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November 5, 2019
 
Svalbard Science Conference 2019, November 5-6, 2019 (Oslo, Norway). The Svalbard Science Forum, The Research Council of Norway and The Norwegian Polar Institute in cooperation with The Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee (NySMAC) invite researchers, research managers and stakeholders to the second Svalbard Science conference. The conference will focus on Svalbard in a pan-Arctic setting, aspiring to enhance cooperation and quality within Svalbard research, build and strengthen interdisciplinary and international networks and consolidate Svalbard as an attractive platform for Arctic research.
Media

UAF Radar Systems Offer a Variety of Uses for Bering Strait Region. Rachel Potter is a physical oceanographer with UAF. On October 22nd during Strait Science at UAF Northwest Campus she visited Nome and gave a presentation on ocean currents and the importance of collecting data on them. There are a variety of existing methods for measuring ocean currents, but each has its own limitations. One example is NOAA research vessels tracking currents while conducting yearly surveys. KNOM
 
Seeking Sponsors. " Fire among Iñupiat (Alaska)" (in French, with English subtitles) is a short video, crafted for a broad audience, related to the research of  Marine Vanlandeghem, a PhD candidate at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Her archaeological research focuses on fuel use, fire management, and hearth functions in northwestern Alaskan communities. The video was an outcome of her participation in the "Past and Curious" project. Her goal was to share a positive and authentic representation of the Iñupiaq culture of Alaska. To further promote this video, and the Iñupiaq language, she would like to produce the video in Iñupiatun, and is thus looking for sponsors. She can be reached at:  Marine.Vanlandeghem@malix.univ-paris1.fr.
 
The Marine Mammal Commission Announces 2020 Funding Opportunities. The Marine Mammal Commission will be accepting proposals between November 4, 2019 and April 21, 2020 for consideration on any subject in support of marine mammal conservation, protection, research, and management.  Preference will be given to proposals requesting $35,000 or less; however, exceptional proposals requesting larger amounts (not to exceed $70,000) will be considered. Additional weight will be given to proposals that leverage other resources, have matching funds, or are highly collaborative in nature. We are seeking proposals that will further the conservation and management goals of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and assist the Commission in fulfilling its duties under the MMPA.  Marine Mammal Commission
 
Searching For Solid Ice as Scientists Freeze in to Study a Warming Arctic. High up in the Arctic Ocean close to the North Pole, a solitary ship floats in darkness, moored to an expansive piece of ice. If all goes according to plan the ship will remain with that ice for an entire year, so that scientists on board can study the Arctic system and how it's responding to climate change. It's a project called the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC). National Public Radio  
 
Permafrost Thawing Permafrost in the Arctic is Becoming a Source of Carbon Emissions. The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth with surface temperatures increasing at a rate that more than doubles the rest of the planet. The permafrost and ice sheets in the Arctic are critical stabilizers for the environment and the carbon cycle, however, the warming climate is causing an alarming amount of carbon to be released from northern permafrost regions. Such significant amounts of carbon are being released from northern permafrost regions during the winter months that it is exceeding the amount of carbon that can be captured by regional plants during the summer. The Weather Network
 
A Window into the Life of Indigenous Women in Siberian Arctic. In October 2016, Alegra Ally travelled to the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, Russia, to join the indigenous Nenet tribe during their seasonal migration. Clad in hooded fur and heavy boots, every year the Nenets herd their reindeer more than 800 miles across the Arctic tundra, following the same route as their ancestors did for centuries before. But now, due to global heating, the Arctic Circle is rapidly transforming, and many Nenets are unable to complete this seasonal tradition. As part of her ongoing global project about indigenous women, Ally spent seven weeks with a Nenet family, documenting their daily lives as they prepared for their winter migration. British Journal of Photography

