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** New this week ** Arctic Energy Before Petroleum: Or, What Whales Can Tell Us About Writing History, 6:00 PM BST on October 13, 2020 (virtual). This event is hosted by the Arctic Environmental Humanities Workshop series, co-convened by Michael Bravo (Cambridge University) and Adriana Craciun (Boston University). Professor Bathsheba Demuth (Brown University) will speak on "Arctic Energy Before Petroleum: Or, What Whales Can Tell Us About Writing History." Her talk will draw on her multiple-prize winning first book, Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait (W.W. Norton, 2019). The book was named a Nature Top Ten Book of 2019 and Best Book of 2019 by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and Library Journal, among others.
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[Bering Science] Fall 2020 Bering Region Ocean Update- Summer Science Highlights. 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. The Bering Region Ocean Update project began in spring 2020, in part, to increase regional data sharing among federal, state, community and private sector partners. This is the second of four expected reports. Other project activities include ensuring that all existing Bering Sea region data are available in a central data portal; and coordinating research activities between scientists and agencies. (2020)
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Media
Alaska's First Electric School Bus Heading to Tok. It looks like an ordinary school bus sitting on the lot in front of TrailerCraft, an Anchorage truck dealership, but the bus in question is actually the state's first electric school bus, and it will soon be heading north to serve students in Tok. An Alaskan Energy Authority grant helped purchase the bus, according to Stretch Blackard with Tok Transportation. Blackard said it will replace one of seven diesel busses in his fleet. Alaska's News Source
Lyle D. Perrigo. Longtime Anchorage, Alaska, resident Lyle D. Perrigo died on Sept. 12, 2020, at home in Tucson, Ariz. He was born on Sept. 28, 1930, in San Antonio, Texas, and lived in Alaska for 22 years. He is survived by his wife, Dalene; his four children, Juliann Susan, Lyle and Dale; and his 11 grandchildren. Mr. Perrigo was also the Alaska Office Director of the Arctic Research Commission. Although born in Texas, Lyle spent his first birthday in Panama and went on to visit all seven continents. He lived in Illinois and Virginia prior to graduating from high school in Cotulla, Texas. He then attended Rice University where he graduated with a degree in chemical engineering and received a commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Anchorage Daily News
 Biggest North Pole Mission Back from 'Dying Arctic." Researchers on the world's biggest mission to the North Pole returned to Germany on Monday, bringing home devastating proof of a dying Arctic Ocean and warnings of ice-free summers in just decades. The German Alfred Wegener Institute's Polarstern ship returned to the port of Bremerhaven after 389 days spent drifting through the Arctic trapped in ice, allowing scientists to gather vital information on the effects of global warming in the region. Phys.org
Dwindling Arctic Sea Ice and Impacts to Permafrost Health. Permafrost thaw is one of the world's most pressing climate problems, already disrupting lifestyles, livelihoods, economies, and ecosystems in the north, and threatening to spill beyond the boundaries of the Arctic as our planet continues to warm. To examine the effects of permafrost degradation, and increase our understanding of what this phenomenon means for the future of the region (and the world), The Arctic Institute's new two-part permafrost series aims to analyze the topic from scientific, security, legal, and personal perspectives. The Arctic Institute
 Belfer Center's Arctic Innovations Lab Invites Creative Solutions to Arctic Sustainability. Seventeen students pitched their ideas to promote Arctic sustainability Friday at the 2020 Arctic Innovation Lab, co-organized by the Arctic Initiative at the Kennedy School's Belfer Center. Conducted in partnership with the Luleå University of Technology, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and the Iceland School of Energy at Reykjavík University, among other organizations, the Innovation Lab invited individuals to think creatively about Arctic sustainability. The Lab serves as the final project for a Kennedy School course titled "IGA-671: Policy and Social Innovations for the Changing Arctic," taught by Arctic Initiative co-founder and Kennedy School lecturer Halla H. Logadóttir. The Harvard Crimson
Researchers Find Consistent Mercury Levels in Arctic Seals. Ringed seals and other Arctic marine mammals are important in the diet of Arctic Indigenous peoples. A study spanning 45 years of testing indicates that mercury concentrations in ringed seals from the Canadian Arctic have remained stable, showing very limited declines over time. Science Daily
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Future Events
Arctic Policy Study Group: Powering Alaska's Arctic, 8:00 am AKDT on October 14, 2020 (virtual). Alaska's Arctic communities are innovating toward new and renewable energy opportunities. This panel will provide an overview of the trends that are driving clean energy and electrification projects in the Arctic as well as showcase several projects that demonstrate how communities and energy providers are using the Arctic environment and new technologies to expand electrification, decarbonization, and a brighter energy future. This event is hosted by Commonwealth North
The Arctic Resilience Forum: Food Security, October 14, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am - 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online, organized by the Arctic Council and the Harvard Kennedy School, series will engage the broadest audience possible in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas.
