The newest U.S. icebreaker will be called Polar Sentinel, but the ship’s delivery will be delayed until at least May 2025, Adm. Karl L. Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, said last week. Construction on the ship has not yet begun, Schultz announced in his final annual address to the service on Thursday, but he indicated that construction hasn’t yet begun on the ship: “Work remains underway in preparation for the construction of our first polar security cutter.”

The tiny particles suspended in the air known as aerosols play an important role in heating and cooling our planet, but their effects still aren’t fully understood. The particles can occur naturally, such as from volcanoes, forests and oceans, or be produced by human activity, such as fossil-fuel combustion and industrial manufacturing. They interact with solar radiation, either reflecting it back out into space and lowering the Earth’s temperature, or absorbing it and raising the temperature. They are also essential for the formation of clouds, which similarly play a role in cooling off or warming up the planet by reflecting solar radiation out into space or re-emitting terrestrial radiation back down to the Earth. Cloud formation in the Arctic is particularly sensitive to aerosols.

In a world first, preliminary research suggests deer may be able to transmit the COVID-19 virus to humans, following analysis by a team of Canadian scientists monitoring the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in animals. Up until now, researchers have only found evidence of humans spreading the virus to deer, and deer spreading it to other deer.

Rebecca Pincus of the Naval War College in the US will present on Arctic security issues. Prior to joining the US Naval War College, Prof Pincus taught at the US Coast Guard Academy and has followed Arctic security issues. This event is hosted by Migration in Harmony.

As the Arctic research community transitions to the 2022-2026 Arctic Research Plan, IARPC is reflecting on the achievements of the previous five years. IARPC will host this webinar focusing on accomplishments in Arctic modeling. Richard Cullather (NASA) and Wilbert Weijer (Los Alamos National Lab) will provide an overview of the IARPC Collaborations Modeling Team's accomplishments over the past five years. Elizabeth Hunke (Los Alamos National Lab) will present on the CICE Consortium. Sophie Nowicki (University of Buffalo) will share about ISMIP6. This webinar will be recorded. 

On March 9, 12pm AKT, the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs Arctic Science Section will host a virtual Office Hour to share program updates with the Arctic research community. This webinar will introduce new staff, inform the community of upcoming funding opportunities, and answer questions regarding the program's approach to mitigating the impacts of COVID-19. This webinar will be recorded. 

Arctic360 will host this event with guest from sectors including Indigenous, private sector, and political leaders across Canada. The 2022 conference theme: ‘WHERE INFRASTRUCTURE MEETS DIPLOMACY’ focuses on strengthening partnership to help build green, connected, smart, and climate resilient transportation infrastructure to foster local economic growth and well-being at home and connect the region to domestic and international markets. Turning potential into reality requires vision, planning, political cooperation, and the Public-Private-Indigenous Partnerships that are necessary for success. The path towards 21st century Arctic transportation infrastructure is where ‘Infrastructure Investment Meets Diplomacy.’

The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) is organized annually by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)  to provide opportunities for coordination, cooperation and collaboration between the various scientific organizations involved in Arctic research. It was initiated by the IASC in 1999.

114th Meeting of the US Arctic Research Commission. April 6th, 2022 (virtual): Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Arctic Research Commission will hold its 114th meeting virtually on April 6th, 2022. The business sessions, open to the public for viewing, will convene at 8:30 a.m. with a public comment session scheduled from noon-12:30pm.

Join us on April 7th and 8th in Anchorage, Alaska at the Denai’na Convention Center and the Anchorage Museum for Arctic Encounter Anchorage 2022. As the largest Arctic policy and business conference in the United States, with partners and convenings across the globe, the Arctic Encounter brings together thousands of Arctic leaders and voices from around the world. Following two years of cancellation due to COVID-19, the Arctic Encounter is eager to welcome participants to Alaska for a world-class arts and cultural experience, including dialogue and presentations with elected and international leaders, business executives, indigenous peoples, scientists, and more. Visit ArcticEncounter.com to learn more and to subscribe to receive the most up-to-date information as speakers, partners, exhibitors, and more are announced.

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.

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 2022 theme, Pathways, reflects the choices the Arctic is facing when addressing pressing global challenges. The urgency for action will be discussed in terms of pathways to economic development, sustainability, climate action, security, stability, and respect for science in decision-making. The scale spans from national to global policies, from corporate strategies to regional actions and indigenous perspectives, emphasizing the need for broad stakeholder engagement and partnership.

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.

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.