Over millennia, humans have been hunting and fishing in eastern Norton Sound. The animal bones the Shaktoolik Archaeology Project unearthed reveal untold ecological and cultural knowledge. Join Jason to learn how the archaeologists used several research techniques to tell the stories of past subsistence economies and fisheries of Norton Sound. Hear what the bones tell us about how people adapted to the region’s unique coastal environment and what can be learned about past and current climate events.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies recently released this report. This research determined that the impacts of climate change—coupled with global, especially European, momentum toward decarbonization and energy transition—makes prospects for Russian success in the Arctic increasingly unfavorable. Key decisionmakers in Moscow are unlikely to be deterred by this fact, however, and Russia’s economic and military development of the region will continue in the near term.

Earth's rapidly changing Arctic coastal regions have an outsized climatic effect that echoes around the globe. Tracking processes behind this evolution is a daunting task even for the best scientists. Coastlines are some of the planet's most dynamic areas—places where marine, terrestrial, atmospheric and human actions meet. But the Arctic coastal regions face the most troubling issues from human-caused climate change from increasing greenhouse gas emissions, says Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) scientist Andrew Roberts.

By 2024, the Northern Sea Route’s ports will be handling a total of 85 million metric tons of freight, according to Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev. He explained that the Northern Sea Route had 18 ports. “Three of them, namely, Pevek, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, are being upgraded, and four more will be overhauled by 2024. Work is underway to build the Yenisei terminal, the Sever Harbor port and the Utrenny terminal at the port of Sabetta. Once they start operating by 2024, the Northern Sea Route’s ports will be shipping a total of 85 million metric tons of freight,” the deputy prime minister noted, while reporting on the implementation of the Arctic development strategy at the Federation Council.

Far up in northern Alaska, Logan Berner’s legs are burning with pain from trekking over tussocks in grassy valley bottoms and rugged, cloud-choked mountain passes. He’s spending a couple of weeks of 2021’s summer traversing the mountainous Brook Range, carrying just the essentials to sustain him in the expanse of the Alaskan Arctic. There, where North America ends, tundra and mountains make up one of the continent’s most pristine landscapes

An international education conference is currently underway in Arctic Norway looking at how Indigenous children can be better served by school systems. “It’s really important that we meet together and share the research results that all of Sapmi is producing, but also gather results and experiences from other Indigenous peoples,” Ol-Johan Sikku from the Sami Parliament in Norway, said in a zoom interview.

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.

Join scientists on the most ambitious Arctic research expedition of all time. Experts from over twenty different nations join the voyage of the massive Polarstern icebreaker as it’s gripped by the polar ice and drifts for nearly an entire year. From this unique research station, they can make long-term observations and perform experiments in unprecedented detail. Facing hungry polar bears, perilous sea ice cracks, and brutal cold, the team strives to understand the forces that are changing the region—and the world—forever.

Join NASA and IARPC for a webinar on the latest updates from the NASA Cryospheric Science and Terrestrial Ecology programs. NASA program managers Thorsten Markus and Michael Falkowski will give an overview of recent and upcoming initiatives, including NASA ABoVE and ICESat-2, among others. The research community is welcome to join, ask questions, and share feedback.

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.

For the most up-to-date COVID information, please see the the US Embassy in Reykjavik's COVID page: here.

October 14: Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission Mike Sfraga will serve on “The New American Arctic Strategy” panel in the early afternoon and the “Arctic Guardian Exercise Series: International Cooperation on Maritime Emergencies” panel at 6:00 pm.

October 15: Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission Mike Sfraga will be a panelist discussing “The Arctic Public Square in Washington, DC” at 10:45 am.

NERACOOS and CIOOS Atlantic, with funding support from the U.S. Embassy in Canada, will host a three-part webinar series featuring discussions with local experts on scientific, economic, and policy issues facing coastal communities spanning the Arctic to the Northeastern seaboard of the United States. Each of the three seminars will coincide with part of the voyage of the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which has partnered with Canada to undertake a research cruise the Northwest Passage and circumnavigation of North America. As the Healy passes through the Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Maine, experts in a variety of subjects will speak about the challenges they're encountering, and how we can come up with solutions that transcend borders. 

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 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. 

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.

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.

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.