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April 28, 2016
  
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.

Regional and Global Implications of Changing Permafrost, April 28, 2016 (Washington, DC USA).  There is growing realization of the strong interactions between degradation of near-surface permafrost on the dynamics of ecosystems, and that these interactions together influence local and global environmental, economic, and social systems. This presentation will discuss the use of synthesis science by both the SEARCH Permafrost Action Team and Permafrost Carbon Network to identify and understand the widespread implications of changing permafrost at both regional and local scales. This presentation is part of the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States Arctic Research Seminar Series.

Today's C ongressional Action:   
The House and Senate are in session. The Senate is expected to consider the Energy and Water appropriations bill.  The House is expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.

Media 

Experts Call for Collaboration on Artic Fisheries Research. As Canada prepares to host the next round of discussions on preventing unregulated fishing in the central Arctic Ocean, experts are urging circumpolar nations and major fishing nations to make sure that "fisheries don't come before science." "We don't want fishing to start in an area about which we know not nearly enough to set responsible and sustainable fishing quotas," said Henry Huntington, senior officer at Protecting Life in the Arctic project of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Muskok Muskox Rump-Hair Study Reveals Effects of Arctic Climate Change. Analysis of hairs from the rear ends of muskoxen in Greenland show that snow-heavy winters are hard on these animals. That's according to a study

Biologists Project Lower Harvest of Pink Salmon This Season. Federal fishery biologists expect only 30-million pink salmon, or humpies, will be harvested in Southeast Alaska 2016. That's well short of 2015's disappointing harvest of 34 million fish and 2013's record catch of 95-million pinks. As part of a post mortem on last year's wonky salmon runs, KTOO's Matt Miller visited a weir near Juneau that has been recording salmon going out and coming back earlier and earlier for the last 35 years. Alaska Public Radio
 
North Water Polynya Commission Heads to Grise Fiord, Pond Inlet.
A special commission of the Inuit Circumpolar Council is  heading to two High Arctic communities this week to get residents' input on protecting the North Water Polynya. Polynya are areas of year-round open water surrounded by sea ice. The North Water Polynya - traditionally known as Pikialasorsuaq - between Ellesmere Island and Greenland is approximately 85,000 square kilometers in size and is a critical habitat for many species Inuit depend on, such as narwhal and beluga.  CBC News
 
A 'Tropical' Parasitic Disease Emerges in the Canadian Arctic. An outbreak of an intestinal parasite common in the tropics, known as Cryptosporidium, has been identified for the first time in the Arctic. The discovery was made in Nunavik, Quebec, by a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), in collaboration with the Nunavik Department of Public Health, Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec and Health Canada. The discovery, which was documented in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, could have long-term implications for the health of children in Nunavik and Nunavut's communities.  McGill University Health Center
 
EU Presents New Arctic Policy. The European Commission presented its new Arctic policy on Wednesday. The policy aims to protect the Arctic, to promote sustainable use of resources and to promote international cooperation and engagement with indigenous peoples.  In order to further tackle climate change and safeguard environmental protection,  the E.U. has already committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gases by 40 percent in 2030 and 80 percent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels. The E.U. will strive for an international implementation of the climate agreement struck in Paris in December last year. Already 20 percent of the E.U. budget has been reserved for climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Maritime Executive

Legislative Action futureevents   

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events
     
High North Dialogue 2016: The Blue Future of the Arctic, May 25-26, 2016.   HND is an annual conference hosted by the High North Center at Nord University, engaging a wide audience of researchers and future leaders of the region. It will address the necessary questions to effectively promote dialogue between interested stakeholders on how to sustainably develop the different realities of the many Arctics. PhD and Masters students can also participate in a week long credit awarding graduate course.

Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, May 31-June 2, 2016 (Providence, Rhode Island, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The workshop will bring together researchers working on multidisciplinary natural/social science projects addressing issues of contemporary change in the North with social scientists focused on policy development at a global scale. This focus draws on the expertise of Brown University's Watson Center for International Studies (http://watson.brown.edu), the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES, http://www.brown.edu/academics/institute-environment-society/about), and the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology's (http://www.brown.edu/haffenreffer) six-decade engagement with northern people and northern heritage.

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.
11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), June 20-24, 2016 (Potsdam, Germany). The Alfred Wegener Institute has teamed up with UP Transfer GmbH and the University of Potsdam to organize a great conference for you, permafrost researchers. The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering and outreach on a global and regional level.

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.

** New this week **  The 5th Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) project School and Meeting, November 1-4, 2016 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA).The major goals of the meeting are to discuss results of ongoing FAMOS activities, and to plan 2016-2017 coordinated modeling and observing projects, with a special focus on high and very high spatiotemporal resolution processes. You can register here.
 

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