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Today's C
ongressional Action:
The House is not in session. The Senate is in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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 Russian Explorers Set World Record for Deepest Under-Ice Dive.
The Russian Geographical Society says two of its explorers have achieved the deepest dive ever recorded below ice. The organization said the dive to 102 meters (335 feet) took place Saturday in the White Sea, an arm of the Barents Sea. They said divers spent 80 minutes in waters with an average temperature of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius (29.3-degree Fahrenheit). Alaska Dispatch News
Russia Seeks to Develop Arctic Shipping Route.
The poor relations between Turkey and Russia have the latter focusing on the active development of the Northern Sea Route through the melting Arctic during the next several years, according to recent statements of Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. Tensions between the two countries have been dangerously high since November when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet that Turkey said violated its airspace. As a result, the Russian government no longer believes the Black Sea is totally safe for Russia-EU trade and is examining alternatives. JOC.com
 Trudeau Visit Unlikely to Offer Game-Changing Climate Announcement. Tomorrow's first-ever state visit between President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems unlikely to produce the kind of sweeping regulatory announcements on climate and clean energy that some greens have proposed. Yet even if the two countries offer a slate of aspirational targets rather than specific policy announcements, environmentalists say Trudeau's visit to Washington, D.C., will mark an important turning point in the U.S.-Canadian relationship on energy and climate change that can be built upon in the coming months. E&E News
Arctic Science Summit Week Press Program Available.
More than 1,000 people representing 30 nations will convene in Fairbanks, Alaska, March 9-18, 2016, for several meetings of international Arctic scientists, stakeholders, students and policymakers. Journalists are encouraged to participate in person and virtually to learn about the physical state of the Arctic and evolving policy decisions that are important in the region and beyond. University of Alaska Fairbanks
 Murmansk to Host State Commission for Arctic Development.
On March 9, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin will chair a meeting of the State Commission for Arctic Development Presidium in Murmansk. According to the state commission's press service, meeting participants will discuss a new draft version of a state program of the socio-economic development of the Arctic zone until 2020, the creation of a joint transport infrastructure, the allocation of transport systems for the Russian Arctic and the results of a 2015 transport project to deliver freight to northern regions. The Arctic
Going, Going, Gone: Toxic Change.
Melissa McKinney is assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle. But instead of using pieces of colored cardboard, she gets to use whales, polar bears, seals, and fish. On top of that, she doesn't have an already completed picture to tell her what the end result will look like, although she has her suspicions. McKinney is an assistant professor of natural resources and the environment in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, with a joint appointment in UConn's Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering. Her background in ecotoxicology involves the study of how toxic chemicals affect biological organisms. This expertise has led her to an exploration of how global climate change may be playing a role in how various species that call the northern latitudes home are affected by synthetic, or manmade, organic compounds. UConn Today
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
5th Annual Fletcher Opening Arctic Conference, March 12, 2016.
The Opening Arctic Conference builds on the Fletcher School's Warming Arctic International Inquiry series, to bring together high-level thought leaders from across disciplines, Fletcher's hallmark. Staged annually, Fletcher's event continues to address the foreign policy, economic, environmental and security implications of the opening Arctic, while dispelling myths.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, March 23-25, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The Fairbanks workshop aims to explore recent advances and innovations in indigenous science and scholarship in the circumpolar north and its neighbors. The workshop will bring together indigenous experts and researchers from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds to explore the role and contributions of indigenous frameworks and knowledge systems in advancing fields of science and informing global solutions.
** New this week **
Using an Environmental intelligence Framework to Evaluate the Impacts of Ocean Acidification in the Arctic, March 31, 2016 (Washington, DC, USA).
The intensity and extent of ocean acidification in the Arctic will increase rapidly as atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise making the region a bellwether for the global ocean during the next few decades. The environmental changes brought on by ocean acidification could pose a significant threat to Arctic ecosystems that are already facing challenges from changes in sea ice distribution, warming and increased freshwater discharge. New ways of collecting and integrating critical environmental intelligence will be discussed in the context of developing resilience and adaptation strategies for dealing with ocean acidification.
This event is sponsored by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, March 31-April 2, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The Juneau Workshop, organized in collaboration with University of Alaska Southeast Department of Social Science, aims to explore the contributions and potentials of Arctic social sciences in the emerging synergies that involve humanities, natural sciences, and engineering. The connections we attempt to foster reach mainly into two directions within the recent history of Arctic research.
15th Annual Arctic Health Science Seminar, April 1, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA).
The American Society for Circumpolar Health will host the 15th Annual Arctic Health Science Seminar in Anchorage, Alaska. This event will include the annual meeting of the American Society for Circumpolar Health, the Robert Fortuine Memorial lecture, and the Albrecht Milan Foundation will provide the Albrecht-Milan Emerging Professional Award to one of the Arctic Health Science Seminar presenters. The call for abstracts is open through
Monday February 29, 2016.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, April 14-16, 2016 (Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. This workshop will gather a diverse group of scholars to discuss the state-of-the art in Arctic social sciences and develop visioning scenarios for the future of social science research in the Arctic. The core topics will parallel discussions held at other regional workshops (Portland, OR and Providence, RI), which include: social sciences research and climate change; interdisciplinary research in the Arctic; social sciences and humanities in the Arctic, and applied social sciences research.
Alaska Rural Energy Conference, April 26-28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Rural Energy Conference is a three day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska's remote communities. Building on the growing success, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power have joined forces again to organize and sponsor the 10th annual Alaska Rural Energy Conference.
14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway).
The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Rhode Island, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.
Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia).
The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
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2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA).