Join the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a conversation about science, diplomacy, and geopolitics with Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Fran Ulmer and Professor and Director of The Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire Larry Mayer. Both Fran Ulmer and Larry Mayer are former commissioners of the US Arctic Research Commission. Professor Mayer led the science team onboard the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which just completed a cruise from Alaska to Greenland through the Northwest Passage.

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.

The National Science Foundation announced the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Mercer as Section Head for the Arctic Sciences Section within the Office of Polar Programs effective October 25, 2021. Dr. Mercer has been a Program Director for Arctic Sciences and Arctic Research Support & Logistics since 2016, and she recently served as Acting Section Head for Arctic Sciences. She also Chairs the international Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO). 

Dr. Mercer has a broad scientific background with extensive field experience in both the Arctic and Antarctica. Prior to joining the Federal government, she served as a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Wyoming where she conducted NSF-funded atmospheric research, mostly based in Antarctica.

In 2009, Dr. Mercer joined the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). She became a permanent NSF employee in 2016, and in 2017 completed an Embassy Science Fellowship (ESF) with the U.S. Embassy in Denmark. During that fellowship, she focused on facilitating increased engagement between the Greenland and U.S. research communities. Dr. Mercer also serves in the U.S. Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Physical Science from Black Hills State University in South Dakota, and a doctorate in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College.

General Atomics’ MQ-9A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft has reached unprecedented northern latitudes, paving the way for future security and surveillance missions in the Arctic regions, according to the company. The MQ-9A “Big Wing” configured platform – which has a 79-foot wingspan and 43-hour range – successfully flew past the 78th parallel north for the first time, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems announced in September.

Geoscientist Michael Rawlins of the University of Massachusetts is improving the understanding of the Arctic’s carbon cycle — the way carbon is transferred among the land, ocean and atmosphere. To better understand future trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate change, a fuller picture of how carbon cycles among reservoirs in the world is needed, scientists say.

A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), finds that black spruce trees — a key species on the boreal landscape for millennia — are losing their resilience and capacity to regenerate in the face of warming temperatures and increasingly frequent Arctic wildfires. A continuation of this trend could result in a landscape-wide ecological shift that would have a complex and rippling impact on the region, including an acceleration in permafrost thaw, and a loss of valuable biodiversity. 

North Pacific Research Board (NPRB), in partnership with the North Slope Borough/Shell Baseline Studies Program, announces a Request for Proposals offering a total of $2.2 million to support the Synthesis Phase of the Arctic Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (IERP) and the Assessment Phase of a future IERP that will continue integrated ecosystem research in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, centered in the Northern Bering Sea. Please direct inquiries about this funding opportunity to Danielle Dickson, Senior Program Manager/Chief Officer for Collaboration and Synthesis ([email protected]) or Dr. Matthew Baker, Science Director ([email protected]). 

It was not quite the celebratory fanfare planned but Australia's new icebreaker RSV Nuyina has finally arrived in Hobart. The state-of-the art ship slipped quietly into Hobart after celebrations to welcome it were put on ice because of a snap COVID-19 lockdown.

Scientific, Indigenous, and decision-making experts are sought to serve on co-production of knowledge teams. Each team will include a balanced mix of scientific, Indigenous, and decision-making experts. The experts will co-produce syntheses of a changing Arctic and make that understanding accessible to all. SEARCH is funded by the National Science Foundation to co-produce and share syntheses that can inform decisions in communities, governments, and commerce.

IARPC is currently seeking an Indigenous Engagement and Communication Specialist to coordinate across agencies and serve as a communication hub between IARPC federal agency members and Indigenous communities. This is a full-time position. The full position description, responsibilities, qualifications, and details of how to apply can be found on the IARPC Collaborations website. The position will remain open until filled, with initial review of applications beginning November 1.

