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December 18, 2020

Creeping Security in the Arctic? 12:00 pm CET on December 18, 2020 (virtual). Niklas Eklund is an associate professor at the Department of Political Science and Deputy Director at the Arctic Research Center at Umeå University. His research is on public administration, security, leadership and crisis management. He has also contributed to the 'Handbook of Arctic Security' in which he introduce Sweden from a state-based security perspective. In December, Arcum is arranging an online seminar within the Umeå Arctic Seminar series, where Niklas will talk about the creeping securitization in the Arctic. This event is organized by the Arctic Research Center at Umeå University.

Polar Guardians: Coast Guard Icebreaking in the High Latitudes, 3:30 pm EST on December 18, 2020. The Wilson Center's Polar Institute and CASP will host the first public screening of the documentary, "Polar Guardians: Coast Guard Icebreaking in the High Latitudes." The film will be introduced by the Admiral Karl L. Schultz, the 26th Commandant of the Coast Guard, who will address both the legacy and the future of Coast Guard missions in the polar regions. An expert panel to follow the documentary's release will feature Fran Ulmer, former chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and Admiral Thad Allen, 23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Media

Image via NASA
How Tiny Growth Rings Reveal the Secret Link Between Sea Ice Loss and Tundra 'Greening' and 'Browning.' As the Arctic warms and shrub growth continues expanding to higher latitudes, a paradox has emerged: Plants in many parts of the warming Arctic are withering. Now a new study offers a potential explanation for the "browning" that is occurring in parts of the Arctic even as most of the circumpolar region is getting more leafy and woody. Arctic Today
 
The Arctic's Peculiar Ocean Turbulence Puzzled Scientists for Decades- Now MIT Has an Explanation. Eddies are often seen as the weather of the ocean. Like large-scale circulations in the atmosphere, eddies swirl through the ocean as slow-moving sea cyclones, sweeping up nutrients and heat, and transporting them around the world. In most oceans, eddies are observed at every depth and are stronger at the surface. But since the 1970s, researchers have observed a peculiar pattern in the Arctic: In the summer, Arctic eddies resemble their counterparts in other oceans, popping up throughout the water column. SciTech Daily
 
Research Millions to Maritime Research in the Arctic. The Center for High North Logistics in Kirkenes, Norway has been granted more than NOK 7 million. The project funds are to be spent on research and development of Arctic maritime logistics and transport solutions in the Barents region. National borders cross through infrastructure in Arctic transport systems at sea. The limited opportunities for cross-border transport affects preconditions for economic growth. The project will explore solutions creating cost and eco efficiency in collaboration with the business sector. High North News
 
New Surveillance Technology to Detect Dark Ship in the Arctic. A new surveillance technology developed by the maritime analytics and data leader, GateHouse Maritime, in collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark will help the Danish Defense monitor the Arctic Ocean. The technology is built to identify illegal ships without or turned off Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders or so-called dark ships. The Arctic spans 14 million km2. Climate change continues to impact the Arctic area and it is expected that the maritime traffic will increase significantly over the coming 10 to 20 years. Sea News
 
Huge Methane Cache Beneath Arctic Could be Unlocked by the Moon. The moon could be affecting how much methane is released from the Arctic Ocean seafloor, a new study finds. The tides, which are controlled by the moon, affect how much methane is released from seafloor sediments: Low tides mean less pressure and more methane released, while high tides create more pressure, and therefore less methane emission. Live Science
 
Healy, Coast Guard NDAA Loaded with Icebreakers, Satellite Funding for Sharper Arctic Focus. The defense policy bill sitting on President Trump's desk would fund new icebreakers the Coast Guard desperately needs, and give Arctic strategy a bigger seat at the decision-making table at the Pentagon. The 2021 NDAA, passed by the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities last week, authorizes money for six icebreakers, three more than originally planned, which would replace the two currently in service - one of which is languishing in port after a devastating fire in August left it in need of a new engine. Breaking Defense News
 
Skinner But Resilient Geese Thriving in the High Arctic. The world is changing in dramatic ways, especially in the High Arctic. Climate change has meant that spring arrives earlier, but winters have become far more treacherous for Arctic animals that overwinter there, with more rain and ice. So what about birds that don't overwinter in the Arctic, but nest and raise young there? EurekAlert!
Future Events

ADAC Customer and Partner's Roundtable, 1:00 PM EST on January 13, 2021 (virtual) . The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) is a US Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate Office of University Programs, (OUP) Center of Excellence in Maritime Research hosted by the University of Alaska. In accordance with ADAC's "Year 7 Work Plan" ADAC conducts quarterly Customer and Partner's Roundtables. The Center will host its Second Program Year 7.

