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.

Several departments of the Department of Defense released a special issue on Arctic Strategy of the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs. Contributors include Major General Randy “Church” Kee, USAF, retired, who is a former commissioner of the US Arctic Research Commission.

Environment and climate change will be our top priorities for the Barents Cooperation, Foreign Minster Pekka Haavisto underlined as he took over the Chair of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. Finland on Tuesday took over the rotating two-year presidency from Norway in a ceremony in Tromsø. There were plenty of friendly words and diplomatic gesture when foreign ministers and top government officials assembled in the far northern Norwegian city.

Alessandro Mereghetti has 59 time capsules from Siberia that will give insights into which animals lived there more than 20,000 years ago, as well as what plants they ate and how they interacted with the landscape over millennia. These time capsules from the Siberian permafrost are coprolites. Also called fossilized feces.

Kathy Martin's love of birds has taken her into the Arctic and to the tops of the Rocky Mountains, but it started on the family farm on Stanhope, P.E.I. "I grew up in nature," said Martin. "When you grow up on a farm, there's always birds and mammals around. So you kind of get used to living in a place with lots of wildlife."

Scientific, Indigenous, and decision-making experts are sought to serve on co-production of knowledge teams. Each team will include a balanced mix of scientific, Indigenous, and decision-making experts. The experts will co-produce syntheses of a changing Arctic and make that understanding accessible to all. SEARCH is funded by the National Science Foundation to co-produce and share syntheses that can inform decisions in communities, governments, and commerce.

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.

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Vladimir Romanovsky, a Professor Emeritus in Geophysics at the Geophysical Institute and the Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks; and head of the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory. 

From snow in June to a one-day August heatwave, summer 2021 brought an unusual variety of weather to western Alaska. What happened, and why? How did our weather compare to the big-picture Arctic summer? Rick will answer these questions and provide outlooks for ice, ocean, and climate for the upcoming winter.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://tinyurl.com/tz8dp89k

Meeting ID: 817 6868 8666, Passcode: 840354

Or call: 1-253-215-8782 

Only the 85 kilometers long Bering Strait separates Russia and the US in the Arctic. The US and Russia have stressed that the Arctic should remain a region of cooperation rather than conflict as climate change impacts are creating both economic opportunities, geopolitical tensions, and environmental challenges in the North. As global warming makes the region more accessible, interest in the Arctic's natural resources, its navigation routes and its strategic position has grown. Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission Mike Sfraga will be a speaker on this panel. This event is hosted by the Fort Ross Conservancy.

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. 

The Wilson Center's Polar Institute is pleased to co-sponsor the 14th Polar Law Symposium, which will be a hybrid event co-hosted by the Polar Cooperation Research Centre (Kobe University, Japan), Polar Law Institute (University of Akureyri, Iceland), Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law – Arctic Centre (University of Lapland, Finland), University of the Arctic and its Arctic Law Thematic Network (Finland).

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.