the United States. Each of the three seminars will coincide with part of the voyage of the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which has partnered with Canada to undertake a research cruise the Northwest Passage and circumnavigation of North America. As the Healy passes through the Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Maine, experts in a variety of subjects will speak about the challenges they're encountering, and how we can come up with solutions that transcend borders. | |
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OCTOBER 24–29, 2021 | BOULDER, COLORADO, USA
2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost/19th International Conference Cold Regions Engineering
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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. | |
November 2-4, 2021 | Virtual
The Maritime Risk Symposium
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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. | |
November 10-11, 2021 | Brussels, Belgium
EU Arctic Forum and Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue
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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. | |
November 17, 2021 | Portland, Maine USA
New England Arctic Network 2021 Meeting
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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. | |
December 6-10, 2021 | Virtual
ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting
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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. | |
December 13-17, 2021 | New Orleans, LA USA & virtual
A Blue Arctic Ocean: U.S. Arctic Research and Marine Infrastructure Needs
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The National Academies’ Polar Research Board is convening the following session at the Fall AGU meeting. | |
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. | |
April 5-8, 2022 | Anchorage, Alaska USA
Reducing Arctic Risks and Advancing Cooperation, Alaskan Command Arctic Symposium 2022
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Arctic Symposium 2022 continues momentum in Arctic defense and security collaboration established in prior ALCOM-hosted events. AAS22 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. AAS22 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. | |
External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site (www.arctic.gov) do not constitute an endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC website. | | | | |