As the Arctic research community transitions to the 2022-2026 Arctic Research Plan, IARPC is reflecting on the achievements of the previous five years. In a three-part webinar series, researchers and community members engaged in Arctic research will present on highlights of their work in observations, human-applied science, and modeling. On January 31, 9am AKT / 1pm ET, please join IARPC for a webinar focused on recent accomplishments in observations. Pam Sousanes, National Park Service, will speak on the Park Service's weather and monitoring program within Alaska. Dr. Sandy Starkweather, NOAA/US AON, will share highlights of the U.S. Arctic Observing Network. Dr. Jackie Grebmeier, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, will speak with agency representatives about the Distributed Biological Observatory and the rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic that saved the long-standing time series.

Dozens of polar bears have been making themselves at home in abandoned buildings on an Arctic island, and a Russian photographer recently captured remarkable photos of the bears peering through windows and standing on porches.

When the beavers came to streams near the Alaskan village of Venetie, the fish disappeared. For generations, the Gwichʼin people of the tiny Arctic village depended on the bounty of white fish pulled from Martin Creek. 

Sara Bogard halted her dog as the two began descending the cliff down to Manchester Beach, along the Mendocino coast. Below, scores of dead and dying birds littered the beach as far as she could see. “The smell hit me first,” said Bogard, describing the musty odor of northern fulmars scattered along the beach that mid-December morning. The smell, she recalled, was “kind of like a grandmother’s closet.”

A small team of tactical air control party Airmen assigned to the 1st Air Support Operations Group conducted command and control operations near remote Utqiagvik and Point Barrow, Alaska, on the coast of the Arctic Ocean in support of Exercise Polar Quake, Jan. 10-14. The exercise was designed to test the capabilities and limitations of current TACP training and equipment in an austere Arctic environment.

Thawing permafrost in the Arctic could be emitting greenhouse gasses from previously unaccounted-for carbon stocks, fueling global warming. That is the result of a study conducted by a team of geologists led by Professor Dr. Janet Rethemeyer at the University of Cologne's Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, together with colleagues from the University of Hamburg and the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam—GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences.

Responsible walrus management relies on an accurate estimate of the walrus population. When grouped together on remote beach haulouts, counting is easier and more accurate than when walruses are at sea. Tony will discuss the use of new technologies, including satellite imagery and drone footage, to better understand the status of the walrus population. This event is part of the Strait Science Series by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://tinyurl.com/2p8v5pab

Meeting ID: 845 5673 4008, Passcode: 507296

Or call: 1- 253-215-8782 US

Tony Fischbach is a wildlife biologist with the USGS Alaska Science Center and has worked on walrus issues in the Bering Strait region.

Arctic360 will host this event with guest from sectors including Indigenous, private sector, and political leaders across Canada. The 2022 conference theme: ‘WHERE INFRASTRUCTURE MEETS DIPLOMACY’ focuses on strengthening partnership to help build green, connected, smart, and climate resilient transportation infrastructure to foster local economic growth and well-being at home and connect the region to domestic and international markets. Turning potential into reality requires vision, planning, political cooperation, and the Public-Private-Indigenous Partnerships that are necessary for success. The path towards 21st century Arctic transportation infrastructure is where ‘Infrastructure Investment Meets Diplomacy.’

Join us on April 7th and 8th in Anchorage, Alaska at the Denai’na Convention Center and the Anchorage Museum for Arctic Encounter Anchorage 2022. As the largest Arctic policy and business conference in the United States, with partners and convenings across the globe, the Arctic Encounter brings together thousands of Arctic leaders and voices from around the world. Following two years of cancellation due to COVID-19, the Arctic Encounter is eager to welcome participants to Alaska for a world-class arts and cultural experience, including dialogue and presentations with elected and international leaders, business executives, indigenous peoples, scientists, and more. Visit ArcticEncounter.com to learn more and to subscribe to receive the most up-to-date information as speakers, partners, exhibitors, and more are announced.

The participants in the forum will focus on improving the living standards in the Arctic region, preserving its unique ecological potential, ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development in polar territories, and strengthening international cooperation to this end. The IAF is a unique space for constructive cooperation with international and regional organizations and an opportunity to focus on Russian and international priorities, including climate change, the environment, economic cooperation in the Arctic, sustainable development of transport infrastructure, and human capital development.

Arctic Symposium 2022 continues momentum in Arctic defense and security collaboration established in prior ALCOM-hosted events. AAS22 seeks to address the challenges faced by the U.S. military and our allies and partners in understanding and responding to our respective national interests. AAS22 is planned and organized by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) in support and in compliance to guidance from Alaskan Command (ALCOM) Staff and Commander. More information available soon.

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.

The events during the week of August 1st, 2022, will include Enhancing Arctic Science and Engineering Workshop along with Regional Development Tours and forums on the Arctic science to plan for the next 25 years of Arctic research. Participants will include scientists and engineers, Indigenous leaders, Arctic community members, policymakers, government organizations and businesses to celebrate past research success, take stock of current challenges and opportunities and plan for the next generation of collaboration and knowledge co-production that will keep Utqiagvik and Indigenous knowledge at the forefront of Arctic science and contribute to a safe and sustainable future for

the Arctic.