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July 13, 2016

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.
 
  ARCTIC ALERTS 2016, July 13, 2016 (Washington, DC). The 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 questions 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.

ICEBERGS: Late Night, July 13, 2017 (Washington, DC USA). Go Under the Surface to explore the inspiration, design and construction behind ICEBERGS, a new exbit at the National Building Museum. Hang out in the "Chill Zone" and talk with museum staff and polar scientists and researchers. Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette and Deanna Wheeler will be on hand from ARCUS to share their research and stories from the icy field. Scientists Tom Neumann and Valerie Casasanto, from NASA Goddard, will share the cutting edge technology in use to measure sea ice and monitor changes in the polar landscape.

Today's C ongressional Action:   
The House is expected to consider HR 5538, the Department of Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, and non-Arctic legislation. The Senate will resume consideration of S 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.

Media   

Young Questions How the US Will Manage Without An Icebreaker. Lawmakers arrived at few answers Tuesday in a push to figure out what the U.S. Coast Guard plans to do when its dwindling fleet of icebreakers are reduced to none. Despite bipartisan support for building a new, $1 billion heavy-duty icebreaker for the Arctic, it is unlikely that the remaining heavy-duty icebreaker, the Polar Star, will still be in action by the time a new vessel is built, Alaska Rep. Don Young said Tuesday in a House subcommittee hearing on the Coast Guard's Arctic readiness. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Researcher Says Nunavut and Siberia, Once Neighbors, Share Geology. Imagine a huge volcanic event which punches molten magma and all kinds of gases and liquids through the Earth's crust for such an extended period of time that lava eventually covers the entire country of Canada to a depth of seven kilometers. That actually happened millions of years ago - and happened repeatedly, to varying degrees and sizes and in different locations, every 20 or 30 million years or so, says Carleton University geologist Richard Ernst. Nunatsiaq Online

Toward Arctic Futures. Twenty years since the signing of the Ottawa Declaration, formally launching the Arctic Council, the U.S. has reached the mid-point of its second rotation as chair of the Arctic Council. Momentous as the founding of the Arctic Council was at the time, after years of hard negotiations the event received little recognition. After the Cold War, the Arctic region barely resonated with politicians or media. Now, two decades later, the Arctic Council and the Arctic region have gained a considerably higher degree of recognition-albeit with limited attention to many of the complexities of Arctic issues. World Policy Blog
 
Arctic Fishery Meeting Makes Progress, But No Agreement Yet. An international meeting on the future of commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean made "good progress," but did not reach a final agreement last week. Canada hosted the three-day, closed-door meeting July 6 to July 8 in Iqaluit. This was the third round of negotiations towards a potential agreement that would regulate commercial fishing in the high seas - an expanse of more than two and half million square kilometers. Nunatsiaq Online

Chinese Research Facility on Icelandic Farmland.  A Chinese research facility is being constructed by the farm Kárhóll in South-Þingeyjarsýsla county, North Iceland, according to  Vísir The Polar Research Institute of China plans to use the facility to research the northern lights, in cooperation with Icelandic research institutions.   Iceland Review Online
 
Arkhangelsk Region to Host Arctic Maritime Operations Control Center. 
The Arkhangelsk Region is planned as a location for an Arctic maritime operations control center, TASS reports, citing the local government. The project is being implemented by Oboronlogistika, a defense ministry company. "Next week, the company will register its branch in the Arkhangelsk Region, which will be later transformed into an Arctic maritime operations control center," a government report says. The Arctic
 
Alaska's Shorebirds Exposed to Mercury. Shorebirds breeding in Alaska are being exposed to mercury at levels that could put their populations at risk, according to new research from The Condor: Ornithological Applications. Thanks to 
atmospheric circulation  and other factors, the mercury that we deposit into the environment tends to accumulate in the Arctic. Mercury exposure can reduce birds'
reproductive success  and sometimes even be lethal. Shorebirds may be particularly vulnerable because they forage in aquatic environments  where mercury is converted into methylmercury, its most dangerous form. Marie Perkins of the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and her colleagues investigated the level of mercury in Alaska's shorebirds  and found that some birds breeding near Barrow, at the state's northern end, have mercury concentrations upwards of two micrograms per gram of blood. Phys.Org

Legislative Action futureevents   

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events
    
A Collaboration with Rural Alaskans: The Driftwood Harvest in a Changing Climate, July 19, 2016 (Webinar). As part of the OneNOAA Science Seminar Series, ACCAP Climate Webinar will sponsor this event. The webinar will consider a study that examined flood events in the Yukon River with the goal of understanding how actual or perceived changes in driftwood availability are related to river hydrology and how future changes in hydrology may affect the driftwood harvest.

** 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.

Converging Interests: Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS16), October 27-28, 2016 (Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada). MASS16 will once again focus on the challenges associated with both northern and maritime environments. The aim of the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador supported international conference is to promote stakeholder collaboration, technological innovation, harsh environment research & development, and world-class education efforts that are contributing to various components of northern development. 
 
The 5th Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) project School and Meeting, November 1-4, 2016 (Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA).The major goals of the meeting are to discuss results of ongoing FAMOS activities, and to plan 2016-2017 coordinated modeling and observing projects, with a special focus on high and very high spatiotemporal resolution processes. You can register here.
 
 

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