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Arctic Reading for the Quarantine:
This week's newly shared reports and publicans.
(Arctic Council) The Coronavirus in the Arctic: Spotlight on Mental Health, April 2020. As the current pandemic evolves, the focus on the health effects of the coronavirus widens. While nations around the globe implement strict measures to flatten the curve of infections, concerns are rising that the virus and the measures taken to combat it, will cause long-term mental health issues. In the Arctic, where concerns about mental health and suicide have been long standing challenges, there is a particular need to reflect on the consequences. Fostering mental well-being must be an important component of a holistic approach to address the longer-term effects of the coronavirus outbreak. The Arctic Council's Sustainable Development Working Group project Local2Global is one of these efforts.
(Congressional Research Service) Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress (April 28, 2020). The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region's future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests in the region. The seven other Arctic states are Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark (by virtue of Greenland), and Russia.
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 Arctic Lost 11,000 Small Business in Three Years Due to High Costs. The number of SMEs has shrunk by 11,000 in the Arctic over the past three years, Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic Alexander Krutikov said during the online discussion "Entrepreneurship in the Arctic" sponsored by the Project Office for the Development of the Arctic (PODA). He added that this was a relatively small figure, just about 4% of the total, but quite a lot in terms of local employment: "Small and medium-sized businesses lost 103,000 jobs, or about 14% of all employees, which is a relatively large share. These businesses account for a lot of jobs and they have been hit the hardest."
The Arctic
Russia Plans to Raise Radioactive Wrecks in the Arctic. By 2030, the Russian government will raise seven pieces of radioactive debris - including two nuclear submarines - from the bottom of Arctic oceans, where they were intentionally scuttled during the Soviet era, documents received by Bellona confirm. The documents identify this debris as the most dangerous of the items the Soviet Union discarded in polar waters, and say that six of them contain more than 90 percent of the radioactivity to be found on the Arctic seabed.
Bellona
Military Helicopters, Tankers and Jets Will do COVID-19 Flyovers From Arctic to Southeast Alaska This Week. An array of military aircraft, from helicopters to F-22 fighter jets, aim to celebrate COVID-19 responders and essential workers this week by conducting flyovers in Alaska communities from Kotzebue, north of the Arctic Circle, to Ketchikan at the state's southeastern corner. The flyovers, conducted by the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, are set to start Tuesday afternoon. That's when an HC-130 rescue plane and KC-135 Stratotanker will pass by the rural hub towns of Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue, according to a prepared statement sent Monday afternoon by the Air Force and National Guard.
Alaska Public Radio
 Richard Beneville, Nome's Colorful Mayor and a Promoter of Arctic Port and Infrastructure Development, Has Died. Nome Mayor Richard Beneville, a longtime champion of regional culture, history and the Bering Strait city's importance in the Arctic, has died, city officials reported on Monday. Beneville, 75, succumbed to pneumonia overnight after a period of declining health, the city of Nome said in a statement posted on Facebook. "Mayor Beneville will always be remembered for his colorful personality, passion for the community and love of the arts. Many folks walk this earth, and some like Richard leave their mark on it. And one of the last things he was heard to say was his trademark greeting, "HELLO CENTRAL!" the city's statement said.
Arctic Today
Glaciers That Feed the North Water Polynya are Rapidly Retreating. About 150 kilometers north of Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island, two glaciers are rapidly receding from the seawater at their edge. The terminus of these glaciers is a fiord that empties into Pikialasorsuaq, the North Water Polynya-an area of year-round open water that's the largest of its kind in the Arctic. This ecosystem supports seabirds as well as marine mammals, including narwhal, beluga and bowhead whale.
Nunatsiaq Online
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Future Events
COVID-19 Impacts in the Arctic, May 19-20, 2020 (Virtual conference, Zoom). Organized and hosted by the US Naval War College, the Wilson Center's Polar Institute, and the US Arctic Research Commission, this event will be a series of panel conversations on the impacts of the virus in the Arctic. COVID-19 threatens the Arctic region with new challenges to human life, economic prosperity, and the fabric of communities. Ongoing climate and environmental change further compound the challenges facing Arctic communities. In light of these unprecedented, intersecting challenges, the co-hosts will run a virtual conference of panels focusing on Arctic Community health, economic
activities, US Coast Guard Operations, scientific research, international impacts and more. Speakers will include leading voices from Arctic communities, federal and state agencies, academia, international entities, and the private sector.
Registration
is
open
and is
required.
Over 500 confirmed participants so far.
Confirmed speakers/moderators include (among others)...
