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March 5, 2021

** New this week ** Annual Meeting: 48th Annual Meeting of the Alaska Anthropological Association, March 1-5, 2021 (virtual). The Alaska Anthropological Association will be holding its 48th Annual Meeting. The theme of this year's conference is Fostering a Culture of Equity through the Removal of Boundaries. The virtual format of the conference affords the opportunity to offer both research-driven presentations as well as social events that encourage conversations and connections. The boundary-less conference format also offers a significant opportunity to better serve underrepresented communities as well as colleagues from all over the world.
Media

Coast Guard Seal On Billet Night, Some Coast Guard Academy Cadets Learn They're Bound for Icebreakers in Arctic. The first trip in nearly 40 years by the Coast Guard cutter Polar Star, the nation's only heavy icebreaker, to the winter Arctic is the latest sign that the Coast Guard intends to have a greater presence in that region in the years to come. The ship's commanding officer, in an interview following this winter's mission, said the 12-week deployment to the Bering Strait region helped the crew "better understand and prepare for the challenges of operating in such an unforgiving environment." Military.com
 
Arctic Natural Gas Carrier in Drydock to Repair Damage from Winter Test Voyage. Sea ice may be melting at record rates, but winter in the Arctic Ocean remains a formidable obstacle even for highly specialized ice-class vessels. In January Russian natural gas company Novatek sent two Arc7 ice-class natural gas carriers on test voyages to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its Yamal LNG plant in the Russian Arctic to China via the Northern Sea Route. Christophe de Margerie departed first followed by sister ship Nikolay Yevgenov a day later. In contrast to previous winter transits, the ships navigated independently without the assistance of Russian nuclear icebreakers. High North News
 
russian flag Large Russian Research Expedition in the Arctic This Spring. This spring, Russian scientists plan to launch a large expedition to Russia's Arctic. They will study eight areas, including ecology, biology and hydro-physics. "The expedition is scheduled to take place from March- May 2021 to December 2022," reported Pavel Khimchenko, deputy director of the department for state policy and regulation in hydrometeorology and studies of the Arctic, the Antarctic and the World Oceans at the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment of the Russian Federation, at the Arctic-2021 international conference. The Arctic
 
View Video of Friends of Cooper Island February 2021 Update. We cancelled our 2020 update last March just as the potential danger of large social gatherings was becoming clear. While social distancing protocols in early 2021 prevented us from having our usual in-person evening of socializing and discussion, we were able to hold a virtual event from Town Hall Seattle on February 11. The presentation includes a short clip from the video of Joe McNally's visit in 2019, where he retook his 2001 image of me standing on sea ice just north of the island. Joe's entire 14-minute video has some great drone imagery that shows what Cooper Island really looks like and is well worth watching. Friends of Cooper Island
Future Events
 
ALCOM's Arctic Senior Leader Summit, 2021, March 10-11, 2021 (virtual). In support of U.S. Northern Command's Arctic mission, please consider joining Lt General David Krumm, USAF, Commander Alaska Command, Alaska NORAD Region and 11th Air Force and a host of Defense and Security Leaders for Arctic Senior Leader Summit 2021 (ASLS 21) 10-11 March 2021.  This event is oriented to addressing senior leader strategic views on the developing range of security and defense matters affecting the Arctic region.  Due to the on-going complications of in-person meetings as a result of COVID 19, Arctic Senior Summit 2021 will be conducted via video conference.  Day 1 of ASLS 2021 is focused on plenary presentations and follow-on strategic discussions.  Day 2 ASLS 2021 is a planned tabletop exercise.  Further details and registration to be provided soon via ASLS 21 planning team at the Arctic Domain Awareness Center.  Please see:  https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Events for more details or email ADAC center leadership at https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Team.

** New this week ** Permafrost Carbon Feedback (PCF) Intervention Roadmap Dialogues: Avoiding Permafrost Thaw: Managing Temperature, 10:00 am PST on March 11, 2021 (virtual). What localized temperature control measures might mitigate permafrost thaw, supplementing global decarbonization efforts?

** New this week ** Climate Security Risks in the Arctic, 12:30 pm EST on March 12, 2021 (virtual). Climate change is rapidly changing the Arctic at the same time that security tensions are heightened across the region. How will future climate impacts affect the security environment, operations, and infrastructure of the region? How do Arctic nations understand the changing risk landscape? How can Arctic nations move forward on a "low tension, high effort" agenda in the climate era? Join the Polar Institute of the Wilson Center for a high-level discussion on the intersection of climate change and security in the Arctic, and a dialogue on opportunities to manage future security risks in the region. Panelists will build on the findings and recommendations of two new reports: Climate Change and Security in the Arctic; and a Climate Security Plan for Canada. 
 
Simon Stephenson's retirement party. 3:00 to 4:00 EST on March 12, 2021 (virtual). Come celebrate our colleague and friend Simon Stephenson as he retires from federal service. As Section Head for Arctic Sciences at NSF, Simon led international and inter-agency engagement in support of the broad research goals of the Arctic Sciences Section. He provided the vision and has been the engine behind IARPC Collaborations for the past decade. We welcome an opportunity to honor these and his many other contributions to Arctic research. Old friends near and far are invited to share stories, raise a toast, and join in the celebration of Simon who has positively impacted so many.

