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.

Organizers: Dr. Eeva Eronen-Rasimus (University of Helsinki) and Dr. Eric Collins (University of Manitoba & University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Warming seas and thinning polar ice caps promise to turn the Arctic into a hub of greater economic activity — and a new hotspot for military competition. That prospect is shaping U.S. military strategy for Arctic operations and is drawing attention to the importance of space systems to keep watch over the region, monitor the climate and maintain constant communications.

As America’s Polar Security Cutter Program faces increasing delays, the U.S. Coast Guard is seeking to buy a commercially available icebreaker. Envisioned as a short-term gap-filler as the Coast Guard’s last remaining heavy icebreaker, the 46-year-old USC GC Polar Star (WAGB-10) ages out, the Coast Guard is eying the used icebreaker market.

In March 2020, staff at McMurdo Station, the main U.S. research base in Antarctica, thought the future was bright. Long-planned renovations had begun, including the replacement of decrepit dorms by glossy new lodges capable of housing more than 200 people. But then the pandemic struck, shutting down most of two summer field seasons at McMurdo and other polar research sites, mainly in Antarctica and Greenland. In some places the effects of that shutdown will linger for the rest of the decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced this week, delaying projects and limiting access to one of the rarest resources in geoscience: time on the ice.

The Westdahl Peak volcano in Alaska last erupted in 1992, and continued expansion hints at another eruption soon. Experts previously forecasted the next blast to occur by 2010, but the volcano – located under about 1 kilometer of glacial ice – has yet to erupt again. Using the Westdahl Peak volcano as inspiration, a new volcanic modeling study examined how glaciers affect the stability and short-term eruption cycles of high-latitude volcanic systems – some of which exist along major air transportation routes.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm issued the following statement on yesterday’s U.S. Senate confirmation of Dr. Asmeret Berhe with a bipartisan vote to serve as Director of the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): “I am so grateful to the Senate for confirming Dr. Asmeret Berhe to serve as DOE’s Director of the Office of Science.Dr. Berhe has been ahead of the curve over her entire career as a biogeochemist, and we need her leadership in scientific collaboration and climate science now more than ever. In her role, she will be leading DOE’s efforts to strengthen America’s national security, competitiveness, and economy through deep investment in scientific research. I am very grateful for Dr. Berhe’s willingness to serve the American people and I’m so excited to welcome her into the DOE family.” 

The Arctic Data Center, Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC), and Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) are jointly conducting a survey of the Arctic research community. The survey will help us develop a better understanding of the networks, forums, tools, workshops, and courses that support Arctic research collaboration, as well as the management and use of Arctic data. Your feedback will help drive future courses, workshops, and other programming offered by the Arctic Data Center, IARPC, and ARCUS. The survey is open until June 15th. 

The 2022 edition of its International Online Conference is hosted by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). The conference contains five sessions drawing on multiple disciplines from the social to the natural sciences: Voices from Alpine and Polar regions; Bridging knowledge from Polar ocean beneficiaries; Polar regions in motion; Methods and ethics in polar research; and Advances in cryospheric sciences.

This event is hosted by The Arctic Institute (TAI). This event will include topics on: cultural security, economic security, energy security, environmental security, food security, health security, military security, and political security.

The events during the week of August 1st, 2022, will include Enhancing Arctic Science and Engineering Workshop along with Regional Development Tours and forums on the Arctic science to plan for the next 25 years of Arctic research. Participants will include scientists and engineers, Indigenous leaders, Arctic community members, policymakers, government organizations and businesses to celebrate past research success, take stock of current challenges and opportunities and plan for the next generation of collaboration and knowledge co-production that will keep Utqiagvik and Indigenous knowledge at the forefront of Arctic science and contribute to a safe and sustainable future for

the Arctic.

The Forum is organized in cooperation with Naalakkersuisut - The Government of Greenland. The Focus of the 2022 Greenland Forum will be on climate and prosperity; and, geopolitics and progress.

The Arctic Circle Assembly is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, indigenous communities, concerned citizens, and others. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan.