Arctic Update Header
November 17, 2017

No Arctic-science events are scheduled for today.
Media

Aerial Pictures Reveal a Wild Arctic Wonderland. Wild and bracingly beautiful, the Arctic captured photographer Florian Ledoux's heart at age ten. "The scale of the landscape and the incredible species that live there draw me to the Arctic. I was deeply touched when I took my first journey above the Arctic Circle and that feeling continues to intensify as I explore further," says Ledoux. National Geographic

Request for Information-Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, Chaired by the National Science Foundation. The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), chaired by the National Science Foundation, is seeking comment from the public on how best to revise and strengthen the Principles for the Conduct of Research in the Arctic. These Principles were adopted in 1990 by the federal agencies that participate in IARPC and published in 1990. Since 1990, community engagement and Arctic research have advanced both in theory and in practice, necessitating a review and update of the current Principles. The update will focus on communicating clearly the Principles for community engagement by Arctic researchers and including language that describes partnerships and collaborations with Indigenous scholars, enhanced community-based observations, fostering community-based participatory research, and the integral contributions of Indigenous knowledge in the co-production and dissemination of knowledge. Input is also sought on enhancing the dissemination and implementation of the Principles. Federal Register
 
canadian flag [Canada] Senate Approves New Arctic Committee, Membership to Come. The Senate of Canada has voted in favour of setting up a special committee on the Arctic, but we'll have to wait until December to see who's on it, who's chairing it and what they hope to accomplish. Sen. Charlie Watt, who represents the Nunavik region, put forward a motion to form the special committee on May 4 with a rousing speech to his colleagues about why such a committee is needed. Nunatsiaq Online

Putin Wants to Keep Foreign Shipping Out of Russia's Northern Sea Route. Ships under the Russian flag could get the exclusive right to transport oil and gas along the Northern Sea Route, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin who proposed the measure to boost the country's shipbuilding industry. It will increase the volume of shipping, strengthen the position of the domestic shipping companies, and create additional opportunities for fleet renewal, he said. RT
 
Investments, Good Services Can Make Living in Arctic More Attractive-Experts. Migration from the Arctic remains a key problem in development of the northern territories. Comfortable living conditions and bigger investments may favor settlement of this problem, experts said at the Russian Regions: New Growth Points session of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum. According to the Murmansk region's Governor Marina Kovtun "the most important objective of the state program for development of the Arctic is to improve life of people there. The migration problem is typical not only for the Murmansk region, but also for the territories which are not that far in the north." TASS
 
Beavers Making Themselves at Home in an Unlikely Place: Alaska's Northwestern Tundra. Animals the size of Labrador retrievers are changing the face of Alaska, creating new ponds visible from space. "These guys leave a mark," UAF ecologist Ken Tape said of North America's largest rodents, beavers. He has observed the recent work of beavers north of Arctic Circle using satellite images. He and a group of arctic researchers have found the creatures have somehow colonized the tundra of northwestern Alaska, damming more than 50 streams there since 1999. Beavers live in every province of Canada, every U.S. state and into northern Mexico. Range maps now need to be redrawn to include areas north of the treeline in Alaska and Canada. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

As Traditional Alaska Native Marine Diets Decline, Vitamin D Deficiency Rises. Reduced consumption of traditional marine foods over the past decades has triggered a rise in vitamin D deficiencies, and the result has been an increase in the incidence of rickets for Alaska Native children, medical research shows. Results of a recently published study a recently published study linking the decades-long transition away from fish and other marine foods and the problems with vitamin D deficiency were presented at a conference in Anchorage last month. Arctic Now
Future Events

Arctic Research Seminar with Courtney Carothers and Laura Zanotti: In a Climate of Change: Co-producing Knowledge and Community Researcher Relationships in the Leadership and Strength Project in Utqiagvik, Alaska, November 30, 2017 (Washington, DC  USA). Courtney Carothers is an associate professor of fisheries in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is an environmental anthropologist currently researching how fishery systems are being remade by enclosure and privatization processes and the total environment of change facing Arctic Indigenous communities. Her work explores human-environment relationships, cultural values, equity, and well-being. She has co-edited two books and published over 30 articles and book chapters on these topics. She currently serves on a number of boards and working groups, including: the SEARCH (Study of Environmental Arctic Change) Science Steering Committee, the North Pacific Research Board Science Panel, the Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund Expert Panel, the State of Alaska's Salmon and People. This event is part of the ARCUS DC Arctic Research Seminar Series.

AGU Fall Meeting, December 11-15, 2017 (New Orleans, LA USA). Fall Meeting is the largest and preeminent Earth and space science meeting in the world. The 2017 Fall Meeting will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, offering attendees the chance to discover a new location that features world renowned cuisine, music, arts and culture, and provides access to vital scientific ecosystems. Fall Meeting will offer a unique mix of more than 20,000 oral and poster presentations, a broad range of keynote lectures, various types of formal and informal networking and career advancement opportunities, scientific field trips around New Orleans, and an exhibit hall packed with hundreds of exhibitors.

