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January 29, 2021

The Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Rescheduled (Take II) January Customers and Partners Roundtable, 1:00 pm EST on January 29, 2021 (virtual). This is a rescheduled meeting due to technical difficulties. The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate Office of University Programs, (OUP) Center of Excellence in Maritime Research hosted by the University of Alaska.  In accordance with ADAC's "Year 7 Work Plan" ADAC conducts quarterly Customer and Partner's Roundtables.  These events are conduct in order to facilitate interaction with the following entities:
  • U.S. Coast Guard Project Champions,
  • U.S. Coast Guard Stakeholders and advocates,
  • Other DHS maritime mission communities,
  • U.S. Federal and Canadian government officials,
  • State of Alaska and local officials,
  • Academic/research and industry professionals from across the U.S. and Canada. 

[University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, United States Arctic Research Commission, 2020] The Alaska Electric Vehicle Workshop Report. The U.S. Arctic Research Commission (USARC) and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power hosted a virtual Alaska Electric Vehicle (EV) Workshop on June 16th and 17th to bring together technical and academic experts and policy makers to share information, research findings, emerging research questions, and best practices relevant to EVs in Alaska and the Arctic. The workshop consisted of four panel sessions covering: the policy environment, charging behavior, operations and performance, and grid impacts of EVs and EV service equipment. There was a strong focus on cold regions and Arctic-related research, and the meeting was attended by over 400 participants from around the world.

[Government of Iceland, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, January 2021] Report of the Greenland Committee. In a letter dated 9 April 2019, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, appointed a three-member Greenland Committee to submit recommendations on how to strengthen co-operation between Greenland and Iceland as well as analyzing current bilateral relations between the two countries.The report looks in detail at the current state-of-affairs in the West Nordic region and the Arctic. The Greenland Committee has made 99 recommendations of all kinds and prioritized ten.
Media

Arctic Warming and Diminishing Sea Ice are Influencing the Atmosphere. The researchers of the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth system research at the University of Helsinki have investigated how atmospheric particles are formed in the Arctic. Until recent studies, the molecular processes of particle formation in the high Arctic remained a mystery.During their expeditions to the Arctic, the scientists collected measurements for 12 months in total. The results of the extensive research project were recently published in Geophysical Research Letters. Phys.org
 
SpaceX Adds Laser Crosslinks to Polar Starlink Satellites. The first Starlink satellites launched to polar orbit are equipped with laser crosslinks, a technology the company plans to add to other satellites next year. SpaceX included 10 Starlink satellites on its Transporter-1 dedicated rideshare launch Jan. 24. Those satellites are the first in the Starlink constellation SpaceX has deployed to polar orbit, after winning Federal Communications Commission to do so January 8. SPACENEWS
 
In Ice Age Siberia, a Meeting of Carnivores May Have Given Us Dogs. Twenty-three thousand years ago, in the cold of the last ice age, some humans found a place where the climate was marginally better: Siberia. While many people associate the region that is now in Russia with forbidding cold today, climate data as well as archaeological and DNA evidence show that this was where horses, mammoths and other prey animals found enough to eat, which attracted humans and other carnivores. Hemmed in by worse conditions, the humans, some of them the ancestors of Native Americans, were isolated for thousands of years. So were wolves. New York Times
Future Events

Arctic Frontiers 2021, February 1-4, 2021 (virtual). Arctic Frontiers started out in 2006 assembling the first global scientific conference on economic, societal and environmental sustainable growth in the north. In Feb. 2021, we will arrange the 15th conf with the theme "Building Bridges". The conference has a pan arctic perspective and builds new partnerships across nations, generations and ethnic groups. Arctic Frontiers provides a forum for dialogue and communication among science, government and industry in the Arctic.

Tracing the Pandemic Through Wastewater: Using Sewage Monitoring to Investigate Infectious Disease, February 2-3, 2021 (virtual).  Please join us for a free, virtual workshop featuring guest speakers and panelists from around the world.  The two-day workshop will cover an overview of the current state of the science of Wastewater Epidemiology, how this technology is being used during the COVID-19 pandemic, testing goals and potential sampling approaches for Alaska's unique and varied remote communities and ethical/privacy considerations when conducting these activities in small communities. The workshop is open to the public, though aimed at health and water/sanitation professionals. This event is sponsored by the US Arctic Research Commission, Center for Disease Control, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

Co-producing Arctic Conservation | The Wolf-Pack Hunting Approach, 1:00 pm on February 3, 2021 (virtual). In this webinar, you will learn from Victoria Qutuuq Buschman about co-producing Arctic conservation with Indigenous communities and from Dr. Tayana Arakchaa about Tozhu Hunting Strategy in the Siberian Taiga. This webinar is part of the Breaking the Ice Ceiling webinar series, which aims to illuminate polar research and achievements (past and present) by those who identify as women and to foster discussion on systemic change in polar sciences (Indigenous, natural, and social sciences) to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Register for free here. 

