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November 16, 2015
 
Today's C ongressional Action:     
The House and Senate are in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.

Media  
 
Increasing Ocean Acidity Threatens Marine Food Web in Circumpolar Waters. All the carbon humans are spewing into the atmosphere through smokestacks and tailpipes is increasing the acidity of the world's oceans. And that's harming species that must form protective shells to survive - like microscopic mollusks known as pterapods. "Pterapods make shells out of calcium carbonate minerals," says University of Alaska-Fairbanks researcher Claudine Hauri. "And in order for these organisms to build these shells, they need carbonate ions. The concentration of carbonate ions decreases because of ocean acidification." KUAC
 
Old Walrus Bones Dug Up in Alaska's Arctic Could Shed New Light on Point Lay Haulouts. At a lab in Barrow, University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers are sawing into old Pacific walrus bones unearthed at a site on the Arctic coast. They're hoping to find DNA, stress hormones and isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, which could tell them about everything from population sizes to the walruses' shifting diet. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Sea Ice Plays a Pivotal Role in the Arctic Methane Cycle. The ice-covered Arctic Ocean is a more important factor concerning the concentration of the greenhouse gas methane in the atmosphere than previously assumed. Experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) report on the newly discovered interactions between the atmosphere, sea ice and the ocean in a recent online study in the journal Nature's Scientific Reports. Sea ice forms a natural barrier on the Central Arctic Ocean, limiting gas exchange between water and atmosphere. Over the past several years, the summer sea ice cover in the Arctic has rapidly decreased. "We're investigating how the changed conditions are affecting the geochemical interaction between the ocean, ice and atmosphere," explains Dr Ellen Damm, the first author of the study and a biogeochemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute. "We were able to confirm that the surface water in the central Arctic contains higher methane concentrations than the atmosphere, which means the Arctic Ocean is a potential source of atmospheric methane. That makes it fundamentally different from oceans in lower latitudes, which - except for a few sporadic sources - are considered methane sinks." Science 2.0
 
Billions of Juvenile Fish Under the Arctic Ice. Using a new net, marine biologists from the Alfred Wegener Institute have, for the first time, been able to catch polar cod directly beneath the Arctic sea ice with a trawl, allowing them to determine their large-scale distribution and origin. This information is of fundamental importance, as polar cod are a major source of food for seals, whales and seabirds in the Arctic. The study, which was recently published in the journal Polar Biology, shows that only juvenile fish are found under the ice, a habitat the researchers fear could disappear as a result of climate change. Alaska Native News
 
Study: Moose, Hares Followed Shrub Growth North to Arctic. A warming Arctic climate and lengthening summer growing season in recent decades have led to changes in vegetation on Alaska's North Slope, extending the habitat of wildlife like snowshoe hares and moose farther north than they were seen previously. That's according to research led by Ken Tape, an assistant professor with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Water and Environmental Research Center, who coauthored a study published in the journal Global Change Biology on Nov. 3. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Legislative Action futureevents   

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events
   
Charting the Arctic: Security, Economic and Resource Opportunities, November 17, 2015 (Washington, D.C. USA). The House Foreign Affairs subcommittees on Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats and the Western Hemisphere will host a hearing on charting the Arctic. Witnesses include US Special Representative for the Arctic Admiral Robert Papp, Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet, and Vice Admiral Charles Michel.

Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting, November 17-19, 2015 (Seattle, Washington). The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will be 2.5 days and held at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic - from academia, agencies, industry, and other organizations. The meeting will be convened as a combination of plenary talks, parallel science sessions, and a poster session. The deadline for the Meeting Registration is Tuesday, 20 October. The agenda and registered attendees can be found on the meeting website.

A Public-Private Partnerships and the Federal Arctic MTS, November 18, 2015 (Webinar).   The goal of this webinar is to seek input from Arctic stakeholders engaged in or planning to engage in public-private partnerships (P3) to understand current types of partners and partnerships, planned activities, as well as success stories from previous partnerships. This information will be used to inform the recommendations for P3 partnerships in support of Arctic maritime infrastructure activities, as well as highlight examples of successful infrastructure initiatives achieved through P3 that may serve as examples for future initiatives in the U.S. Arctic.

