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Request for Proposals for National Science Foundation Initiative Navigating the New Arctic. Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) tackles convergent scientific challenges in the rapidly changing Arctic, that are needed to inform the economy, security and resilience of the Nation, the larger region and the globe. Major goals of NNA include: (1) Improved understanding of Arctic change and its local and global effects that capitalize on innovative and optimized observation infrastructure, advances in understanding of fundamental processes, and new approaches to modeling natural environment, social and built systems interactions. (2) New enhanced research communities that are diverse, integrative and well-positioned to carry out productive research at the intersections of Arctic social, natural, and built systems. (3) Research outcomes that inform U.S. national security and economic development needs and enable resilient, sustainable Arctic communities.
This solicitation is the first of what is envisioned to be at least a five-year agency-wide program to support the research needed to inform decisions about the economy, security, and resilience of the Nation, the larger region, and the globe with respect to Arctic change. NSF anticipates that future calls will further define "larger scope," with the potential to include projects up to the scale of centers and/or consortia.
The program solicitation can be found
here.
Frequently asked questions can be found
here.
The increasing rate of Arctic change: how should the research community keep up? Session II
, November 15, 2018 (Webinar). The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) seeks a broad conversation with past, present, and future members of its community on how SEARCH might serve to advance synthesis and engagement in the coming decades? What coordination of research and communication is needed? This video conference (Zoom) continues a discussion (The Increasing Second Derivative of Arctic Change) held by webinar on 5 October 2018. For more information, contact Brendan P. Kelly ([email protected])
SEARCH Executive Director. Register and receive webinar link at:
Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS18) "Arctic Technology" November 15-16, 2018 (Newfoundland & Labrador Canada).
Now in its sixth year, MASS has gained an international reputation as a  must-attend event to gain a wide perspective on challenges, opportunities and policies related to the Arctic and North Atlantic maritime environments. The
aim of this Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador supported international conference is to promote stakeholder collaboration, technological innovation, harsh environment research & development, and world-class education efforts that are contributing to both Maritime and Arctic issues. This two day conference will draw a diverse group of speakers and attendees representing government, military, Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard, industry, academic leaders, Northern Leaders, research and other key stakeholders. We hope you can join us to be a part of this important dialogue.
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Media
 UN Environmental Expert Stresses Plastic Waste Choking Arctic. Plastic waste accounts for a significant portion of contaminating substances in the Arctic and its fragments have been found in the flesh of fish and mammals inhabiting the northern regions, said Ekaterina Tegina, coordinator of the UN Environment's program in Russia.
"Plastic litter makes up three-quarters of the sources of contamination in the World Ocean, and most of it is trapped in the Arctic. Microplastics, nanoplastics are fragments of organic polymers, similar to persistent pollutants.
TASS
Arctic Ecosystem Research in Jeopardy. The fire onboard the Vilnyus started early morning on the 1st of November and destroyed the ship's freezing and storage chambers, as well as the fish processing unit. The vessel was docked at the Murmansk Fisheries Port and no-one was hurt, the local emergency authority informs. But the ship is unlikely to ever make it back to sea. The Vilnyus was one of regional fisheries research institute PINRO's few operational ships and has for years taken part in ecosystem mapping in the Barents Sea, often in cooperation with Norwegian researchers.
The Barents Observer
Watch the Warming Ocean Devour Alaska's Coast in This Striking Time-Lapse Video. Every year, as the snows thaw and the sea ice recedes, a desolate Alaska coastline awakens - and for a short but dramatic period of time, renews its relentless collapse into the sea. Except now, the stretch of Alaskan shoreline is eroding more than twice as fast as it used to, fueled by Earth's warming temperatures. A new satellite-based study of the retreating permafrost coastline at Drew Point, in Alaska's North Slope region, shows that from 1955 to 1979, the rate of loss was only about 23 feet per year. From 2007 through 2016, it was about 56 feet per year.
The Washington Post
 Climate Change May Have Made the Arctic Deadlier for Baby Shorebirds. Climate change may be flipping good Arctic neighborhoods into killing fields for baby birds. Every year, shorebirds migrate thousands of kilometers from their southern winter refuges to reach Arctic breeding grounds. But what was once a safer region for birds that nest on the ground now has higher risks from predators than nesting in the tropics, says Vojtěch Kubelka, an evolutionary ecologist and ornithologist at Charles University in Prague. With many shorebird populations dwindling, nest success matters more every year.
