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113th meeting of the US Arctic Research Commission, June 22, 2020, 9 am to noon, Alaska Time (Virtual)
. After postponing the Commission's original
 113th meeting, scheduled (for in-person participation
) for March 24, 2020 at the University of Maine, in Orono, ME, USARC has renumbered its meetings, and will now meet virtually, on June 22nd. The three-hour-long meeting will focus on commission business and on an initial discussion of the outline and content of USARC's next publication "Report on the Goals and Objectives for Arctic Research 2021-2022 for the US Arctic Research Program Plan." The part of the meeting open to the public (from 9:00 am until 10:15 am, Alaska time) will be on commission business. The remainder of the meeting will not be open to the public, because the discussions on the next goals report are pre-decisional and deliberative. Details, an agenda, and the URL link to the YouTube live broadcast of the meeting can be found here
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Arctic Reading for the Quarantine:
If you find yourself looking for a good read, consider boosting your Arctic knowledge with this report.
 (Alaska Ocean Observing System, June 2020)
Bering Science: Spring 2020 Bering Region Ocean Update-Learn What's Changing. The Bering Sea is experiencing many changes. Loss of sea ice and record high ocean and air temperatures impact wildlife and all aspects of life for coastal communities. 2019 saw many notable events, such as unusual mortality of ice seals, whales and sea birds; and changes in movement patterns and abundance of sub-arctic fish species. We created this publication to share what scientists are learning about some of the most striking changes in the Bering Sea region. This report focuses primarily on what we saw in 2019 in the northern Bering Sea, with some information about the southern and eastern Bering and the southern Chukchi.
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Shellfish Could be Wiped Out as Arctic Ocean Acidifies Due to Climate Change, Scientists Fear. Shellfish could be wiped out as the Arctic Ocean acidifies due to climate change, scientists have warned. Researchers say the Arctic Ocean will absorb more carbon dioxide than expected in the next 80 years, increasing the acidity of the water. This could wipe out organisms such as shellfish, urchins and sea butterflies as the acid can dissolve their calcified skeletons and shells.
Daily Mail
 Arctic Temperatures Hit Record High in Russia Amid Heat Wave. Russia recorded an all-time heat record above the Arctic Circle on Saturday as Siberia continues to swelter under a historic heatwave, according to Russian weather data. The extreme weather in the town of Verkhoyansk comes as Siberia has seen a prolonged heatwave linked to wildfires, a massive oil spill thought to have been caused by melting permafrost, crop failures linked to drought and an infestation of tree-eating moths. The 38 degrees Celsius recorded by the Pogoda i Klimat weather portal in Verkhoyansk on June 20, if accurate, may have set a new record for anywhere in the Arctic Circle, meteorologists say.
The Moscow Times
Nunavut Land Claim Organization Submits Complaint to United Nations. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. has submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, stating that Canada has failed to fulfil its obligations to Inuit. The letter from NTI president Aluki Kotierk to Fernand de Varennes, special rapporteur on minority issues within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, charges that Canada "has failed and continues to fail to fulfil its international obligations in relation to Inuit as an ethnic and linguistic minority under international instruments to which Canada is a signatory."
Nunatsiaq Online
Whooping Cough Outbreak Continues in Nunavut Community. An outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, continues in the Hudson Bay community of Sanikiluaq. Nunavut's Health Department said today that the status of Sanikiluaq's pertussis outbreak remains unchanged since a previous public health advisory about the outbreak on June 8. The number of confirmed cases is still fewer than five, the Health Department told Nunatsiaq News in an emailed statement.
Nunatsiaq Online
 Nunavut Organizations Receive $3.5 Million for Community-Led Research. Four Nunavut organizations will share a $3.5-million federal grant to conduct community-led health and well-being research in the territory. The Aqqiumavvik Society in Arviat, the Qaggiavuut Society for the Performing Arts in Iqaluit, the Ilisaqsivik Society and Ittaq Research Centre in Clyde River and the Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre in Iqaluit will split the grant evenly.
Nunatsiaq Online
Rapid Warming is Probably Behind a Spike in Mercury Levels in Svalbard Polar Bears. Polar bears in and around Svalbard are carrying increasing loads of mercury in their bodies, a sign that rapid warming is releasing mercury previously locked up by freezing temperatures, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, examined nearly 200 hair samples collected between 1995 and 2016 from polar bears on the Norwegian Arctic archipelago and nearby ice. It found that bears' mercury levels, though widely varying, increased significantly over the period.
Arctic Today
 A Mass Program to Vaccinate Reindeer Against Anthrax is Underway on the Yamal Tundra. The world's biggest reindeer population is up for big vaccination as regional authorities in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug act to stave off outbreaks of anthrax. Over the course of the year, a many as 550,000 animals are to be vaccinated. Veterinarians started their work in winter and by May, 40 percent of the reindeer population had got the injection. The remaining animals will undergo the program in the course of summer and fall, according to the regional government.
Arctic Today
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Future Events
Arctic Science Storytelling Webinar With Film Michael Snyder, June 24, 2020 (Virtual). Great stories can change the world, and you have one to tell! Join the Migration in Harmony NSF-Research Coordination Network and our collaborator, award-winning filmmaker Mike Snyder, in this virtual workshop to learn how you should think about your research topics and experiences in the context of a story, how to develop photographer and videographer partnerships, and how to pitch your work to different outlets. The event is hosted by Migration in Harmony. Migration in Harmony: An Interdisciplinary Network in Littoral Species, Settlements, and Cultures on the Move (MiH-RCN) is an international, cross-disciplinary network of Arctic migration researchers funded by the National Science Foundation.
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.
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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.
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