The Arctic Research Plan 2022-2026 (iarpccollaborations.org/plan/) presents a research framework with broad thematic goals. In order to respond nimbly to the changes occurring in the Arctic, the new plan will be implemented via two-year plans, with the first biennial implementation plan released in mid-2022. The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee is now asking the Arctic research community to provide input on the most important research questions to pursue in the next two years.

Manganese is an important element for all life, but it plays an especially critical role in photosynthesis, in which it is the catalyst for splitting oxygen molecules from water. In the ocean—where phytoplankton is a key source of photosynthesis—manganese exists in three oxidation states: Mn(II), Mn(III), and Mn(IV).

There is still plenty of work left to be done. The 83-meter-long vessel with the peculiar shape is wrapped in scaffold in the Admiralty Yard in St. Petersburg. But progress is rapid. The Severny Polyus research vessel is now more than 90% ready, Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov was told when he paid a visit to the yard this week.

In Nuuk, Greenland, on the eastern side of Baffin Bay, 14 scientists and technicians boarded the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy. While all had a common interest in climate change, it wasn’t long before two researchers discovered they had another special connection: they both graduated from Susquehanna University.

Frozen soil samples collected around a decade ago are rewriting our understanding of iconic Ice Age animals like the woolly mammoth. The soil samples were pulled from Canada’s permafrost in the early 2010s, but no work on them had been published until recently. A new analysis of the DNA samples reveals that woolly mammoths, wild horses and steppe bison were around as recently as 5,000 years ago—some 8,000 years later than previously thought, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.

The online symposium will focus on cooperation between Hokkaido and Alaska in various fields surrounding the Arctic Circle, and features presentations from leading scientists and Arctic leaders from the United States and Japan. The Symposium is open to scholars, scientists, officials, university students, businesspersons, and all those interested in Japan-Alaska cooperation. This event is hosted by the Consular Office of Japan in Anchorage. Former USARC Chair Mead Treadwell will be a moderator of one of the panels.

World Wildlife Fund and the Alaska Ocean Observing System are pleased to host the next in a series of conversations between Russian and Alaskan colleagues studying and observing fisheries in the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Arctic Ocean. The goal will be to stimulate broader discussions about the need for more collaboration and identify opportunities to strengthen research and exchange of observations across the border. Simultaneous English-Russian interpretation will be provided.

Join us on April 7th and 8th in Anchorage, Alaska at the Denai’na Convention Center and the Anchorage Museum for Arctic Encounter Anchorage 2022. As the largest Arctic policy and business conference in the United States, with partners and convenings across the globe, the Arctic Encounter brings together thousands of Arctic leaders and voices from around the world. Following two years of cancellation due to COVID-19, the Arctic Encounter is eager to welcome participants to Alaska for a world-class arts and cultural experience, including dialogue and presentations with elected and international leaders, business executives, indigenous peoples, scientists, and more. Visit ArcticEncounter.com to learn more and to subscribe to receive the most up-to-date information as speakers, partners, exhibitors, and more are announced.

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.

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.

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.

The events during the week of August 1st, 2022, will include Enhancing Arctic Science and Engineering Workshop along with Regional Development Tours and forums on the Arctic science to plan for the next 25 years of Arctic research. Participants will include scientists and engineers, Indigenous leaders, Arctic community members, policymakers, government organizations and businesses to celebrate past research success, take stock of current challenges and opportunities and plan for the next generation of collaboration and knowledge co-production that will keep Utqiagvik and Indigenous knowledge at the forefront of Arctic science and contribute to a safe and sustainable future for

the Arctic.