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Today's C
ongressional Action:
The House will consider non-Arctic legislation. The Senate is expected to consider a motion to proceed on H.R. 5293, the Department of Defense Appropriations bill.
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Media
Populations on the Rise in Alaska Villages Threatened by Erosion, Changing Climate. Some Alaska villages perched on thawing and eroding permafrost may have to move soon to more solid ground inland, a daunting prospect. So will residents, on their own, abandon their threatened communities and avoid the need to pay for such costly community relocations? Probably not, experts say.
Alaska Dispatch News
 June Sees Another Record Low for Arctic Sea Ice. The month of June marked another record low for Arctic sea ice extent - that's despite a slower than normal rate of ice melt in the first half of the month. The U.S.-based National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that Arctic sea ice averaged about 10.6 million square kilometers in June, the lowest for that month in its satellite record, which dates back to 1979.
Nunatsiaq Online
Mapping Project Preps Barrow for Coastal Change. The storms that have wreaked havoc on the coastline combined with thawing permafrost mean Barrow and the North Slope could look very different in coming years. "Moving forward and planning out the next 20 or 30 years, understanding erosion rates and thinking about either building some fortification on the beach or starting to move the community inland are big questions that we're going to need to answer," said Lars Nelson, general manager for the Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp. lands department.
The Arctic Sounder
Whooping Cough Spreads to Third Nunavut Community. A case of whooping cough has been confirmed in a third Nunavut community, government health officials said July 7. An outbreak of the highly-contagious bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, first hit Pond Inlet in May, infecting as many as 18 residents.
Nunatsiaq Online
 Coast Guard Steps Up Rescue Training as Ship Traffic Grows in Increasingly Ice-Free Arctic. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mike McAllister had to hit the ground running last month when he assumed command of Alaska-area District 17 in order to take over planning for a large field-training exercise to be held in Alaska next month called Arctic Chinook. The exercise is intended to prepare the Coast Guard and other federal, tribal, state and local agencies to jointly respond in case a cruise ship runs into trouble in waters off Alaska.
"We'll practice our collective response to what we call a mass-rescue operation - getting people safely off of a cruise ship - along the western coast of Alaska," McAllister said.
KUAC
New Lab to Monitor the Environment in the Nenets Autonomous Area. The Nenets Autonomous Area government services website reports that an accredited expert laboratory to monitor the environment has opened. The laboratory will also support regional environmental oversight at the autonomous area's Center for the Use of Nature and Environmental Protection.
The Arctic
 [Opinion] Arctic Ocean Lease Sales Can Threaten Food Security of Alaska Native Communities. To most Americans, the Arctic Ocean is a remote and unseen place-a place that exists only in their imaginations. But in my community of Kotzebue, the Arctic is just outside the front door. The Arctic is our reality. We depend on a healthy environment to feed our families, and to sustain our culture and our subsistence way of life. A major oil spill in the Arctic Ocean would devastate the way of life we've known for 10,000 years.
The Hill
China's Research Team Departs for 7th Arctic Expedition. "Xuelong" (Snow Dragon), China's research vessel, left a Shanghai port on Monday for the Arctic, the country's seventh expedition to the polar region. Xia Limin, from the State Oceanic Administration, said that scientists will undertake research on marine chemistry, ecology, geology, geophysics and sea ice dynamics.
CRIENGLISH
P
odcast: Does Anybody Even Care About the Arctic Anymore? Take a look at this picture. What do you feel? Not enough, according to Slate meteorologist Eric Holthaus and co. on this week's episode of the new climate change
podcast
Warm Regards
. The problem is, we've been hit over the head one too many times with sob stories about the plight of the Arctic. Polar bears just don't do it for us anymore. We're desensitized; we no longer feel. But no matter what our feelings on it, the Arctic is still in danger-and the Arctic impacts us all. That's why this week's episode is dedicated to reacquainting you with the state of our northernmost polar region.
Smithsonian Magazine
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.
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Future Events
TOW Arctic Broadband Summit, July 13, 2016 (Barrow, Alaska, USA).
 The Arctic Economic Council, the Iñuit Arctic Business Alliance and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation will host this event. Summit topics include the challenges of connectivity; the government's role in, and commitment to,
broadband development; and, private investment opportunities. Policy leaders, regulators, other government officials, along with industry experts and executives have been invited to present and attend.
