We'll Use Arctic Council to Reach Out to Russia, Ottawa Says. "Preventing scientists from these two countries from talking to each other is irrational." Canada will use the Arctic Council to help preserve dialogue with Russia, the parliamentary secretary to Global Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion, Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, said Sept. 29 in Ottawa. "We really have to insist that we need a relationship between Canada and Russia in the Arctic," Goldsmith-Jones said, reading from an otherwise platitude-laden speech that Dion was to have given at an event in Carleton University held to mark the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council. Dion, however, was called away on short notice to attend the funeral in Jerusalem of Israeli leader Shimon Peres and Goldsmith-Jones acted as a stand-in for Dion. Nunatsiaq Online

First Arctic Science Ministers' Confab Yields Cooperation Pledge. Science ministers from the United States and 24 foreign governments, as well as other parties, met yesterday at the White House and agreed to cooperatively study rapid changes in the Arctic and incorporate their findings into national policies and decisions regarding the region. The ministers asserted "the importance of improving collaborative science efforts in the Arctic" in a   joint statement   following the first-ever Arctic science   ministerial , a gathering of high-level science diplomats. The group also   announced   a series of new Arctic science initiatives and milestones following the meeting. EOS

 

Angus King Delivers Opening Remarks at Arctic Forum in Portland. Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine will deliver opening remarks at an arctic forum today at Hannaford Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. The forum coincides with the Arctic Council meetings to be held in Portland Tuesday through Thursday. The event will bring together experts from the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and others. Maine Public Radio

 

New Chemicals May Be Less Toxic, Safer for Arctic Wildlife: Researcher. An academic at Carleton University says his preliminary research in the Arctic shows new chemicals used in many every-day items like pesticides and clothing may be better for the environment and safer for wildlife. Adam Morris, a PhD graduate based in Ottawa, travelled to the North each summer from 2007 to 2011. CBC News

 

Q&A: Why is This Researcher Putting Fitbits on Squirrels? Activity trackers like Fitbits and Jawbones help fitness enthusiasts log the calories they burn, their heart rates, and even how many flights of stairs they climb in a day. Biologist Cory Williams of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff is using similar technology to track the energy consumption of arctic ground squirrels in Alaska-insight that may reveal how the animals efficiently forage for food while avoiding being picked off by golden eagles. This week, Williams published a study in  Royal Society Open Science that compared the activity levels of male and female squirrels. He found that although males spend a lot more time outside of their burrows, they're pretty lazy, and sometimes just bask in the sun during warmer months. Females, on the other hand, have limited time to spare when caring for their young, and use it to run around and forage for themselves and their babies. In addition to previous work on arctic ground squirrel hibernation and seasonal differences in behavior, the finding is helping his team figure out why males tend to be more susceptible to being eaten. Science Magazine