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Today's C
ongressional Action:
The House and Senate are in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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Media
 ** New Report Released **
Supporting Arctic Science: A Summary of the WhiteHouse Arctic Science Ministerial Meeting. This document summarizes the first-ever Arctic Science Ministerial that was held in Washington, DC, at the White House, on September 28, 2016, to advance international research efforts. It includes the meeting agenda, a list of participants, a White House "fact sheet" that describes the outcomes from the meeting, a Joint Statement of Ministers, and a list of media reports on the event. The document also includes a compilation of two-page descriptions of Arctic science support provided by the ministerial delegations (representing 24 nations and the European Union). These self-reported snapshots follow a standardized format that includes (1) points of contact, (2) Arctic research goals, (3) Arctic research policy, (4) major Arctic research initiatives, and (5) Arctic research infrastructure.
 Starvation Killed 80,000 Russian Reindeer After Unusual Rains Cut Off Food Supply.
In August, a lightning blast claimed the lives of more than 300 reindeer in Norway. The month before, an anthrax epidemic - which Russian officials blamed on microbes that thawed after spending decades frozen inside a reindeer corpse - sickened several indigenous people in Siberia. Anthrax killed a 12-year-old boy, and reindeer died by the hundreds. In the disease's aftermath, the regional government proposed to terminate 250,000 reindeer by Christmas. Rudolph still can't catch a break.
Even the Arctic tundra has turned against the animals, so well-adapted to the clime, as the area warms at a faster rate than the rest of the globe.
Alaska Dispatch News
As Planets Heats up, Circumpolar Inuit Demand Help, Recognition. On the day the World Meteorological Organization and the U.K. Met Office declared that 2016 will likely become the hottest year on the planet since 1850, the Inuit Circumpolar Council demanded more recognition of Indigenous knowledge and more help in adapting to climate change. The ICC issued the statement Nov. 14 in Marrakech, Morocco, where ICC delegates are attending the COP22 global climate change conference.
Nunatsiaq Online
 The US Arctic Council Chairmanship: Changes from One Administration to Another? As the United States prepared to take the rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council for the second time, observers noted the 2015-2017 term would straddle two administrations. President Barack Obama's considerable efforts to deal with the enormous threats of climate change did not ignore the Arctic. A Trump administration's treatment of Arctic issues remains to be seen, but the looser environmental regulations he promises will exacerbate environmental threats to the planet. Obama's noted concern for climate change guided the formation of the goals of the chairmanship by the Department of State, the U.S. government's home for international Arctic-related matters.
World Policy Blog
Bird Poop Might Help Keep the Arctic Cool.
Important poop news, friends: According to a new study, Arctic bird droppings may help keep temperatures cool.
The research, published Tuesday in Nature Communications, is the result of an investigation into a spike in ammonia levels seen each summer in the atmosphere around the Canadian Arctic.
Popular Science
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
 ArcticNet annual Scientific Meeting 2016, December 5-9, 2016 (Winnipeg, MP Canada).
ArcticNet
will host its 12th Annual Scientific Meeting.
The ASM2016 will welcome researchers, students, Inuit, Northerners, policy makers and stakeholders to address the numerous environmental, social, economical and political challenges and opportunities that are emerging from climate change and modernization in the Arctic. As the largest annual Arctic research gathering held in Canada, ArcticNet's ASM is the ideal venue to showcase results from all fields of Arctic research, stimulate discussion and foster collaborations among those with a vested interest in the Arctic and its peoples.
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 12-16, 2016 (San Francisco, CA USA). Anticipating about 25,000 attendees, AGU's Fall Meeting will again be the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world. 2016 marks the meeting's 49th year and there will be approximately 20,000 oral and poster presentations in over 1,700 sessions, many of which will focus specifically on Arctic science. Among the highlights, the "2016 Arctic Report" will again be released, IARPC will hold a "Town Hall Meeting" on Thursday, Dec. 15th, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in Moscone West Room 2003, and NASA will have a Town Hall on Operation IceBridge on Dec. 14th, in Moscone Room 202 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 23-27, 2017 (Anchorage, AK USA). The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) is Alaska's premier marine research conference. It brings together roughly 800 scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and interested public to discuss marine research being conducted in Alaskan waters. Research will be presented by geographic theme, including the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands, and the Arctic. Topic areas will include ocean physics, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, local traditional knowledge and more. Keynote presentations will be held Monday, January 23rd; Gulf of Alaska presentations will be on Tuesday, Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands on Wednesday, followed by the Arctic on Thursday.
Alaska Forum on the Environment, February 6-10, 2017 (Anchorage, AK USA). This statewide gathering of environmental professionals, community leaders, Alaskan youth, conservationists, biologists and community elders will be holding its 19th meeting to continue providing a strong educational foundation for all Alaskans and a unique opportunity to interact with others on environmental issues and challenges. As many as 1,800 people are expected to attend AFE this years meeting.
6th Annual Fletcher Arctic Conference, February 17-18, 2017 (Medford, MA USA). Fletcher Arctic VI, a TEDx-style event, will showcase the ideas, stories, and initiatives of people who live and work in the Arctic. The conference will bring together inspiring leaders, innovative business people, expert scientists, and artists from the pan-Arctic region. Building on The Fletcher School's interdisciplinary approach, Fletcher Arctic VI will be a forum to engage in conversation and spark open and constructive debate between speakers and participants, providing deep insights into this unique and rapidly changing region.
IV International Forum, March 2017 (Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation)
Arkhangelsk will host the Forum. The Forum will be titled Human in the Arctic and will be aimed at putting together joint efforts of the international community to promote effective development of the Arctic region as a territory for comfort life, work and leisure. The Forum will be attended by government officials, representatives of international organizations and prominent business communities, centers for political studies, Polar researchers and members of the international Arctic expeditions, foreign political scientists and economists, Russian and foreign journalists from leading international media organizations. The Forum will be attended by the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin. Additional information will be announced
here
.
- The Arctic Cryosphere
- Pollution in the Arctic
- Human Health Aspects of Pollution and Climate Change
- Global and Arctic Systems Feedback Mechanisms
- Resilience within Arctic Ecosystems
- Science and Plicy Making
- Socio-Economic Drivers and Impacts of Arctic Change
Organizers announce a call for abstracts which are due by December 2, 2016. The event is organized by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP).
Ninth International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences: People and Places (ICASS IX), June 8-12, 2017 (Umeå, Sweden).
ICASS IX's theme is People & Place. Research on social sciences and humanities have a great responsibility to address the challenges for sustainable development in the Arctic, with a specific focus on the many different parts of the Arctic and the people that live there. The multiple Arctics have lately been addressed by many policy makers and researchers. The purpose is often to counteract the stereotypic understanding of the Arctic too often represented by icebergs and polar bears. A focus on people and place highlights the many variances across the region in terms of climate, political systems, demography, infrastructure, history, languages, legal systems, land and water resources etc.
POLAR 2018, June 15-27, 2018 (Davos, Switzerland).
POLAR2018 is a joint event from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The SCAR meetings, the ASSW and the Open Science Conference will be hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL under the patronage of the Swiss Committee on Polar and High Altitude Research. The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is organizing POLAR2018.
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