** New this week ** Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) Research Seminar with Gil Bohrer, Ohio State University: Ecological Insights from the New Arctic Animal Movement Archive- Tracking Three Decades of Animal Movement Across a Changing Arctic, 9:00 am AST March 12, 2021 (virtual). Data from animal-borne sensors offer a growing source of global remote sensing monitoring data. Combining these data allows ecologists answer questions about biodiversity and long-term, large-scale patterns in animal behavior in relation to changing environments... As climate change and human disturbance increasingly alter the Arctic, the AAMA offers a 30-year data record that can serve as a baseline for documenting whether and how animals respond, and to recognize early signals of local or large-scale Arctic ecosystem changes.

Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) Conference, March 16-17, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) seeks to explore the networks, resources, and infrastructure needed to enable the commercial entrance of Arctic-related products and technologies into the Arctic domain. This expo will use an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to foster conversations around Arctic-centered business pressure points, state-of-the-Arctic-focused R&D, gap analysis of investment and innovation, and the future of business in the region. Participants will be exposed to the latest hardware, software, and people-ware emerging to advance domain awareness, risk mitigation, exploration, Arctic operations, and overall, Arctic security.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Five, 1:00 pm UTC on March 17, 2021 (virtual) . This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 3: Respond: sustainable development; evaluation of vulnerability and resilience; application of knowledge. For more information on ASM3, see here.

** New this week ** Permafrost Carbon Feedback (PCF) Intervention Roadmap Dialogues: Are Permafrost Thaw Interventions Possible? 10:00 am PST on March 18, 2021 (virtual). Are there that measures to complement global decarbonization efforts that might reduce emissions from permafrost thaw? What is currently available or under investigation, and what actions or research might reveal or advance emission interventions?

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.

Dr. Lilian Alessa (credit: IDGA)
the USSOCOM J5 Donovan Strategy and Innovation Group, will host a Disruptive Speaker Series, led by Dr. Lilian "Doc" Alessa, entitled, "A Turmoil of Shadows: The Hidden Facets of Arctic Threats and the Role of USSOCOM in Ensuring Stability." The presentation will address the roles that the SOF Enterprise, as a force multiplier, could be responsible for in the emerging Arctic operational environment. While SOF maintains a standard of being able to operate in any conditions anywhere in the world, the Arctic is emerging as a more nuanced and complex theater.

** New this week ** Permafrost Carbon Feedback (PCF) Intervention Roadmap Dialogues: Permafrost Carbon Feedback: Priorities for Research, Policy, and Investment, 10:00 am PST on March 25, 2021 (virtual). When considering the Permafrost Carbon Feedback, is there REALLY time to wait for action? Considering PCF and the current goal of global decarbonization by 2050, this last dialogue discusses requirements in research and policy, and what stakeholders can do to ensure that governments around the world address this critical topic with urgency.

Advancing Collaboration in Canada-US Regional Security II, March 25-26, 2021 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) and the North American and Arctic Defense and Security Network (NAADSN) will host this event as a follow up meeting on the Advancing Collaboration in Canada-U.S. Arctic Regional Security (ACCUSARS) conference in September 2020.The purpose of ACCUSARS II is to create a subset Strategic Foresight Assessment (SFA) for the North American Arctic, by specifically focusing on Alaska and Western Canada.

One Health, One Future, April 6-11, 2021 (virtual). This is expected to be the largest circumpolar One Health conference held in the United States in 2021, with participation anticipated from across the Arctic region. The event is part of the United States contribution to One Arctic, One Health, an Arctic Council project now in its sixth year of operation.  The project aims to develop a circumpolar network of One Health experts that can share knowledge, conduct exercises, and spur collaborative investigations of One Health phenomena.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Five, 1:00 pm UTC on April 7, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 4: Strengthen: capacity building; education; networking; resilience-prepare the next generation. For more information on ASM3, see here.

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.

Arctic Maritime Horizons Workshop, May 4-6, 2021 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). This event is hosted by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center. This workshop will be an assessment of the future maritime transportation system of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort sea regions.

3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, May 8-9, 2021 (Tokyo, 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.

Department of Homeland Security S&T OUP Centers of Excellence Summit, May 18-21, 2021 (virtual). DHS S&T's Centers of Excellence (COE) Summit is set and focused on Homeland Security Challenges: Evolving Threats & Dynamic Solutions. This event is a special opportunity for COE researchers to connect and network with DHS components, federal, state, and local stakeholders, as well as industry partners to present current and emerging solutions to threats and challenges faced by DHS. Attendees can visit the Innovation Showcase, where COE and vendor partners showcase research breakthroughs, new products and tools to assist operational decision-makers and dynamic solutions to secure our Homeland.

The Arctic Domain Awareness Center Program Year 7 Annual Meeting, May 26-27, 2021 (virtual). ADAC will conduct the Center's Program Year 7 Annual meeting to focused on U.S. Coast Guard Project Champions, key stakeholders and the community of Arctic science and technology researchers. Included in the Program Year 7 Annual meeting are planned guest speakers from HQ U.S. Coast Guard, DHS S&T and senior Arctic Research leadership in Washington D.C.

 
Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Closing Webinar, 1:00 pm UTC on June 9, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on the post-ministerial review: joint statement actions. For more information on ASM3, see here.
 
2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost/ 19th International Conference Cold Regions Engineering, October 24-29, 2021 (Boulder, Colorado USA). For the first time a Regional Conference on Permafrost will be combined with the bi-annual 19th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering. This conference is hosted by the US Permafrost Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Permafrost Association, the Permafrost Young Researchers Network, and the University of Colorado Boulder. A complete list of planned sessions is available here.

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