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** New this week ** Annual Meeting: 48th Annual Meeting of the Alaska Anthropological Association, March 1-5, 2021 (virtual). The Alaska Anthropological Association will be holding its 48th Annual Meeting. The theme of this year's conference is Fostering a Culture of Equity through the Removal of Boundaries. The virtual format of the conference affords the opportunity to offer both research-driven presentations as well as social events that encourage conversations and connections. The boundary-less conference format also offers a significant opportunity to better serve underrepresented communities as well as colleagues from all over the world.
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Media
 Arctic Animals Get Top-Notch Care at This World-Renowned Animal Hospital. The animal care team at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy in Winnipeg are world-class experts on Arctic animals. They specialize in caring for Canadian Arctic species and researching, protecting and sometimes rescuing these animals from life-threatening situations in the wild. They are also the focus of the new CBC Television series Arctic Vets. "I find them really engaging," says Dr. Chris Enright, director of animal welfare and veterinary services, of Arctic animals. "They're so emblematic of the Canadian landscape. CBC News
In the Atlantic Ocean, Subtle Shifts Hint at Dramatic Dangers. WHY DID THE AMOC shut down? A leading theory is that meltwater from retreating glaciers emptied into the North Atlantic or Arctic oceans. Freshwater is lighter than saltwater, and the sudden influx of more buoyant water could have impeded the sinking of denser, saltier water - that critical "overturning" phase of the AMOC. Today we don't have massive glacial lakes threatening to disgorge into the North Atlantic. But we do have the Greenland ice sheet, which is melting at the upper end of projections, or about six times faster than in the 1990s. And according to one study, the subpolar North Atlantic recently became less salty than at any time in the past 120 years. New York Times
 APIA to Address Food Insecurity in Aleutian and Pribilof Communities Through New Federal Grant. The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA) is working to address food insecurity in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands through a two-year grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "We will be working with tribes, as partners, and trying to better understand local food systems in the region and begin planning and designing a regional food system," said Suanne Unger, the Wellness Program Coordinator at the regional nonprofit tribal organization's Anchorage office. KUCB
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Future Events
** New this week ** Permafrost Carbon Feedback (PCF) Intervention Roadmap Dialogues: Why Permafrost Carbon Matters, 10:00 am PST on March 4, 2021 (virtual). Northern and high-elevation permafrost are estimated to contain twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. With climate change accelerating permafrost thaw, that carbon is increasingly being released, causing a feedback loop that will promote even further warming. This dialogue will explore the scale and implications of permafrost thaw, explain why it must be mitigated and describe how the Precautionary Principle applies. It will also canvas the ethical and moral imperatives of engaging Indigenous and other Northern residents who are directly affected by thaw and, potentially, by mitigation efforts.
 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.
** New this week ** Climate Security Risks in the Arctic, 12:30 pm EST on March 12, 2021 (virtual). Climate change is rapidly changing the Arctic at the same time that security tensions are heightened across the region. How will future climate impacts affect the security environment, operations, and infrastructure of the region? How do Arctic nations understand the changing risk landscape? How can Arctic nations move forward on a "low tension, high effort" agenda in the climate era? Join the Polar Institute of the Wilson Center for a high-level discussion on the intersection of climate change and security in the Arctic, and a dialogue on opportunities to manage future security risks in the region. Panelists will build on the findings and recommendations of two new reports: Climate Change and Security in the Arctic; and a Climate Security Plan for Canada.
Simon Stephenson's retirement party. 3:00 to 4:00 EST on March 12, 2021 (virtual). Come celebrate our colleague and friend Simon Stephenson as he retires from federal service. As Section Head for Arctic Sciences at , Simon led international and inter-agency engagement in  support of the broad research goals of the Arctic Sciences Section. He provided the vision and has been the engine behind Collaborations for the past decade. We welcome an opportunity to honor these and his many other contributions to Arctic research. Old friends near and far are invited to share stories, raise a toast, and join in the celebration of Simon who has positively impacted so many.
Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) Conference, March 16-17, 2020 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center's (ADAC) Arctic Challenges, Innovations, and Commerce Expo (Arctic CICE) seeks to explore the networks, resources, and infrastructure needed to enable the commercial entrance of Arctic-related products and technologies into the Arctic domain. This expo will use an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to foster conversations around Arctic-centered business pressure points, state-of-the-Arctic-focused R&D, gap analysis of investment and innovation, and the future of business in the region. Participants will be exposed to the latest hardware, software, and people-ware emerging to advance domain awareness, risk mitigation, exploration, Arctic operations, and overall, Arctic security.
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.
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| | Dr. Lilian Alessa (credit: IDGA) |
the USSOCOM J5 Donovan Strategy and Innovation Group, will host a Disruptive Speaker Series, led by Dr. Lilian "Doc" Alessa, entitled, "A Turmoil of Shadows: The Hidden Facets of Arctic Threats and the Role of USSOCOM in Ensuring Stability." The presentation will address the roles that the SOF Enterprise, as a force multiplier, could be responsible for in the emerging Arctic operational environment. While SOF maintains a standard of being able to operate in any conditions anywhere in the world, the Arctic is emerging as a more nuanced and complex theater. Advancing Collaboration in Canada-US Regional Security II, March 25-26, 2021 (virtual). The Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) and the North American and Arctic Defense and Security Network (NAADSN) will host this event as a follow up meeting on the Advancing Collaboration in Canada-U.S. Arctic Regional Security (ACCUSARS) conference in September 2020.The purpose of ACCUSARS II is to create a subset Strategic Foresight Assessment (SFA) for the North American Arctic, by specifically focusing on Alaska and Western Canada.
 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.
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 (Tokyo, 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.
Department of Homeland Security S&T OUP Centers of Excellence Summit, May 18-21, 2021 (virtual). DHS S&T's Centers of Excellence (COE) Summit is set and focused on Homeland Security Challenges: Evolving Threats & Dynamic Solutions. This event is a special opportunity for COE researchers to connect and network with DHS components, federal, state, and local stakeholders, as well as industry partners to present current and emerging solutions to threats and challenges faced by DHS. Attendees can visit the Innovation Showcase, where COE and vendor partners showcase research breakthroughs, new products and tools to assist operational decision-makers and dynamic solutions to secure our Homeland.
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