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 Announcing Round 3 of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is pleased to announce the launch of round three of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative. The Fulbright Arctic Initiative will bring together professionals, practitioners, and researchers from the United States, Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark including Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden for group seminars and an individual Fulbright exchange to address key research and policy questions related to fostering a secure and sustainable Arctic. Working within and across disciplines, Fulbright Arctic Scholars translate theory into practice to address public-policy research questions relevant to Arctic nations' shared challenges and opportunities.
Fulbright Scholar Program
New Reason Why Arctic is Warming so Fast Found by Scientists. The Arctic has experienced the warming effects of global climate change faster than any other region on the planet. Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have developed a new theory aided by computer simulations and observations that helps explain why this occurs. A team led by Scripps researcher Emma Beer observed the changes taking place in the Arctic Ocean, which is largely covered by sea ice for most of the year. There, an unusual situation exists where the water is warm at depth and cold near the surface.
SciTechDaily
 US Military to Cooperate With SpaceX to Overcome Arctic Communication Blackout. The U.S. Northern Command, which contains the North American Arctic, is seeking $130 million in funding for fiscal year 2021 for polar communications experiments in cooperation with SpaceX's Starlink and OneWeb satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb. The plan involves using prototype terminals capable of uplinking to these new low earth orbit constellations consisting of thousands of mass-produced small satellites. The U.S. military, including the U.S. Coast Guard, have long-expressed concern about unreliable communications in the polar regions.
High North News
Trutnev: Preferences Will Apply to Entire Arctic Zone. A package of legislation aimed at an infrastructure support system for projects in the Arctic has been drafted and submitted to the government, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said at a meeting on preferences for the Arctic zone. "Under the new legislation, preferences will apply to the entire territory of Russia's Arctic zone, and any new project worth at least 10 million rubles will be entitled to state support. We organized Arctic projects into five groups: offshore projects; construction of LNG and gas processing and chemical plants; greenfield oil development in Eastern Arctic; solid minerals projects; and non-mining projects including small and medium-sized businesses. Each of these groups will be entitled to its own set of benefits," Trutnev said.
The Arctic
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Future Events
presented by University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for One Health Researc
h in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, will host internationally recognize
d keynote speakers across eight themes. There will be something for all
stakeholders - community members, health care providers, state and federal agency employees, researchers, educators and students. One Health recognizes the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health, and that a holistic approach to the well-being of all will lead to improved health outcomes and enhanced resilience.
Linking Experts in Polar Science and Technology, March 12, 2020 (Boulder, Colorado USA). The Polar Technology Conference (PTC) brings together polar scientists, technology developers, and field technicians from academia, state and federal agencies, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. This interdisciplinary space provides an opportunity for technical and theoretical exchange on challenges impeding polar research and field operations. Community input is crucial to ensure that technological infrastructure investments are efficient, satisfy science drivers, and meet field requirements. The conference will address approaches to working and studying in the polar regions, including: terrestrial, marine, atmospheric, and social science disciplines; autonomous instrumentation; observation platforms; and all levels of logistical support.
High North Dialogue, March 18-19, 2020 (Bodø, Norway). Since 2007, the High North Dialogue conference series have brought together leaders of the High North - present and future - to discuss the dimensions of the changes taking place in the Arctic. The High North Dialogue 2020 will provide you with a different perspective on the future of the High North. The theme of the 2020 conference is "Business in the Arctic." The conference also includes Master and PhD courses, a research workshop, breakout sessions, the High North Hero award, and the High North Young Entrepreneur contest. Please visit our website for more information.
Arctic Science Summit Week and the 5th Arctic Observing Summit. March 27 to April 2, 2020, (Akureyri, Iceland).
The Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) is a high-level biennial summit that provides a platform to address urgent and broadly recognized needs of Arctic observing across all components of the Arctic system. The theme of AOS 2020 is Observing for Action. AOS 2020 will be held in Akureyri, Iceland (March 31-April 2) and will focus on pressing issues related to the use, design, optimization and implementation of the observing system. To that end, submissions in the form of white papers, short statements and poster abstracts are requested that address any and all aspects of the overarching theme and sub-themes.
Ice Core Science Community Planning Workshop 2020, April 2-3, 2020 (Alexandria, Virginia USA). Scientific discoveries achieved in the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets and temperate glaciers are critical to society today, but they are not achieved without significant advance planning. The U.S. Ice Drilling Program (IDP) will sponsor an interdisciplinary ice community workshop to identify science driving future Arctic and Antarctic ice coring sites, the ice drilling technology that will be needed, and the timeline over the coming decade for advancing ice core science on multiple frontiers. The outcome of the workshop will be white papers describing community endeavors with associated timelines that will become part of the updated U.S. Ice Drilling Program Long Range Science Plan.
North x North Festival + Critical Futures, April 13-19, 2020 (Anchorage, Alaska USA).
North x North celebrates connection, creativity, imagination and innovation across the Circumpolar North and convenes people worldwide for a discussion about possible futures. It begins with Critical Futures
, a creative conference that focuses on language, visuals and ideas for creatively and critically thinking about the future and responding to climate change, and ends with a Fest featuring film, food and music. This event is hosted by the Anchorage Museum.
The 7th Annual Arctic Encounter, April 16-17, 2020 (Seattle, WA USA).
The 2019 Arctic Encounter Seattle drew participants and stakeholders from over 20 nations, including over 80 speakers, 27 sponsors, 17 media partners, northern fashion and photography art installations, 13 guest performers, the second annual Far North Fashion Show, live podcast recording sessions, musical and spoken word performances, and over 10 artist exhibitors. The 2020 Arctic Encounter Seattle expects to increase engagement in new sectors and engage participants through policy debates, research presentations, live performances, and more. The Arctic Encounter is the largest annual Arctic policy and business conference convening in the United States, with partnerships and convening efforts worldwide.
** New this week **
NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program Webinar Series, April 16, 2020 (Webinar). Deep-sea coral and sponge communities in the Aleutian Islands are important habitat features for many life stages of commercially important fish targets, including Atka mackerel, Pacific cod, and rockfish. The effects of commercial fishing activities on deep-sea corals and sponges has been difficult to quantify due to a lack of spatially-explicit fishery data, bottom contact by different gear types, undetermined location of corals and sponges, and the susceptibility and recovery dynamics these structure-forming invertebrates (SFI). To address these challenges, a fishing effects model was developed in the North Pacific to integrate spatially explicit VMS data with target-specific gear configurations for over 40,000 bottom trawls since 2003. Fishery observer coverage for Aleutian Island trawl fisheries is nearly 100 percent and records catch species composition. Species distribution models provide presence data for coral, sponge, Primnoidae, and Stylasteridae.
ICESAT-2 Cryospheric Science Hackweek, June 15-19, 2020 (Seattle, Washington USA). ICESat-2 Cryospheric Science Hackweek is a 5-day hackweek to be held at the University of Washington. Participants will learn about technologies used to access and process ICESat-2 data with a focus on the cryosphere. Mornings will consist of interactive lectures, and afternoon sessions will involve facilitated exploration of datasets and hands-on software development.
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