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Apologies, but as USARC was unsuccessful in broadcasting live the public portion of our online 113th commission meeting, yesterday, we will soon post a recording of it on USARC's YouTube channel. When that occurs, we'll announce it here, and on our website.
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Arctic Reading for the Quarantine:
If you find yourself looking for a good read, consider boosting your Arctic knowledge with this report.
 (Alaska Ocean Observing System, June 2020)
Bering Science: Spring 2020 Bering Region Ocean Update-Learn What's Changing. 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. 2019 saw many notable events, such as unusual mortality of ice seals, whales and sea birds; and changes in movement patterns and abundance of sub-arctic fish species. We created this publication to share what scientists are learning about some of the most striking changes in the Bering Sea region. This report focuses primarily on what we saw in 2019 in the northern Bering Sea, with some information about the southern and eastern Bering and the southern Chukchi.
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Adding an Alaska Housing Research Center Furthers Our Lab's Reach. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is heading "north to the future." On June 8, 18 researchers and staff from the Cold Climate House Research Center (CCHRC) in Fairbanks, Alaska, became part of NREL. CCHRC is now a center in our Mechanical and Thermal Engineering Sciences Directorate. Under terms approved by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the new NRELians will remain at CCHRC facilities in Fairbanks as a new regional office of the laboratory.
Medium
Russia to Replace Helicopters With Drones in Inhospitable Arctic. Russian companies are racing to send drones into the Arctic as the country expands its foothold in the forbidding region and climate change gradually opens shipping lanes, experts told Forbes magazine. Manned crews in the Arctic face aircraft icing, volatile sea ice and extreme temperatures without support or communications infrastructure, the U.S. defense think tank RAND has explained.
The Moscow Times
 Representatives of Russia and Finland Discuss Cooperation in the Arctic Region. On June 18, head of the Russian trade mission in Finland Sergei Sinelnikov had an online meeting with division heads of Business Finland Kimmo Kanto and Ulla Lainio. The parties discussed the development of Russia-Finland economic cooperation in the Arctic region ahead of Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council from 2021 to 2023.
The Arctic
What the Future of Polar Travel Looks Like. This time last year, Antarctic tourism was at an all-time high. More than 56,000 people traveled to the southernmost continent during the 2018-2019 season-a 53 percent jump from 2014-2015 data, according to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). With the numbers of visitors projected to reach 85,000 in the next few years, outfitters scrambled to keep up with demand while simultaneously managing the environmental impact. And now? "You're looking at how the companies are even going to survive," says Denise Landau, former executive director of the IAATO and a vaunted member of the American Polar Society.
Conde Nast Traveler
 China and Its Arctic Trajectories: Final Remarks. When we began to put together The Arctic Institute's China series in the beginning of this year, little did we know about what was about to happen due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Today, it is not difficult to imagine that far-ranging consequences of the pandemic will reshape economic and political dynamics in the Arctic region. Will the pandemic constitute an exogenous shock that triggers fundamental change in international order, including the regional order in the Arctic? What kind of role will China play in the reconstruction of the Arctic economy and what are geopolitical and environmental consequences?
The Arctic Institute
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Future Events
Arctic Science Storytelling Webinar With Film Michael Snyder, June 24, 2020 (Virtual). Great stories can change the world, and you have one to tell! Join the Migration in Harmony NSF-Research Coordination Network and our collaborator, award-winning filmmaker Mike Snyder, in this virtual workshop to learn how you should think about your research topics and experiences in the context of a story, how to develop photographer and videographer partnerships, and how to pitch your work to different outlets. The event is hosted by Migration in Harmony. Migration in Harmony: An Interdisciplinary Network in Littoral Species, Settlements, and Cultures on the Move (MiH-RCN) is an international, cross-disciplinary network of Arctic migration researchers funded by the National Science Foundation.
Arctic Circle Assembly, October 8-11, 2020 (Reykjavik, Iceland). The annual Arctic Circle Assembly is the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic, attended by more than 2000 participants from 60 countries. It is attended by heads of states and governments, ministers, members of parliaments, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic.
3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, November 21-22, 2020 (Toyko, Japan). Since the last Arctic Science Ministerial in 2018, changes in the Arctic ecosystem and the resulting impacts locally and globally have been severely felt. While the reasons for these changes in climate largely stem from activities outside of the Arctic, the Arctic is warming at a rate of nearly double the global average. 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. The Third Arctic Science Ministerial will be co-hosted by Iceland and Japan.
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.
Save the Date: 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.
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