ArcticNet invites the global Arctic research community to Arctic Change 2017! This conference will bring together Arctic researchers and students with Inuit, Northerners and government, industry and NGO stakeholders. The world's foremost Arctic scientists will presen t research  findings and discuss impacts of climate change and modernization. With over 1500 participants expected, Arctic Change 2017 will be one of the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conferences held in Canada. We welcome students and early career researchers to participate in "Student Day" at the start of the Conference. See an excerpt from last year:  ArcticNet ASM2016 .

** New this week ** Actionable Science: Arctic Research Addressing Stakeholder Needs // AGU Town Hall Hosted by IARPC and SEARCH, December 14, 2017 (New Orleans, LA USA). The Interagency Arctic Research Committee (IARPC) and the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) recognize the importance of science that is actionable by stakeholders. This town hall will share their evolving approaches and engage the community in discussions of best practices and new approaches. Examples of Arctic research addressing stakeholder needs will serve as test cases to examine: how are needs identified; how are questions appropriately framed to meet stakeholder needs; and what promotes and constrains research addressing those needs? The executive directors of SEARCH and IARPC will moderate discussion among SEARCH and IARPC teams and the broader community.
 
ISAR-5 Fifth International Symposium on Arctic Research, January 15-18, 2018 (Tokyo, Japan). The fifth ISAR has been planned at the recommendation of the science steering committee of ISAR-4, which was held in Toyama, Japan in April 2015. The fifth ISAR will be devoted to discussions on environmental changes in the Arctic and their regional and global implications, to seek additional international scientific collaboration in this area by gathering, synthesizing and sharing information related to these changes occurring in the Arctic. Special emphasis will be placed on the fields of the social sciences and humanities, which were not included in the previous ISARs.  ISAR-5 will consist of general sessions and special sessions. The general sessions will address the following topics: atmosphere; ocean and sea ice; rivers, lakes, permafrost, and snow cover; ice sheets, glaciers, and ice cores; terrestrial ecosystems; marine ecosystems; geospace; policies and economy; and social and cultural dimensions. Special sessions will be solicited on cross-cutting themes.
 
2018 Arctic Frontiers: Connecting the Arctic, January 21-26, 2018 (Tromso, Norway). Arctic Frontiers is an international arena on sustainable development in the Arctic. The conference addresses the management of opportunities and challenges to achieve viable economic growth with societal and environmental sustainability. Arctic Frontiers brings academia, government and business together to create a firmer foundation for decision-making and sustainable economic development in the Arctic. Join the Arctic Frontiers conference preparing the new Arctic future. The conference takes place the fourth week of January in the Norwegian city of Tromsø, known as the Gateway to the Arctic.
 
Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 22-26, 2018 (Anchorage, Alaska.)
The Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) is Alaska's premier marine research conference. For over 20 years, it has brought together scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and the public to discuss marine research conducted in Alaskan waters. Over 700 people attend this 4-day long conference held annually in January.  Each day of the conference highlights Alaskan marine ecosystems: Arctic (Tuesday), Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands (Wednesday), and the Gulf of Alaska (Thursday). Research topics discussed range from ocean physics, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, to local traditional knowledge.  Website for 2018 meeting is here .
 
Alaska Forum on the Environment, February 12-16, 2018 (Anchorage, Alaska) AFE is a statewide gathering of environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit and for-profit businesses, community leaders, Alaskan youth, conservationists, biologists and community elders. The diversity of attendees sets this conference apart from any other. The 2018 event will be our 20th year providing a strong educational foundation for all Alaskans and a unique opportunity to interact with others on environmental issues and challenges.

The Effects of Climate Change on the World's Oceans, June 4-8, 2018 (Washington, DC USA).   The 4th International Symposium will bring together experts from around the world to better understand climate impacts on ocean ecosystems - and how to respond. The event is hosted by a variety of groups including International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), N. Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), and Food and Agriculture Organization of the  United Nations (FAO).


 
International Conference on Arctic Margins (ICAM) VIII, June 11-14, 2
The international Conference on Arctic Margins (ICAM) is a forum for earth scientists who study the Arctic. It was founded to help understand the little known Arctic geology and to foster cooperation and collaboration among Arctic researchers. There have been 7 meetings since its inception in 1991.See here  for more information.
 
POLAR 2018, June 15-27, 2018 (Davos, Switzerland). POLAR2018 is a joint event from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The SCAR meetings, the ASSW and the Open Science Conference will be hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL under the patronage of the Swiss Committee on Polar and High Altitude Research. The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is organizing POLAR2018.
 
17th International Congress of Circumpolar Health (ICCH17), August 12-15, 2018 (Copenhagen, Denmark). The ICCH congresses are held every third year in different locations in the circumpolar area and represent the largest scientific meetings worldwide on circumpolar health. The ICCH congresses serve as the primary source of information exchange and scholarly communication in issues relating to circumpolar health. More than 750 participants generally register and participate in each Congress, and more than 400 scientific papers or posters are usually presented.

Arctic Biodiversity Congress, October 9-11, 2018 (Rovaniemi, Finland). The second Arctic Biodiversity Congress is hosted by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council, and the Ministry of the Environment, Finland. The second Arctic Biodiversity Congress will build on the success of the first Congress, held in 2014 in Trondheim, Norway, and will bring together scientists, policymakers government officials, Indigenous representatives, Traditional Knowledge holders, industry, non-governmental organizations, and others to promote the conservation and sustainable use of Arctic biodiversity. 

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