navy Department of the Navy Announces Solicitation for US Pacific Fleet Commander in Chief Position.
The US Pacific Fleet Commander in Chief will serve as an Interdisciplinary in the Arctic Programs and Exercises Department of UNDERSEA WARFARE DEV CEN DET ASL. Responsibilities include: Serves as the command's technical expert on  Arctic matters enabling the ice camps to safely and effectively operate the Arctic ocean environment.
  • Lead engineering efforts required to evaluate commercial systems and engineer solutions for the Arctic environment.
  • Provides technical guidance to visiting researchers participating at the ice camps.
  • Lead ice floe characterization, mechanics and dynamics research in a operational setting from drifting ice flow in the Arctic.
  • Creates research plans, analysis, reports, and executive briefings.
The announcement closes on November 8th.  USA JOBS

Future Events

** New this week **  10-Year Projection of Maritime Activity in the US Arctic Region, 2020-2030, November 6, 2019, at 1 pm (Washington, DC USA).  The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented change on multiple fronts, including the region's growing maritime traffic. In the last decade, the number of vessels operating in waters north of the Bering Strait has increased by 128%, impacting requirements for search and rescue, landside infrastructure, and real-time environmental observations. The U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) recently published a report that details past and present vessel activity patterns for the area and projects how many vessels might be expected in the region over the next decade through four scenarios. A Hill brief on the Arctic vessel projection report, hosted by the Arctic Caucus, will be provided by the CMTS. RSVP by emailing Alison Agather at Alison.agather@noaa.gov

AAS19 Arctic Symposium, November 13-15, 2019 (Fairbanks, AK USA). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center, a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, will host this event along with the University of Alaska and the US Coast Guard. The principal outcome sought in AAS19 is to improve understanding of the challenges in the complicated risk environment that describes the new circumpolar north. Symposium planners seek AAS19 to create thoughtful discussions in order to gain needed solutions to address and potentially reduce the associated defense and security risks.

Greenland Science Week, December 1-5, 2019 (Nuuk, Greenland).  Greenland Science Week builds bridges between science and the Greenlandic society, business community and government, and creates a networking and cooperation platform for the Greenlandic and international science community around research in the Arctic.

ASM2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, December 2-5, 2019 (Halifax, NS 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. With a focus on networking events, this gathering of  leading Arctic researchers, graduate students, Northern community representatives, government and industry partners and stakeholders from all field s will provide all with  valuable connections where innovative ideas and initiatives  can  develop  in  support of health  and sound  governance in the Arctic.

Greenland Science Week, December 2-5, 2019 (Nuuk, Greenland). The Arctic research conference, Polar Research Day, will be held in Nuuk on December 4, 2019. Alongside the one-day conference, several additional science events are planned and organized, so that the conference, a public outreach day, themed workshops, seminars and networking activities will be part of Greenland Science Week. The event will include opportunities to meet and network with a broad range of researchers, business community, government employees and society in an Arctic context, and the organizers anticipate participants from all disciplines in discussions of Arctic science in relation to Greenland. Greenland Science Week is organized by Ilisimatusarfik, AAU Arctic, Sermersooq Municipality and Greenland Perspective.

Greenland Conference 2019, December 4, 2019 (Copenhagen, Denmark). Connectivity in the Arctic is the key for further business development and this year's topic at the Greenland Conference 2019 in Copenhagen.Companies on land, in the air and at sea will present their role in connecting Greenland locally and to the rest of the world. Greenland Venture present their work, and a Greenlandic tech start-up present their product.
 
1st Southern Hemisphere Conference on Permafrost: Permafrost at Altitude and Latitude, December 4-14, 2019 (Queenstown, New Zealand). This conference will operate in a new format, with three-day field excursions offered before and after the conference session days. This will allow participants to make a roundtrip from Christchurch to Queenstown, with visits to glaciers and glacial lakes, the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area and Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, cultural points of interest, and scenic spots to discuss glacial and periglacial landscape development. 

