Arctic Update Header
April 13, 2016
  
Today's C ongressional Action:   
The House and Senate are in session. The Senate is expected to consider the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization. The House is expected to consider several legislative items including H.R. 3586, the Border and Maritime Coordination Improvement Act.
Media  

Russia Establishes New Arctic Research Center in Arkhangelsk. The merger of several existing institutes in Arkhangelsk, Russia results in the establishment of a new top research center on the Arctic. The new federal science center on the Arctic will house 500 researchers, regional authorities say. "Our main task will be to conduct research and experimental studies, as well as to implement research inventions and protect Russian national interests in the Arctic," said Professor Vladimir Pavlenko. Alaska Dispatch News
 
New Boreal Forest Videos. Watch new videos featuring boreal forest research in Alaska. Bjartmar Sveinbjornsson, Environment and Natural Resources Institute director at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and REU students seek a mechanistic understanding of factors controlling boreal forest growth. See 'Why So Small?' 'How Tree Needles Age,' and 'What Are Stomata?' on FrontierScientists.com. Plus, check out the mobile game app Arctic UAVs! Have fun and test your skills navigating unmanned aerial vehicles through mission challenges. Frontier Scientists
 
Circumpolar Inuit Body to Consult This Month on North Water Polynya. High Arctic residents will get a chance this month to weigh in on the future of the North Water Polynya, an ecologically rich expanse of water between Ellesmere Island and Greenland, thanks to a series of consultations planned by the Inuit Circumpolar Council and its newly formed Pikialaorsuaq Commission. The consultations are unprecedented because of the level of Inuit involvement in influencing the future of the multi-jurisdictional region, said the ICC's international chair, Okalik Eegeesiak. Nunatsiaq Online
 
Finland Needs to Exploit Its Arctic Potential, Says Ex-PM. Businesses and politicians have been too passive in capitalizing on the increasing international interest in Finland's Arctic region, argues a new report by former prime minister Paavo Lippanen. In a report published on Monday, the ex-leader of the Social Democrats calls on Finnish businesses and politicians to make sure the country capitalizes on increasing international interest in its Arctic region. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Preparing for the Maiden Voyage Through the Northwest Passage. Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was the first to successfully traverse the Northwest Passage at the turn of the century. The trip, navigated on a 45-ton fishing vessel, took him three years. More than a century later, the loss of Arctic sea ice cover has cleared the way for high volume traffic through a route once nearly impassable and often deadly. Cargo ships are already traversing the passage, and this summer, the luxury cruise liner Crystal Serenity will make a journey through the Northwest Passage, from Anchorage to New York. WNYC
 
WWF-Canada Brings Lawsuit Against Shell on Arctic. The environmental group believes they "continue to obstruct conservation efforts" in Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, which is said to be one of the world's richest areas for marine mammal and harbours one of the highest densities of polar bears in the Canadian Arctic. While the federal registrar has refused to delist the permits, the lawsuit argues that Shell Canada's permits for offshore oil and gas exploration in Lancaster Sound - issued more than 40 years ago - are expired and therefore invalid. MarineLink
 
European Commission Should Ensure Arctic Fishing is in Line with EU Rules. Currently, EU vessels can fish in international waters or in the waters of another country without respecting the environmental rules that govern fishing inside EU waters under the Common Fisheries Policy. To deal with outdated laws and loopholes, the European Commission released a proposal last December for a new regulation on the sustainable management of external fishing fleets. The Fish Site
 
navy Navy to Require Climate Change Reporting from Vendors. The U.S. Navy on Tuesday became the first branch of the U.S. military - the world's single-largest user of fossil fuels - to say it will start requiring big vendors to report their output of climate-changing greenhouse gases and work to lower it. "We've got skin in this game," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told a Silicon Valley conference on tech, government and climate change, noting that the Navy is facing rising ocean levels and a surge of interest as ice melts in the Arctic. KTVA

Arctic 100 Expedition. Arctia Ltd., a Finnish entity, seeks partner universities, research institutions and other organizations to conduct an international Arctic expedition in the summer of 2017. Details  here.

Legislative Action futureevents   

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events
 
2016 Social and Environmental Determinants of Health in Alaska Symposium, April 14-15, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA).  The symposium will bring multidisciplinary teams of biomedical and health researchers together to discuss translational research, with a goal to expand the INBRE network, and to enhance interdisciplinary and translational biomedical and health research.  Presenters from across the United States will speak on social and environmental determinants of health in Alaska, followed by panel discussions on each topic.  Registration is free.  For more information, please call  907.786.6460 or email  kalance@uaa.alaska.edu.

Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, April 14-16, 2016 (Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. This workshop will gather a diverse group of scholars to discuss the state-of-the art in Arctic social sciences and develop visioning scenarios for the future of social science research in the Arctic. The core topics will parallel discussions held at other regional workshops (Portland, OR and Providence, RI), which include: social sciences research and climate change; interdisciplinary research in the Arctic; social sciences and humanities in the Arctic, and applied social sciences research.

Service-Learning in Undergraduate Geosciences: A Workshop, April 20-21, 2016 (Washington, DC).  Pre-register  here  to participate in the NSF-funded workshop " Service-Learning in Undergraduate Geosciences"  that will be  held at the National Academies of Sciences in Washington D.C. on  April 20 & 21 .   This workshop will focus on what is currently happening in service-learning in the geosciences and what can be learned from service-learning in other disciplines.

Alaska Rural Energy Conference, April 26-28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Rural Energy Conference is a three day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska's remote communities. Building on the growing success, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power have joined forces again to organize and sponsor the 10th annual Alaska Rural Energy Conference.   

Regional and Global Implications of Changing Permafrost, April 28, 2016 (Washington, DC USA).  There is growing realization of the strong interactions between degradation of near-surface permafrost on the dynamics of ecosystems, and that these interactions together influence local and global environmental, economic, and social systems. This presentation will discuss the use of synthesis science by both the SEARCH Permafrost Action Team and Permafrost Carbon Network to identify and understand the widespread implications of changing permafrost at both regional and local scales.  This presentation is part of the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States Arctic Research Seminar Series.

High North Dialogue 2016: The Blue Future of the Arctic, May 25-26, 2016.   HND is an annual conference hosted by the High North Center at Nord University, engaging a wide audience of researchers and future leaders of the region. It will address the necessary questions to effectively promote dialogue between interested stakeholders on how to sustainably develop the different realities of the many Arctics. PhD and Masters students can also participate in a week long credit awarding graduate course.

Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, May 31-June 2, 2016 (Providence, Rhode Island, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The workshop will bring together researchers working on multidisciplinary natural/social science projects addressing issues of contemporary change in the North with social scientists focused on policy development at a global scale. This focus draws on the expertise of Brown University's Watson Center for International Studies (http://watson.brown.edu), the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES, http://www.brown.edu/academics/institute-environment-society/about), and the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology's (http://www.brown.edu/haffenreffer) six-decade engagement with northern people and northern heritage.

14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway).
The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
 
11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), June 20-24, 2016 (Potsdam, Germany). The Alfred Wegener Institute has teamed up with UP Transfer GmbH and the University of Potsdam to organize a great conference for you, permafrost researchers. The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering and outreach on a global and regional level.

Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Rhode Island, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons.  The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.

Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia).  The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
  
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
 

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