AlexAnna Salmon, Village Council President, Village of Igiugig, Alaska
Peter Sköld, Professor, Umea Univ., Sweden
David Balton, Senior Fellow, Polar Institute, Wilson Center
Fran Ulmer, Chair, US Arctic Research Commission
VADM Linda Fagan, Pacific Area Commander, USCG
RADM Todd Sokalzuk, Atlantic Area Deputy Commander, USCG
Mark Myers, former Director, US Geological Survey
John Tichotsky, Alaska Capital
Cara Condit, Exec. Dir. Center for Arctic Study and Policy, USCG Academy
Gail Schubert, President & CEO Bering Straits Native Corp.
Rebecca Pincus, Assoc. Prof. US Naval War College
Gwen Healy, Executive Director, Qaujigiartit Health Research Centre
Tim Gilbert, President/CEO, Maniilaq Assoc.
Robert Onders, Medical Dir. of Comm. and Health Systems Improv., ANTHC
Dalee Sambo Dorough, Int'l Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council
Tony Penikett, former Premier, Yukon Territory, Canada
Mia Bennett, Assist. Prof., The Univ. of Hong Kong
Anne Budgell, author and radio/TV journalist in Labrador and Newfoundland
Inuuteq Holm Olsen, Minister Penipotentiary & Head of Rep. for Greenland
Friðrik Jónsson
,
Senior Arctic Official (Iceland), Arctic Council
Tim Gallaudet,
Asst. Sec. of Comm. for Oceans & Atm. & Deputy
NOAA Admin.
Simon Stephenson, Head, Arctic Section, National Science Foundation
Bob Foy, Science & Res. Dir., AK Fisheries Sci. Center, NOAA
Thorsten Markus, Cryospheric Science Prog. Manager, NASA
Doug Causey, Professor, Univ. Alaska Anchorage
Sally McFarlane, ARM Climate Research Facility Manager, DOE
Hajo Eicken, Director, Int'l Arctic Research Center, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks
Brendan Kelly, Executive Director SEARCH, IARC/UAF
Bob Campbell, Research Scientist (was on MOSAiC), GSO, Univ. of RI
Jackie Grebmeier, Professor, CES, Univ. of Maryland
Kaare Erickson, North Slope Science Liaison, Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp.
Ted Schuur, Professor, Northern Arizona Univ.
Jackie Richter-Menge, UAF and USARC Commissioner
David Kennedy, Global Fellow, Polar Institute, Wilson Center
Sydonia Brett-Harte, Assoc. Sci. Director, Toolik Field Station, UAF
ICESAT-2 Cryospheric Science Hackweek, June 15-19, 2020 (Seattle, Washington USA). ICESat-2 Cryospheric Science Hackweek is a 5-day hackweek to be held at the University of Washington. Participants will learn about technologies used to access and process ICESat-2 data with a focus on the cryosphere. Mornings will consist of interactive lectures, and afternoon sessions will involve facilitated exploration of datasets and hands-on software development.
Arctic Circle Assembly, October 8-11, 2020 (Reykjavik, Iceland). The annual Arctic Circle Assembly is the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic, attended by more than 2000 participants from 60 countries. It is attended by heads of states and governments, ministers, members of parliaments, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic.
3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, November 21-22, 2020 (Toyko, Japan). Since the last Arctic Science Ministerial in 2018, changes in the Arctic ecosystem and the resulting impacts locally and globally have been severely felt. While the reasons for these changes in climate largely stem from activities outside of the Arctic, the Arctic is warming at a rate of nearly double the global average. Considering the need for climate change mitigation, adaptation, and repair measures, the relevance of an international Arctic Science Ministerial has never been greater. It is necessary to strengthen scientific cooperation and collaboration among both Arctic and non-Arctic States in order to develop our understanding of the rapid changes impacting the Arctic. The First Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM1) was hosted by the United States in 2016, and two years later, the Second Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM2) was co-hosted by Germany, Finland, and the European Commission. The Third Arctic Science Ministerial will be co-hosted by Iceland and Japan.
Arctic Science Summit Week, March 20-26, 2021 (Lisbon, Portugal). The Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Local Organizing Committee will host the Arctic Science Summit Week 2021. The Conference is organized by FCT, Ciência Viva, AIR Center, the Portuguese Arctic Community and by IASC and partners. Framed by the overarching theme for the Science Conference "The Arctic: Regional Changes, Global Impacts," Lisbon invites International experts on the Arctic and Indigenous Peoples to discuss the "New Arctic" and also its impacts and interactions to and with the lower latitudes.
Save the Date: 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses, May 3-6, 2021 (Hanko, Finland). Organizers announce, that due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses has been postponed to 2021. This symposium will bring together molecular microbial ecologists specializing in different organism groups to share our latest results and discuss methodological problems, as well as future prospects in the field, including practical international collaborations. The environmental focus will be on cryospheric environments including sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost, but excellent research in other polar environments is also invited. The methods to be discussed will focus on 'omics' techniques, ranging from single cells to metagenomes, but research using additional methods is encouraged as well.
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