Science News
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Future Events
** new this week **
DOD Arctic research session at SERDP/ESTCP, Nov. 29, 2018, Washington, DC.
An Arctic research focus will be presented at the SERDP-ESTCP annual meeting "Enhancing DoD's Mission Effectiveness." The Strategic Environmental Research  and Development Program (SERDP) and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) symposium is a nationally recognized conference focusing on DOD's priority environmental and installation energy issues. This year's meeting, at the Washington Hilton Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20009, will feature a technical session on Arctic research under the theme of "Resource Conservation and Resiliency." The session is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 29th, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am, and will include the following speakers: Andrew Nelson (USACE), John Farrell (USARC), Martin Jeffries (USACE/CRREL), John Woods (ONR-RC), Kevin Bjella (USARC/CRREL), and Hajo Eicken (UAF/IARC).
Causes for the record low sea-ice extent in the Bering Sea in 2018
, November 19, 2018 (Webinar). This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. This webinar will be an in-depth look at the driving factors of a warm Bering Sea including ice arrival, extent, and implications.
American Geophysical Union Fall meeting, December 10-14, 2018 (Washington, DC USA). The AGU 2018 Fall Meeting will mark another dynamic year of discovery in Earth and space science, serve as the advent of AGU's Centennial year, and provide a special opportunity to share our science with world
 leaders in Washington, D.C. As the largest Earth and space science gathering in the world, the Fall Meeting places you in the center of a global community of scientists drawn from myriad fields of study whose work protects the health and welfare of people worldwide, spurs innovation, and informs decisions that are critical to the sustainability of the Earth.
USARC Commissioner Jacqueline Richter-Menge to deliver the Nye Lecture at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting. The US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) is pleased to announce that Commissioner Jacqueline Richter-Menge will present this year's
Nye Lecture, titled "A Career of Change,"
at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington, DC at 2:50 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 in the Marquis room of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001.
ArcticNet: Annual Scientific Meeting 2018, December 10-14, 2018 (Ottawa, ON Canada). Canada's North is experiencing unprecedented change in its sea and terrestrial ice, permafrost and ecosystems under the triple pressures of climate change, industrialization and modernization. The impacts of these pressures can be seen on food and energy security, shipping, sovereignty, northern community health and well-being, and sustainable development and resource exploitation. All these issues have brought the North to the forefront of national and international agendas. Building on the success of its previous Annual Scientific Meetings and International Arctic Change Conferences, the Arctic Network of Centers of Excellence announces the 14th ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting.
Arcti
c F
ron
tiers, January 20-25, 2019 (Tromso, Norway)
. The Arctic Frontiers
is a global scientific conference on economic, societal, and environmental sustainable growth.
This year's theme will be "Smart Arctic," with a pan-arctic emphasis, and an effort to build new partnerships across nations, generations and ethnic groups. Arctic Frontiers provides a forum for dialogue and communication between science, government and industry
. The plenary program will have five main sessions: State of the Arctic, Blue Growth, Smart Solutions, Bridging the Gap, and Arctic business prospects. An abstract-driven science program will address Plastics in the Ocean, the Future of Governance and Handling Vulnerability in Arctic Ecosystems, State of the Arctic and A Smart Arctic Future.
Save the Date!
** new this week **
Mark your calendars to attend IDA-8, which some have called one of the best Arctic gatherings around. Historically, this biennial symposium was co-hosted by U.S. National/Naval Ice Center (NIC) and the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC). In 2019, these partners will join forces with the preeminent Wilson Center's Polar Institute, as a third co-host. The now 2-day symposium will be held in the Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater, in Washington, DC. The event will focus on a broad cross-section of naval and maritime operations and issues in an ice-diminishing Arctic. The symposium brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts on Arctic governance, geopolitics, marine operations, infrastructure, science, and environmental observations, from the local, regional, and pan-Arctic scale. Information on prior symposia, including lists of speakers, video clips, and copies of presentations, is available here. Attendance is free, and registration will begin in Spring 2019. The event will be webcast live, and video recorded.
 of the AAG includes over 8,500 geographers converging from the U.S., Canada, and nearly 60 other countries in a typical year including geographers, GIS specialists, environmental scientists, and other leaders for the latest in research and applications in geography, sustainability, and GIScience.
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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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