| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arctic Reading for the Quarantine:
This week's newly shared reports and publicans.
(Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History) Arctic Studies Center Newsletter, May 2020.
The Arctic Studies Center conducts research on northern lands, environments, cultures, and people using Smithsonian collections and field studies to learn about the history and contemporary peoples of the circumpolar region. The Center works closely with indigenous groups, universities, organizations and government agencies to promote the welfare of northern people and to educate the public about the history, arts, and languages of the North. The May 2020 newsletter includes collection updates, news, articles summarizing ongoing research, summaries of museum collections, book reviews, and much more.
Quiz: Which Arctic Council Report Should You Read Based on Your Interests? At any given time, the Council's Working and Expert Groups are engaged in close to 100 projects and initiatives. We put together this simple quiz to help guide you through Arctic Council reports and find science-based answers to your questions about many different Arctic issues. Find out what Arctic Council report you should add to your reading list by taking this quiz.
|
Take a Virtual Hot Air Balloon Over the Arctic in This 4-Day Virtual Arctic Vacation. Given how long stay-at-home orders have kept millions of people cooped up at home, you may be ready for a holiday that takes you as far away from your living room and Netflix as possible. A new project called Virtually Visiting can (virtually) whisk you away to a place where frozen pizza isn't on the menu nightly.
The digital tour guides iare about to launch a second multi-day holiday, following the inaugural voyage of a four-day trek through Arctic Sweden
. Thrillist
 How a Record-Strong Arctic Weather Pattern Aided a Troubled Arctic Research Expedition. An unusually pronounced Arctic weather pattern that contributed to the East Coast's mild winter, fueled a rare ozone hole over the North Pole and even helped turbocharge transatlantic flights is having another unexpected impact: Helping keep a massive Arctic research expedition on course amidst a global pandemic. On Friday, researchers announced a new contingency plan to keep the beleaguered Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Change (MOSAiC) expedition - billed as the largest Arctic research expedition in history - up and running after coronavirus-related travel restrictions forced it to suspend an April crew rotation.
The Washington Post
Three Types of Silence of Indigenous Arctic Peoples Described in Doctoral Dissertation. On April 29, Rosa Laptander defended her doctoral dissertation online at the University of Lapland (Rovaniemi, Finland). It was the first international doctoral thesis written abroad by a Nenets woman from the Yamal Peninsula, according to the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East. Rosa Laptander, who has a Ph.D. in Philology, was born in the Priuralsky District of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. She currently lives in the Netherlands and participates in various projects of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland.
The Arctic
 NSF Awards $500,000 to Arctic Migration Research Network. From demographics to diseases, economies to ecosystems, ships to species, the Arctic is on the move. Maritime traffic is flooding port cities, rural villages face displacement, and species are shifting their ranges north. But without coordination of research communities, researchers know little about the drivers and consequences of the Arctic's newfound mobility. This month, the National Science Foundation awarded a $500,000 grant to Georgetown University, in partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Arctic Institute, to establish a Research Coordination Network on Arctic Migrations. University of Colorado Denver's Brian Buma, PHD, assistant professor in the department of Integrative Biology, serves as a steering committee member for the network.
CU Denver News
Russian Icebreaker Completes Unique Tasks During MOSAiC Expedition to Arctic. The Kapitan Dranitsyn icebreaker, which resupplied the MOSAiC international polar expedition, set two records in northern latitudes as a diesel-electric vessel, press service of the Russian marine ports authority, Rosmorport, said. "The Kapitan Dranistyn is the first ever diesel-electric icebreaker to get to the Arctic's highest point - 88 degrees and 36 minutes northern latitude - in winter. <...> Another record is the unique refueling at the latitude of 84 degrees and 46 minutes from another icebreaker - the Admiral Makarov," the press service said.
TASS
 Growing Discontent Among Workers as Health Conditions Deteriorate in Remote Arctic Construction Sites. The outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of the major Russian construction projects in desolate northern regions is triggering a serious health situation among thousands of workers. In the Chayadinskoye project in Siberia the situation this week led to the outbreak of open discontent among construction workers.
The Barents Observer
Nunavut Confirms First Case of COVID-19. Nunavut has its first case of COVID-19, the territory's chief public health officer said in a news release issued this morning. The first case has been confirmed in the north Baffin community of Pond Inlet. "We did anticipate that it was only a matter of time before our territory had a confirmed case, and unfortunately today is that day," said Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavut's chief public health officer, in the release.
Nunatisaq News
Extended Deadline - Call for Input: Comment on the Next IARPC 5-Year Arctic Research Plan Due August 2
The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) has extended the deadline for comments on the next Arctic Research Plan.
A scoping Federal Register Notice (FRN) for the next Arctic Research Plan was published on 3 April 2020 and will be open for comments until 2 August 2020. The full FRN is available
online
. IARPC is initiating development of the next Arctic Research Plan, as called for in the Arctic Research Policy Act (ARPA) of 1984 (15 U.S.C. 4108). The Plan aims to strengthen interagency communication, coordination, and collaboration of the 14 Federal agencies, departments and offices that make up IARPC. The Plan will address critical needs in Arctic research and identify those areas where research in the Arctic can be improved through interagency collaboration.I ARPC will begin developing the next 5-year Arctic Research Plan and wants to know what should be included. Your thoughts and ideas are valued and welcome.
Comments can be made via the
Federal Register
or email:
[email protected]
.
|
|
Future Events
|
|
 |
|
COVID-19 Impacts in the Arctic
|
|
** New this week **
COVID-19 Impacts in the Arctic, May 19-20, 2020 (Virtual conference, Zoom). Organized and hosted by the US Naval War College, the Wilson Center's Polar Institute, and the US Arctic Research Commission, this event will be a series of panel conversations on the impacts of the virus in the Arctic. COVID-19 threatens the Arctic region with new challenges to human life, economic prosperity, and the fabric of communities. Ongoing climate and environmental change further compound the challenges facing Arctic communities. In light of these unprecedented, intersecting challenges, the co-hosts will run a virtual conference of panels focusing on Arctic community health, economic activities, US Coast Guard Operations, scientific research, international impacts and more. Speakers will include leading voices from Arctic communities, federal and state agencies, academia, international entities, and the private sector. Registration is open and is required.
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.
|
| 
  
4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 510
Arlington, VA 22203, USA
External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site (
www.arctic.gov) do not constitute 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 Web site.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
** New this week **