IX International Forum "Arctic: Today and the Future," December 5-7, 2019 (St. Petersburg, Russia) The forum will consider Arctic development issues. The forum is supported by the State Commission for the Development of the Arctic, the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Public Chamber of Russia, and various federal ministries and departments government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

9th Annual Meeting of the Permafrost Carbon Network, December 8, 2019 (San Francisco, CA USA). The 9th annual meeting of the Permafrost Carbon Network will take place prior to the Fall 2019 American Geophysical Union meeting. Bringing together the international community of permafrost researchers, the program for the day will feature a series of presentations and speed talks to introduce break-out topics. Meeting participants will then have the opportunity to split into smaller break-out groups to discuss the Permafrost Carbon Network's ongoing and new synthesis products. The meeting is open to all members of the scientific community with an interest in permafrost research synthesis.
 
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. December 9-13, 2019 (San Francisco, CA). As per usual, there will be a lot of Arctic research presented at this huge gathering.

Arctic Frontiers, January 26-30, 2020 (Tromso, Norway).   Arctic Frontiers is a global scientific conference on economic, societal, and environmental sustainable growth. This year's theme will be "The Power of Knowledge," with a pan-arctic emphasis, and builds new partnerships across nations, generations and ethnic groups.  Arctic Frontiers provides a forum for dialogue and communication between science, government and industry in the Arctic. The  plenary program will have five main sessions with the following working titles: State of the Arctic, The power of knowledge, Robust and resilient Arctic communities, Powered by knowledge, Arctic oceans - distant connections, Sustainable business development. An abstract-driven science program will address Arctic Food Security, Local or Global Arctic? Multi-scaled considerations of connections and remoteness in climate-impacted, Disruptive Technologies and Knowledge-based Development in the Arctic.

ISAR-6: Arctic Research: the Decade Past and the Decade Future, March 2-6, 2020 (Tokyo, Japan). Rapid changes are taking place in the Arctic that impact regional human and natural systems, and affect the global environment. The International Symposium on Arctic Research (ISAR) will meet for the sixth time since its first symposium in 2008 to identify changes in the Arctic environment and society, and to discuss possible future sustainable development. The hosts invite all researchers with interests in the Arctic to participate in this multidisciplinary symposium and share their insights, their challenges, and to explore the possible futures of the Arctic.

** New this week ** International One Health, One Future 2020 International Conference, March 11-14, 2020 (Fairbanks, Alaska USA). This year's conference, presented by University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for One Health Research in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, will host internationally recognized keynote speakers across eight themes. There will be something for all stakeholders - community members, health care providers, state and federal agency employees, researchers, educators and students. One Health recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health, and that a holistic approach to the well-being of all will lead to improved health outcomes and enhanced resilience.

Arctic Science Summit Week and the 5th Arctic Observing Summit. March 27 to April 2, 2020, (Akureyri, Iceland). 
The Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) is a high-level biennial summit that provides a platform to address urgent and broadly recognized needs of Arctic observing across all components of the Arctic system. The theme of AOS 2020 is Observing for Action. AOS 2020 will be held in Akureyri, Iceland (March 31-April 2) and will focus on pressing issues related to the use, design, optimization and implementation of the observing system. To that end, submissions in the form of white papers, short statements and poster abstracts are requested that address any and all aspects of the overarching theme and sub-themes. Currently seeking submissions to the AOS. See link for additional information.

The 7th Annual Arctic Encounter, April 16-17, 2020 (Seattle, WA USA).  The 2019 Arctic Encounter Seattle drew participants and stakeholders from over 20 nations, including over 80 speakers, 27 sponsors, 17 media partners, northern fashion and photography art installations, 13 guest performers, the second annual Far North Fashion Show, live podcast recording sessions, musical and spoken word performances, and over 10 artist exhibitors. The 2020 Arctic Encounter Seattle expects to increase engagement in new sectors and engage participants through policy debates, research presentations, live performances, and more. The Arctic Encounter is the largest annual Arctic policy and business conference convening in the United States, with partnerships and convening efforts worldwide. 

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