In what appears as a mission impossible, President Vladimir Putin has requested that shipments on the Northern Sea Route reach 80 million tons already by year 2024. Figures from the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport show that shipping volumes on the route in the first 9,5 months of 2021 increased by 4,5 percent compared with the same period in 2020.

The Polar Institute is pleased to summarize each speaker’s presentation in these proceedings. Panelists at The Arctic in 25 Years represented all eight Arctic states, as well as Indigenous Peoples who live there. Based on the research they conducted, policies they coordinated, and traditional lifestyles and subsistence missions they’ve led, youth leaders discussed the Arctic they envision for the future and the actions needed to achieve it.

One way that scientists monitor climate change is through the measure of sea ice extent. Sea ice extent is the area of ice that covers the Arctic Ocean at a given time. Sea ice plays an important role in reflecting sunlight back into space, regulating ocean and air temperature, circulating ocean water, and maintaining animal habitats.

Animals that migrate north to breed are being put at risk by ongoing climate change and increasing human pressure, losing earlier advantages for migration, declining in numbers and faring much worse than their resident counterparts, according to scientists writing in Trends in Ecology & Evolution.

IARPC is currently seeking an Indigenous Engagement and Communication Specialist to coordinate across agencies and serve as a communication hub between IARPC federal agency members and Indigenous communities. This is a full-time position. The full position description, responsibilities, qualifications, and details of how to apply can be found on the IARPC Collaborations website. The position will remain open until filled, with initial review of applications beginning November 1.

IARPC is seeking two fellows to participate in IARPC Collaborations in a leadership capacity. IARPC Collaborations brings together communities of practice led by federal and non-federal co-leaders. Although each of our collaboration teams is discussing issues directly relevant to those living in Alaska and the Arctic and team leaders are experts in their field, very few team leaders have perspectives stemming from deep place-based knowledge in Alaska. This paid fellowship seeks to increase opportunities for Indigenous individuals to lead these communities of practice. Further information, including fellowship description, responsibilities, and how to apply, is available on the IARPC Collaborations website. The positions will remain open until filled, with initial review of applications beginning November 1.

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. 

Published in 2021, Welp: Climate Change and Arctic Identities explores the intersections of systemic racism, the Anthropocene, and environmental policy against the backdrop of Norway, Iceland, and the author’s Alaskan home. “Climate change, first and foremost, is a cultural problem embedded in our connection to and use of land and water,” writes Michaela Stith, author of Welp: Climate Change and Arctic Identities. Through research, intimate interviews, and laugh-out-loud stories, her debut travel memoir pieces together a beautifully honest portrait of the Arctic focused on the ways international governance, conservation science, and cultural biases touch the lives of young Black and Indigenous people across the circumpolar North. Join the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute, with the Dartmouth Institute of Arctic Studies and Hart Leadership Program, for a book talk and panel connecting policy, cultural safety, and food, water and environmental security in the Arctic region.

The term “Polar Cyberinfrastructure” can feel like esoteric jargon, can maybe be a bit of a mouthful, and can mean a lot of different things to the research community. In addition to the big facilities and fancy supercomputers, Polar CI aims to serve the full breadth of NSF-funded polar researchers. In a webinar on October 21 (11am AKT / 3pm ET), the NSF Polar Cyberinfrastructure Program Officer (Allen Pope) will explain what Polar CI means at NSF and introduce the core program as well as related opportunities within NSF at the intersection of polar science and computing. The webinar will also share highlights from some NSF-funded polar cyberinfrastructure projects and will finish with ample time for audience Q&A.

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.

IARPC and the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs Arctic Science Section will host a virtual office hour to share program updates with the Arctic research community. This webinar will introduce new staff, highlight upcoming funding opportunities, and provide updates about the program's approach to mitigating the impacts of COVID-19.

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.

Former USARC Commissioner Major General Randy “Church” Kee USAF (retired) will be a member of two panels: “Arctic Climate Change— ‘Operationally Relevant’ Arctic-Related Research;” and the summation panel. USARC Executive Director John Farrell will also be a panelist on the “Arctic Climate Change—‘Operationally Relevant’ Arctic-Related Research” panel.

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.

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. 

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.

The National Academies’ Polar Research Board is convening the following session at the Fall AGU meeting.

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.

The participants in the forum will focus on improving the living standards in the Arctic region, preserving its unique ecological potential, ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development in polar territories, and strengthening international cooperation to this end. The IAF is a unique space for constructive cooperation with international and regional organizations and an opportunity to focus on Russian and international priorities, including climate change, the environment, economic cooperation in the Arctic, sustainable development of transport infrastructure, and human capital development.

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.