** New this week**
ARCTIC ALERTS 2016, July 13, 2016 (Washington, DC).
T
he Study of Environmental Arctic
Change (SEARCH) announces a National Press Club media roundtable (1:00-
3:00 pm) in which
Arctic researchers will outline the unprecedented changes taking place in the Arctic environment and the local and global consequences. Five brief presentations by scientific experts will be followed by q
uestions and discussion with journalists.
This event will not be webcast nor accessible other than by in-person attendance. If non-journalists would like to attend
(in listen-only mode please), contact Brendan Kelly
(
[email protected]),
as space is
limited.
** New this week **
Hickel Day of the Arctic- Northern Forum, July 26, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA).
To celebrate our annual "Day of the Arctic," the Institute of the North has organized a special luncheon featuring speakers from the Northern Forum, an intergovernmental, subnational platform for advancing sustainable development in the Arctic. Speakers include: Mr. Byron Mallott, Lieutenant Governor, State of Alaska; Mr. Yuri Zakharinsky, Vice-Governor of Krasnoyarsky Krai, Chair of the RCC; Mr. Alexander Mazharov, Vice-Governor of Yamalo-Nenetsky Autonomous Okrug; Mr. Alexander Zhirkov, Speaker of the Parliament of Sakha Republic; Mr. Leonid Nikolaev, First Vice-Governor of Chukotsky Autonomous Okrug.
Hosted by Saint Petersburg State University, the UArctic Congress 2016 will feature Science and Meeting sections, including:
- Acclaimed keynote speakers and scientific experts presenting their latest research.
- Parallel sessions on an array of Arctic science, policy, and education topics.
- Formal meetings for representatives of the Council of UArctic and UArctic Rectors' Forum.
- Pre-Meetings to foster contacts and enhance networking.
- Opportunities for promoting and marketing your organization and activities.
- A UArctic Student Forum with workshops.
- A Cultural and Social program like no other.
The 2016 UArctic Rectors' Forum and the 19th annual meeting of the Council of UArctic form an integral part of the congress.
Conference on Water Innovations for Healthy Arctic Homes: September 18-21, 2016, Anchorage, Alaska. This circumpolar conference will bring together engineers, health experts, researchers, community members, policymakers, and innovators to discuss health benefits, challenges and innovations associated with making running water and sewer in remote northern communities safe, affordable and sustainable. Information and an expression of interest in attending can be found
here. (The full link is:
http://wihah2016.com/)
13th International Conference on Gas in Marine Sediments: September 19-22, 2016 (Tromso, Norway).
GIMS 13
promotes the study of natural gas and release systems on a global scale and
facilitates interdisciplinary and international cooperation. The conference
intends to bring together geologists, biologists, microbiologist, geophysicists, oceanographers, geochemists and scientists from modeling disciplines. The forum will provide a platform for current knowledge and future programs in gas inventories, fluxes and their role within the carbon cycle and biodiversity. Conference is organized by CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate at UiT The
Arctic University of Norway. Abstract submission deadline is May 30th and registration deadline is June 20th. For more information:
http://gims13.uit.no
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Virginia, USA).
The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.
Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia).
The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
Arctic Ambitions V: International Business Conference & Trade Show, October 4-5, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). This once-a-year event uniquely focuses on business and investment opportunities flowing from developments in the Arctic. With interest in commercial development in the Arctic growing rapidly, WTC Anchorage initiated the Arctic Ambitions conference five years ago to address issues such as innovation, investment, infrastructure development, transportation, natural resources, and trade. At the event, corporate executives and senior government officials from across the Arctic, and around the world, make presentations and participate in panel discussions. This year's conference also includes a Trade Show and B2B Matchmaking Session. For more information, please contact Greg Wolf (
[email protected]) or call
907-278-7233.
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.
Arctic Technology Conference, October 24-26, 2016 (St. John's, Canada). Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the world's foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection. The Arctic Technology Conference (ATC) is built upon OTC's successful multidisciplinary approach, with 14 technical societies and organizations working together to deliver the world's most comprehensive Arctic event.
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External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site (
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