Every time severe winter weather strikes the United States or Europe, reporters are fond of saying that global warming may be to blame. The paradox goes like this: As Arctic sea ice melts and the polar atmosphere warms, the swirling winds that confine cold Arctic air weaken, letting it spill farther south. But this idea, popularized a decade ago, has long faced skepticism from many atmospheric scientists, who found the proposed linkage unconvincing and saw little evidence of it in simulations of the climate.

Bodybuilding tourniquets and cocoa bean supplements could find their way into soldier toolkits as the Army looks for ways to keep troops warm in the Arctic, where the service expects more forces to be headed in the coming years. “As an increasing number of Soldiers pour into the Arctic, it’s important that Army scientists ensure that Soldiers will have the biomedical solutions needed to fight and win in the frigid temperatures,” the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine said in a recent statement.

Experts from Russia jointly with specialists from Norway, Germany, India and the US will participate in the URSA MAJOR project, which focuses on training specialists in "smart" management of Arctic cities and villages for their sustainable development in harmony with the environment, the Tyumen State University’s press service said on Wednesday.

Researchers found that a broader diversity of plants in the Arctic 40,000 years ago supported both more -- and more diverse -- big animals like horses, bison, and ground sloths. The research could inform conservation of wood bison in Alaska.

The Atlantic Council announced today that Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, commissioner at the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC), has joined the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center as a distinguished fellow. Nesheiwat, who previously served as White House homeland security advisor for President Trump, brings a wealth of knowledge on state and federal policy and national security affairs. Her extensive professional background also includes serving as a US army combat veteran, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Energy under President Obama, chief of staff for policy in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence during the Bush Administration, and the State of Florida’s chief resilience officer.

Arctic climate change poses serious threats to polar bears (Ursus maritimus) as reduced sea ice makes seal prey inaccessible and marine ecosystems undergo bottom‐up reorganization. Polar bears’ elongated skulls and reduced molar dentition, as compared to their sister species the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), are adaptations associated with hunting seals on sea ice and a soft, lipid‐rich diet of blubber and meat. With significant declines in sea ice, it is unclear if and how polar bears may be altering their diets. Clarifying polar bear dietary responses to changing climates, both today and in the past, is critical to proper conservation and management of this apex predator. This is particularly important when a dietary strategy may be maladaptive. Here, we test the hypothesis that hard‐food consumption (i.e., less preferred foods including bone), inferred from dental microwear texture analysis, increased with Arctic warming. We find that polar bears demonstrate a conserved absence of hard‐object feeding in Alaska through time (including approximately 1000 years ago), until the 21st century, consistent with a highly conserved and specialized diet of soft blubber and flesh.

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) has released a draft of the Arctic Research Plan 2022-2026 for public review in the Federal Register. The comment period will close on June 11, 2021. The draft plan addresses the most pressing Arctic research needs that require a collaborative approach and that can advance understanding of the Arctic, inform policy and planning decisions, and promote the well-being of Arctic and global communities. Download the plan and learn how to comment at iarpccollaborations.org/draft-plan.html

Please join us for the virtual launch event on the Pan-Arctic Report on Gender Equality in the Arctic, hosted by the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute with The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Iceland, The Icelandic Arctic Council Chairmanship, the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, the Stefansson Arctic Institute, the Directorate of Equality in Iceland, and the Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth.

Audience members will get a fast-forward to understanding new findings and key trends in climate-driven environmental and social changes in the Arctic. This session will focus on recent findings on how climate change is impacting the environment, societies and biodiversity, and present expert recommendations on how Arctic States can reduce emissions of black carbon. Specific topics will include: recent findings on climate change in the Arctic; impacts of climate change on societies and extreme events; what’s happening with Arctic biodiversity, and global implications; action on black carbon and methane – how Arctic nations are taking action and recommendations for the future; and emerging issues including wildland fires.

Access to the Arctic Ocean is changing quickly as sea ice extent reduces and thins – enabling longer seasons of ship navigation and new access to previously difficult to reach regions. This briefing will take stock of the increase of Arctic shipping over the past years, and associated risks like oil spills and search and rescue incidents. It will look at how the Council contributes to safeguarding the marine environment and enables safe and sustainable shipping in Arctic waters. Specific topics will include: the current status of Arctic shipping; insights on marine emergency response; Arctic marine tourism; and emerging issues.

IARPC has released a draft of the next five-year Arctic Research Plan, which will span from 2022-2026. We are now asking the public to comment on the draft plan by June 11, 2021. To provide additional information about the draft plan contents and development, we are hosting a series of one-hour information sessions. A webinar May 17, 10am AKT / 2pm PT will focus on Priority Area 4: Risk Management and Hazard Mitigation.

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.

This briefing will shed light on how climate change, pollutants and lifestyles impact human health in the Arctic. It will also overview newly evaluated risks for radiation exposure and how radiation can impact human health. Attendees will hear how the Council is tackling emerging issues like Covid-19, future pandemics and black carbon health effects. Specific topics will include: how Arctic lifestyles, diets and pollution exposure impacts human health; short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs) and human health; radiation risks and health impacts; mental health and suicide prevention; and, emerging issues, including Covid-19.

This briefing explores what the world has to learn from the Arctic and presents innovative case studies of what we can learn from Indigenous peoples’ Traditional Knowledge and Local Knowledge, how we can tap into the full potential of Arctic economies and how Arctic communities initiate energy transitions. Specific topics will include: building sustainable economies; mainstreaming biodiversity in the mining sector; cleaning up communities in the Arctic; and emerging issues and energy initiatives.

Twenty years ago, the Arctic was more resilient than now as sea ice was three times thicker than today and provided a buffer against the influence of short-term climate fluctuations. The recent decade has seen an increase in Arctic extreme events in climate and ecosystems including events beyond previous records. Such new extremes include Greenland ice mass loss, sea ice as thin and more mobile, coastal erosion, springtime snow loss, permafrost thaw, wildfires, and bottom-to-top ecosystem reorganizations. While their numbers increase, the distribution of the type, location, and timing of extreme events are less predictable. 

The Arctic Council hosts its Ministerial Meeting in Reykjavik. The event will be lived-streamed. A link to the live stream will be available soon.

This event is hosted by Migration in Harmony Research Coordination Network. In 2021, a coalition of organizations including The Arctic Institute, Women in Polar Sciences, and Women of the Arctic are organizing a webinar series, Breaking the Ice Ceiling, that aims to illuminate polar research and achievements (past and present) by those who identify as women and to foster discussion on systemic change in polar sciences (Indigenous, natural, and social sciences) to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this webinar, you will learn from Director Romani Makkik and Producer Dr. Shari Fox about strengths-based research and transforming the research process through critical reflection and new expression.

ADAC will conduct the Center's Program Year 7 Annual meeting to focus on U.S. Coast Guard Project Champions, key stakeholders and the community of Arctic science and technology researchers. Included in the Program Year 7 Annual meeting are planned guest speakers from HQ U.S. Coast Guard, DHS S&T and senior Arctic Research leadership in Washington D.C.

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.

Organizers announce, that due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 2nd Symposium on Polar Microbes and Viruses has been postponed to 2022. 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.