Alaska Federation of Natives 2020 Convention, October 15-16, 2020 (Virtual). The annual convention serves as the principal forum and voice for the Alaska Native community in addressing critical issues of public policy and government. The convention convenes thousands of official delegates and participants from membership organizations across the state. At the Convention, delegates discuss strategic opportunities and challenges, listen to memorable keynote speeches, hear reports from political leaders and presentations from expert panels, and share stories resilience, experiences, strengths, knowledge and hope for the future.
The Arctic Resilience Forum: Renewable Energy, October 21, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am - 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series, organized by the Arctic Council and the Harvard Kennedy School, will engage the broadest audience possible in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas.
IARPC Public Webinar Series Program Manager Chat: National Science Foundation Support for Arctic Doctoral Dissertation Research, 2:00 pm EDT on October 23, 2020. The National Science Foundation and IARPC Collaborations will host a program manager chat about a solicitation for proposals for Arctic Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants. The goal of this solicitation is to attract research proposals that advance a fundamental, process, and systems-level understanding of the Arctic's rapidly changing natural environment and social and cultural systems, and, where appropriate, to improve our capacity to project future change. During this webinar, NSF program officers will give an overview of this funding opportunity and will be available to answer questions. All are welcome to attend.
11th Maritime Risk Symposium 2020, October 26-30, 2020 (virtual). The Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI), a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, will host the 11th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS 2020) in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences. The theme of MRS 2020 is "Maritime Resilience." DHS defines resilient infrastructure systems as the "ability of systems, infrastructures, government, business, communities, and individuals to resist, tolerate, absorb, recover from, prepare for, or adapt to an adverse occurrence that causes harm, destruction, or loss of national significance." Through presentations, panels and open forums, the symposium will focus on the attributes of resilience to adversarial events of national significance in the maritime domain, using our experience with COVID-19 as a driver for the discussion. The objective is less about the specific impacts COVID-19 had and is having, and more on how that event informs us on resiliency for future global upsets, in terms of what works, what gaps have been exposed, and what research questions ought to be studied as a first step towards enhancing Maritime Resilience.
The Arctic Resilience Forum: Human Health and Pandemics, October 28, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am - 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series, organized by the Arctic Council and the Harvard Kennedy School, will engage the broadest audience possible in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas.
** New this week ** Maine and the Arctic: Building Bridges to the Future, 6:30 pm EDT on October 28, 2020 (virtual). The Camden Conference and Portland Press Herald will host a virtual panel discussion on the Maine's growing engagement in Arctic affairs and the importance of the Arctic to Maine's economy. This event is an opportunity to learn more about increasing trade, investment, educational exchanges, and collaborative activity between Maine entities and those of the North Atlantic. The panel will be moderated by Carol Coultas, business projects editor of Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. Panelists include Dana Eidsness, Director of the Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO), Holly Parker, Director of UNE North, Jon Nass, CEO of the Maine Port Authority, and Peter Handy, President and CEO of Bristol Seafood.
The Arctic Resilience Forum: Gender, November 18, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am - 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series, organized by the Arctic Council and the Harvard Kennedy School, will engage the broadest audience possible in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas.
The Arctic Resilience Forum: Socio-Ecological Resilience, November 25, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am - 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series, organized by the Arctic Council and the Harvard Kennedy School, will engage the broadest audience possible in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas.
The Arctic Resilience Forum: Financing Resilience, December 2, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am - 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series, organized by the Arctic Council and the Harvard Kennedy School will engage the broadest audience possible in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas.
The Arctic Resilience Forum: Infrastructure, December 9, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am - 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series, organized by the Arctic Council and the Harvard Kennedy School, will engage the broadest audience possible in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas.
2021 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 26-28, 2021 (virtual). The Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) has been bringing together scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and interested public for over twenty years to discuss the latest marine research being conducted in Alaskan waters. Over 700 people attend this 4-day long conference held annually during the month of January. Each day of the conference highlights important Alaskan marine ecosystems: Gulf of Alaska (Tuesday), Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands (Wednesday), and the Arctic (Thursday). Research topics discussed range from ocean physics, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, to local traditional knowledge. Since its inception, NPRB has been a proud sponsor and one of the leading organizers of AMSS.
Arctic Frontiers 2021, February 1-4, 2021 (virtual). Arctic Frontiers started out in 2006 assembling the first global scientific conference on economic, societal and environmental sustainable growth in the north. In February 2021, we will arrange the 15th conference with the theme "Building Bridges". The conference has a pan arctic perspective 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.
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.
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.
3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, May 8-9, 2021 (Toyko, Japan). The Japanese and Icelandic organizers of this ministerial continue to plan for an in-person ministerial, in Tokyo, but have moved the dates from November 21-22, 2020 to May 8-9, 2021 because of Covid-19. Since the last Arctic Science Ministerial in 2018, changes in the Arctic ecosystem and the resulting impacts locally and globally have been severely felt. 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. ASM3 will be co-hosted by Iceland and Japan.
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