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** New this week **
IARPC Collaboration Framework Fosters International Think-Tank Meeting- Towards a Unifying Pan-Arctic Perspective: Concepts and Theories, November 7-11, 2016 (Solomons Island, MD USA).
This is a closed-door meeting, although a public briefing is scheduled for Nov 9th in the afternoon. This meeting is made possible by the collaboration framework provided by the
IARPC
teams, namely the Chukchi-Beaufort Seas Ecosystems, Sea Ice, and
DBO
collaboration teams. This science integration effort is well aligned with the FY2013-2017
IARPC
plan, and is sponsored by
NSF
,
BOEM
,
ONR
and
USARC
. Seven of the 18 participants are
IARPC
collaboration team members.
The participants' focus is centered in developing a shared, high-level conceptual model of the functioning of the Arctic Ocean that synthesizes our understanding of the key processes and elements governing the responses of the Arctic marine ecosystems to current pressures and changes.
Wed Nov 9, there will be a public briefing at the UMCES/CBL on the current effort to develop an integrated conceptual model of the Arctic ocean. Paul Wassmann (UiT) and collaborators will brief the public and answer questions.
CBL: 146 Williams St, Solomons, MD 20688
Time: 16:30hs
1st International Muskox Health Ecology Symposium, November 7-10, 2016 (Calgary, AB Canada). The goal of this symposium is to share knowledge on muskox health ecology and sustainability across a variety of international stakeholders including community members/users, industry, wildlife management, and academia. We will discuss: the values, ecological, economic, social and cultural, of muskoxen; population status and trends; threats, vulnerabilities and resilience or sustainability; knowledge gaps; disease ecology; and existing and new tools for muskox health monitoring and research. For more information, please contact
Susan Kutz.
Today's C
ongressional Action:
The House and Senate are not in session.
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Media
 Donald Trump's Arctic: More Heat, Development and Militarization. Under the leadership of Donald Trump, the new president-elect of the United States, the Arctic could get a lot warmer. That's among several possible developments-such as increased Arctic oil drilling and a beefed-up Arctic defence system-which could occur after Trump takes office in January. Trump, who beat out contender Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, does not believe in climate change.
Nunatsiaq Online
Trump Could Threaten Canada's Climate Strategy. Donald Trump's surprising presidential win casts a cloud of uncertainty over Canada's energy and climate strategies. So far, North American energy policy has been largely dictated by the Obama administration, which has pushed historic climate change deals like the Paris Agreement. A Trump presidency offers a very different landscape. The Republican has previously denied the existence of man-made climate change and is also known to be in favor of oil pipelines. He has previously stated that he would like to negotiate a better deal involving the Keystone XL pipeline. There's also the chance that Trump will scrap the commitment reached by President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reduce oil and gas methane emissions by nearly half.
E&E News
 Will a Trump White House be Anti-Science? Climate scientists fear one of the biggest losers of the 2016 presidential election could be robust federal support for scientific research, including the sort of innovative inquiry that would help the United States meet global emissions targets. They're concerned that there will be scant interest in climate change research on the part of President-elect Donald Trump, who has not only called climate change a "hoax" but also said on the campaign trail that he would gut the electricity-sector climate rules known as the Clean Power Plan. He has also pledged to withdraw from the international climate emissions targets agreed to last year in Paris.
E&E News
Narwhals, Tusked Whales of the Arctic, See With Sound. Really Well.
The narwhal is not an aquatic unicorn. It's not magical, or mythical. It's just a whale with two teeth, one of which happens to be really long on males. But it's not just its snaggletooth - which can be up to nine feet long - that makes this Arctic sea creature unbelievable. The narwhal sees with sound - and it's exceptionally good at it too, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.
Like any whale, the narwhal needs to surface to breathe - on average, every four to six minutes. But unlike most whales, narwhals spend all of their lives in extreme Arctic conditions, primarily in waters off Eastern Canada and Greenland, where there's more darkness than light, and more ice than open sea. Somehow, this blubbery bundle finds its way to cracks in the ice to breathe. Somehow, it can also hunt for squid and dive down more than a mile into pitch black water to capture fish and other prey.
New York Times
 Federal Plan Calls for More Northern Coast Guard Auxiliaries. The Canadian Coast Guard is looking to expand its auxiliary programs across the North and the idea was announced this week as part of the Oceans Protection Plan. The agency doesn't know where exactly the new volunteer organizations will be, or how many, but says it is consulting with communities. "It really has to do with where we're likely to have enough volunteers, where there's an interest in doing this," says deputy commissioner Jeffrey Hutchinson.
CBC News
Elections at Sigma Xi. The scientific research society
Sigma Xi is holding an election in which only Sigma Xi members may vote. Several positions are open, including the President. The two presidential candidates are
Dr. Lawson Brigham, representing the Alaska chapter, and
Dr. Joel Primack, of the UCSC chapter in California. Members will receive ballots via email. Vote! Details
here.
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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
.
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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External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site (
www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.
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** New this week **