Asian Interests and the Path Forward in the New Arctic, 6:00 pm on February 8, 2021 (virtual). In light of common interests and prospects for cooperation in the Arctic, this international virtual symposium will convene representatives, scholars, and experts from Japan, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of South Korea, and the United States to share their countries' unique Arctic interests and policies. Hosted by the Asia Program, Polar Institute and Kissinger Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, with support from the Government of Japan and the Embassy of Japan in the United States.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Four, 1:00 pm UTC on February 17, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 2: enhance understanding and prediction capability on Arctic environmental and social systems and its global impact. For more information on ASM3, see here.

Advancing Collaboration in Canada-US Regional Security II, February 25-26, 2021 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) and the North American and Arctic Defense and Security Network (NAADSN) will host this event as a follow up meeting on the Advancing Collaboration in Canada-U.S. Arctic Regional Security (ACCUSARS) conference in September 2020.The purpose of ACCUSARS II is to create a subset Strategic Foresight Assessment (SFA) for the North American Arctic, by specifically focusing on Alaska and Western Canada.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Five, 1:00 pm UTC on March 17, 2021 (virtual) . This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 3: Respond: sustainable development; evaluation of vulnerability and resilience; application of knowledge. For more information on ASM3, see here.

ALCOM's Arctic Senior Leader Summit, 2021, March 10-11, 2021 (virtual). In support of U.S. Northern Command's Arctic mission, please consider joining Lt General David Krumm, USAF, Commander Alaska Command, Alaska NORAD Region and 11th Air Force and a host of Defense and Security Leaders for Arctic Senior Leader Summit 2021 (ASLS 21) 10-11 March 2021.  This event is oriented to addressing senior leader strategic views on the developing range of security and defense matters affecting the Arctic region.  Due to the on-going complications of in-person meetings as a result of COVID 19, Arctic Senior Summit 2021 will be conducted via video conference.  Day 1 of ASLS 2021 is focused on plenary presentations and follow-on strategic discussions.  Day 2 ASLS 2021 is a planned tabletop exercise.  Further details and registration to be provided soon via ASLS 21 planning team at the Arctic Domain Awareness Center.  Please see:  https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Events for more details or email ADAC center leadership at https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Team.

Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) Conference, March 16-17, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) seeks to explore the networks, resources, and infrastructure needed to enable the commercial entrance of Arctic-related products and technologies into the Arctic domain. This expo will use an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to foster conversations around Arctic-centered business pressure points, state-of-the-Arctic-focused R&D, gap analysis of investment and innovation, and the future of business in the region. Participants will be exposed to the latest hardware, software, and people-ware emerging to advance domain awareness, risk mitigation, exploration, Arctic operations, and overall, Arctic security.

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.

One Health, One Future, April 6-11, 2021 (virtual). This is expected to be the largest circumpolar One Health conference held in the United States in 2021, with participation anticipated from across the Arctic region. The event is part of the United States contribution to One Arctic, One Health, an Arctic Council project now in its sixth year of operation.  The project aims to develop a circumpolar network of One Health experts that can share knowledge, conduct exercises, and spur collaborative investigations of One Health phenomena.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Five, 1:00 pm UTC on April 7, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 4: Strengthen: capacity building; education; networking; resilience-prepare the next generation. For more information on ASM3, see here.

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.

Arctic Maritime Horizons Workshop, May 4-6, 2021 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). This event is hosted by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center. This workshop will be an assessment of the future maritime transportation system of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort sea regions.

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.

Department of Homeland Security S&T OUP Centers of Excellence Summit, May 18-21, 2021 (virtual). DHS S&T's Centers of Excellence (COE) Summit is set and focused on Homeland Security Challenges: Evolving Threats & Dynamic Solutions. This event is a special opportunity for COE researchers to connect and network with DHS components, federal, state, and local stakeholders, as well as industry partners to present current and emerging solutions to threats and challenges faced by DHS. Attendees can visit the Innovation Showcase, where COE and vendor partners showcase research breakthroughs, new products and tools to assist operational decision-makers and dynamic solutions to secure our Homeland.

The Arctic Domain Awareness Center Program Year 7 Annual Meeting, May 26-27, 2021 (virtual). ADAC will conduct the Center's Program Year 7 Annual meeting to focused on U.S. Coast Guard Project Champions, key stakeholders and the community of Arctic science and technology researchers. Included in the Program Year 7 Annual meeting are planned guest speakers from HQ U.S. Coast Guard, DHS S&T and senior Arctic Research leadership in Washington D.C.

 
Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Closing Webinar, 1:00 pm UTC on June 9, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on the post-ministerial review: joint statement actions. For more information on ASM3, see here.
 
2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost/ 19th International Conference Cold Regions Engineering, July 11-16, 2021 (Boulder, Colorado USA). 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.

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