The Arctic Council at Twenty:   Permanent Participants, Arctic Policy in Canada and the United States, and Stewardship. November 20, 2015, Seattle, WA (Workshop).  This workshop - supported by the Korea Maritime Institute, and hosted by the Canadian Studies Center/Arctic and International Relations in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies - will reflect on the almost 20-year history of the Arctic Council, its influence on Arctic policy in North America, and future options concerning its role. Participants will present and discuss their reflections on the Arctic Council including its influence on Canadian and U.S. Arctic policy, and the role of four of the six Permanent Participant organizations who are represented in the Pacific Northwest.  UW

In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process 2015, November 24-26, 2015 (Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland). When the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the so-called Rovaniemi Process, was adopted in 1991, it aimed at overcoming divisions and turning the zone of Cold War military tensions into a region of peace and co-operation. In this joint effort focusing on the protection of environment, and later, sustainable development, the Arctic states supported by indigenous organizations laid grounds for institutionalized collaboration and the emergence of Arctic regional identity. The second international conference will bring together decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students to address these questions and discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives.

[Proposals due 11/27/2015] 14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway). Interested contributors to the session the 'Third Pole': science diplomacy and transnational connections between Tibet, the Arctic and Antarctic should send their proposed contribution to Rasmus Bertelsen by 11/27/15.

Arctic Council and Beyond, December 4, 2015 (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). This one-day conference hosted by The Northern Institute will focus on the role of the Arctic Council as a forum for Arctic cooperation, the place of the Arctic in Canada's foreign policy and approach to the circumpolar world, the role of the Arctic in global relations in light of the increasing interest in the region by European and Asian states, and the voice of Indigenous Peoples within the Arctic Council and in shaping circumpolar countries' Arctic policies.

Paris Arctic Climate Research Strategy Meeting, December 4, 2015 (Paris, France). The purpose of this facilitated discussion is to discuss future regional, national, and international funding opportunities for interdisciplinary Arctic climate research and develop concrete ideas for such research. All disciplines across humanities, social and natural sciences, art, health, technology and others as well as representatives of research, government, civil society, business and others are encouraged to attend.

The Arctic and Nordic Climate Science, Technology and Diplomacy in a Global Context, December 5, 2015 (Paris, France). This side event of the UN Climate Change Conference will address how the five Nordic countries, including their self-governing communities (Aaland Islands, Faroe Islands and Greenland) and indigenous peoples (Inuit and Sami) contribute to global climate diplomacy, regulation, mitigation and adaptation through Arctic science, technology and diplomacy.
 
Arctic Encounter Paris (AEP 2015), December 11-12, 2015 (Paris, France) (During the UN Convention on Climate Change - COP21).  The Arctic Encounter Paris (AEP) will take place at the French Senate at Luxembourg Palace and the French Military College,  École Militaire, in Paris, France, on the final days of the monumental United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP21) where thousands of global citizens and government delegates will be gathered to deliberate the world's response to our changing planet in Paris. The AEP is the only Arctic policy and economics side event currently planned to take place during the UN Convention.  A reception will take place following the closing panel.

AGU logoFall meeting of the American Geophysical Union, December 14-18, 2015 (San Francisco, California). The 48th meeting of the union brings together nearly 24,000attendees, and lots of Arctic research results. The scientific program is here. There will be several Arctic-related "Town Hall" meetings, including those sponsored by NASA, DOE, NSF, ISAC, IARPC, and SEARCH.
 
 This symposium is part of an ongoing initiative of the National Academies of Science Polar Research Board to expand public understanding of why the dramatic changes affecting the Arctic region ultimately matter to us all.  The agenda features engaging presentations and discussions with top Arctic science and policy experts, and displays and interactive exhibits that illustrate Arctic change and its global impacts.  The event is free and open to the public.  There are sponsorship opportunities, and a call for exhibitor applications (by Oct.31, 2015).  Audience space is limited, so register today; and please encourage your friends, neighbors, and colleagues to participate-as our goal is to reach well beyond the small circle of specialists who typically attend Arctic-themed events in the DC area.   The U.S. Arctic Research Commission is helping to sponsor this event.

Building upon the preceding Arctic Encounter event in Paris, the third annual Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES) in Seattle, Washington will convene policymakers, industry leaders, and leading experts to confront the leading issues in Arctic policy, innovation, and development. As the largest annual Arctic policy event in the United States, the AES mission is to raise awareness, engage challenges, and develop solutions for the future of a region and a people. The two-day program includes two keynote luncheons, expert plenary sessions, break out sessions, a networking cocktail reception and seated dinner. A closing reception will take place at the conclusion of the program.

16th Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 25-29, 2016 (Anchorage, AK, USA) No detailed info yet (common guys...), but a valuable meeting, focusing on research results from the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. Good, in-depth, research from Alaska's marine regions.AMSS.
 
Arctic Science Summit Week Arctic Observing Summit, March 12-18, 2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA).   ASSW is the annual gathering of international organizations that support and facilitate long-term planning in Arctic research. In 2016, ASSW will be held in conjunction with AOS, which brings people together to facilitate the design, implementation, coordination and sustained long-term operation of an international network of Arctic observing systems.

  
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.
  
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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