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No Arctic-science events are scheduled for today.
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Media
Huge Explosion Leaves Crater 165ft Deep in Arctic Tundra Following Record Hot Summer. A huge crater has appeared in Russia's Arctic region following a massive explosion. Scientists believe the 165ft-deep hole was caused by the eruption of a build-up of methane gas beneath the thawing permafrost following record temperatures over the summer. It was reportedly initially spotted by chance by a television crew flying over the Yamal peninsula on their way back from an unrelated job in July. The Independent
 How Arctic Communities Took Their Own Measure on COVID-19. Across the Arctic each summer, thousands of tourists and scientists descend upon the region's villages, research stations, and glaciers. This summer, however, as the coronavirus pandemic rages worldwide, the Arctic has returned to its quieter rhythms, recalling a time before the age of mass tourism and climate change science. With travel into and out of the region still heavily restricted in many areas, residents have their communities to themselves. Remoteness has made much of the Arctic, apart from Russia, a coronavirus success story. Highlighting the benefits of being disconnected during a global pandemic, northern locales that have best weathered the coronavirus storm are those that have been able to quickly sever their transportation ties with the outside world. Maritime Executive
Arctic Wildfires Emit 35% More CO2 so Far in 2020 Than for Whole of 2019. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted by Arctic wildfires this year is already 35% higher than the figure for the whole of 2019. The latest data, provided by the EU's Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service, shows that up to 24 August 245 megatons of CO2 had been released from wildfires this year. The figure for the whole of last year was 181 megatons. The Guardian
 UMaine Receives $3M for Arctic Research. The National Science Foundation is providing University of Maine with almost $3 million for graduate research about the Arctic. Maine's two U.S. senators, independent Sen. Angus King and Republican Sen. Susan Collins, say the money will support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs. The senators say the money will help the university "better train graduate students in the interdisciplinary field of Arctic systems science." Maine Public Radio
New Feedbacks Speed Up the Demise of Arctic Sea Ice. Next month, Arctic sea ice extent will reach its annual minimum, which is poised to be among the lowest on record. The trend is clear: Summer ice covers half the area it did in the 1980s, and because it is thinner, its volume is down 75%. With the Arctic warming nearly three times faster than the global average, most scientists grimly acknowledge the inevitability of ice-free summers, perhaps as soon as 2035. A warming atmosphere is far from the only factor speeding up the ice loss. Strengthening currents and waves are pulverizing the ice. And a study published this month suggests deep heat in the Arctic Ocean, long held at bay, has risen and is now melting the ice from below. Science Magazine
Call for Information on Recent Arctic Research Activities. The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) is beginning its yearly effort to gather information on relevant research activities that have occurred over the last fiscal year. We hope this provides you an opportunity to share the work you have been doing during FY2020 with the wider research community. We welcome all to contribute information on recent work that is relevant to the Arctic Research Plan by September 4. Learn how to submit your work on IARPC's website.
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Future Events
The Shaggy Savior of Northern Norway, 12:00 pm EDT on September 1, 2020. Professor Dolly Jørgensen will speak on a project about muskox hunting and farming and the larger issue of northern environments and "productivity." Her current research agenda focuses on cultural histories of animal extinction, and she recently published Recovering Lost Species in the Modern Age: Histories of Longing and Belonging (MIT Press, 2019). She has also edited several books, including Northscapes: History, Technology & the Making of Northern Environments (2014) and Visions of North in Premodern Europe (2018). The Pardee Center and the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge are pleased to co-host the Arctic Environmental Humanities Workshop Series, bringing together the diverse expertise of humanistic scholars, artists, and researchers for a series of virtual presentations and conversations about Arctic issues.
** New this week ** 2021 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 26-28, 2021 (virtual). The Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) has been bringing together scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and interested public for over twenty years to discuss the latest marine research being conducted in Alaskan waters. Over 700 people attend this 4-day long conference held annually during the month of January. Each day of the conference highlights important Alaskan marine ecosystems: Gulf of Alaska (Tuesday), Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands (Wednesday), and the Arctic (Thursday). Research topics discussed range from ocean physics, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, to local traditional knowledge. Since its inception, NPRB has been a proud sponsor and one of the leading organizers of AMSS.
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.
3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, May 8-9, 2021 (Toyko, Japan). The Japanese and Icelandic organizers of this ministerial continue to plan for an in-person ministerial, in Tokyo, but have moved the dates from November 21-22, 2020 to May 8-9, 2021 because of Covid-19. Since the last Arctic Science Ministerial in 2018, changes in the Arctic ecosystem and the resulting impacts locally and globally have been severely felt. 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. ASM3 will be co-hosted by Iceland and Japan.
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