IARPC is seeking two fellows to participate in IARPC Collaborations in a leadership capacity. IARPC Collaborations brings together communities of practice led by federal and non-federal co-leaders. Although each of our collaboration teams is discussing issues directly relevant to those living in Alaska and the Arctic and team leaders are experts in their field, very few team leaders have perspectives stemming from deep place-based knowledge in Alaska. This paid fellowship seeks to increase opportunities for Indigenous individuals to lead these communities of practice. Further information, including fellowship description, responsibilities, and how to apply, is available on the IARPC Collaborations website. The positions will remain open until filled, with initial review of applications beginning November 1.

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Vladimir Romanovsky, a Professor Emeritus in Geophysics at the Geophysical Institute and the Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks; and head of the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory. 

From snow in June to a one-day August heatwave, summer 2021 brought an unusual variety of weather to western Alaska. What happened, and why? How did our weather compare to the big-picture Arctic summer? Rick will answer these questions and provide outlooks for ice, ocean, and climate for the upcoming winter.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://tinyurl.com/tz8dp89k

Meeting ID: 817 6868 8666, Passcode: 840354

Or call: 1-253-215-8782 

Only the 85 kilometers long Bering Strait separates Russia and the US in the Arctic. The US and Russia have stressed that the Arctic should remain a region of cooperation rather than conflict as climate change impacts are creating both economic opportunities, geopolitical tensions, and environmental challenges in the North. As global warming makes the region more accessible, interest in the Arctic's natural resources, its navigation routes and its strategic position has grown. Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission Mike Sfraga will be a speaker on this panel. This event is hosted by the Fort Ross Conservancy.

The Maritime Risk Symposium is an annual three-day conference in which government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, researchers, and solution providers convene to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. Government agencies, commercial entities, institutions of research, and higher education come together to discuss various threats, challenges, and risks to international and domestic maritime sectors.

Former USARC Commissioner Major General Randy “Church” Kee USAF (retired) will be a member of two panels: “Arctic Climate Change— ‘Operationally Relevant’ Arctic-Related Research;” and the summation panel. USARC Executive Director John Farrell will also be a panelist on the “Arctic Climate Change—‘Operationally Relevant’ Arctic-Related Research” panel.

The European Commission and the European External Action Service will organize a high-level EU Arctic Forum and the Annual Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue. The EU Arctic Forum will bring together key Arctic players and stakeholders to assess recent developments in the region and discuss challenges ahead. The event will provide a strategic outlook for the updated EU Arctic policy and delve into topics that are of particular significance for the Arctic’s inhabitants.

The New England Arctic Network (NEAN) will host its 2021 meeting at the University of New England in Portland, Maine. Additional information will be published soon. 

The Wilson Center's Polar Institute is pleased to co-sponsor the 14th Polar Law Symposium, which will be a hybrid event co-hosted by the Polar Cooperation Research Centre (Kobe University, Japan), Polar Law Institute (University of Akureyri, Iceland), Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law – Arctic Centre (University of Lapland, Finland), University of the Arctic and its Arctic Law Thematic Network (Finland).

Hosted entirely online the ArcticNet Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting 2021 (ASM2021) is a hub for Arctic research in Canada. The ASM2021 brings together researchers from the natural, health, and social sciences to meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing Arctic region, shaped by climate change and modernization. This conference will push the boundaries of our collective understanding of the Arctic and strengthen our ability to address the Arctic issues of today and tomorrow.

The National Academies’ Polar Research Board is convening the following session at the Fall AGU meeting.

Arctic Symposium 2022 continues momentum in Arctic defense and security collaboration established in prior ALCOM-hosted events. AAS22 seeks to address the challenges faced by the U.S. military and our allies and partners in understanding and responding to our respective national interests. AAS22 is planned and organized by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) in support and in compliance to guidance from Alaskan Command (ALCOM) Staff and Commander. More information available soon.

The participants in the forum will focus on improving the living standards in the Arctic region, preserving its unique ecological potential, ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development in polar territories, and strengthening international cooperation to this end. The IAF is a unique space for constructive cooperation with international and regional organizations and an opportunity to focus on Russian and international priorities, including climate change, the environment, economic cooperation in the Arctic, sustainable development of transport infrastructure, and human capital development.

Organizers announce, that due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses has been postponed to 2022. 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.