Alaska Native Perspectives of an Evolving Arctic Environment, 12:00 pm AKST on January 15, 2021. Join AKWorld for this discussion of climate, security, economic opportunity, science, resilience and other implications of a changing Arctic. Whether you are in Florida, California, Alaska, or another state in-between, you have experienced significant weather changes amplified by a rapidly changing Arctic. Come, listen, and join the conversation with two Alaska Native women who have firsthand knowledge and understanding of this important issue for Alaska, the United States, and the World.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Three, 2:00 pm UTC on January 20, 2021 (virtual) . This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 1: Observing networks; Data sharing-towards implementation. For more information on ASM3, see here.

2021 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 26-28, 2021 (virtual). The Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) has been bringing together scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and interested public for over twenty years to discuss the latest marine research being conducted in Alaskan waters. Showcasing Alaska's marine science remains the utmost priority despite the challenges we all have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also exploring some additional events (virtual panels, social hours, etc.) surrounding the virtual launch of AMSS 2021, so stay tuned! We are looking for panel ideas Topic ideas may include but are not limited to: coastal resiliency, ocean noise, marine debris, perspectives on changing ecosystems, co-production of knowledge, economics of climate change, and the future of the Arctic Research Post-COVID in local communities. (submit here: https://alaskamarinescience.org/2021-panels).

Arctic Frontiers 2021, February 1-4, 2021 (virtual). Arctic Frontiers started out in 2006 assembling the first global scientific conference on economic, societal and environmental sustainable growth in the north. In February 2021, we will arrange the 15th conference with the theme "Building Bridges". The conference has a pan arctic perspective and builds new partnerships across nations, generations and ethnic groups. Arctic Frontiers provides a forum for dialogue and communication between science, government and industry in the Arctic.

Arctic Maritime Horizons Workshop, February 2-4, 2021 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). This event is hosted by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center. This workshop will be an assessment of the future maritime transportation system of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort sea regions.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Four, 1:00 pm UTC on February 17, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 2: enhance understanding and prediction capability on Arctic environmental and social systems and its global impact. For more information on ASM3, see here.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Five, 1:00 pm UTC on March 17, 2021 (virtual) . This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 3: Respond: sustainable development; evaluation of vulnerability and resilience; application of knowledge. For more information on ASM3, see here.

ALCOM's Arctic Senior Leader Summit, 2021, March 10-11, 2021 (virtual). In support of U.S. Northern Command's Arctic mission, please consider joining Lt General David Krumm, USAF, Commander Alaska Command, Alaska NORAD Region and 11th Air Force and a host of Defense and Security Leaders for Arctic Senior Leader Summit 2021 (ASLS 21) 10-11 March 2021.  This event is oriented to addressing senior leader strategic views on the developing range of security and defense matters affecting the Arctic region.  Due to the on-going complications of in-person meetings as a result of COVID 19, Arctic Senior Summit 2021 will be conducted via video conference.  Day 1 of ASLS 2021 is focused on plenary presentations and follow-on strategic discussions.  Day 2 ASLS 2021 is a planned tabletop exercise.  Further details and registration to be provided soon via ASLS 21 planning team at the Arctic Domain Awareness Center.  Please see:  https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Events for more details or email ADAC center leadership at https://arcticdomainawarenesscenter.org/Team.

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.

One Health, One Future, April 6-11, 2021 (virtual). This is expected to be the largest circumpolar One Health conference held in the United States in 2021, with participation anticipated from across the Arctic region. The event is part of the United States contribution to One Arctic, One Health, an Arctic Council project now in its sixth year of operation.  The project aims to develop a circumpolar network of One Health experts that can share knowledge, conduct exercises, and spur collaborative investigations of One Health phenomena.

Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Webinar Five, 1:00 pm UTC on April 7, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on Theme 4: Strengthen: capacity building; education; networking; resilience-prepare the next generation. For more information on ASM3, see here.

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.

3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, May 8-9, 2021 (Toyko, Japan). The Japanese and Icelandic organizers of this ministerial continue to plan for an in-person ministerial, in Tokyo, but have moved the dates from November 21-22, 2020 to May 8-9, 2021 because of Covid-19. Since the last Arctic Science Ministerial in 2018, changes in the Arctic ecosystem and the resulting impacts locally and globally have been severely felt. 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. ASM3 will be co-hosted by Iceland and Japan.
 
 
Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3): Closing Webinar, 1:00 pm UTC on June 9, 2021 (virtual). This meeting is part of the ASM3 webinar series and will focus on the post-ministerial review: joint statement actions. For more information on ASM3, see here.
 
2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost/ 19th International Conference Cold Regions Engineering, July 11-16, 2021 (Boulder, Colorado USA). For the first time a Regional Conference on Permafrost will be combined with the bi-annual 19th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering. This conference is hosted by the US Permafrost Association, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the International Permafrost Association, the Permafrost Young Researchers Network, and the University of Colorado Boulder. A complete list of planned sessions is available here.

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