The project to expand and deepen a key port in Arctic Alaska will get a $250 million boost in federal funding from recently passed U.S. infrastructure legislation, officials announced Wednesday. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed in November 2021, will now include funding for four additional projects in Alaska, including the port in Nome. “Being able to build out this expansion — to really be able to classify Nome as a deepwater port — is incredibly significant,” Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, told ArcticToday.

As the Arctic warms four times faster than the global average, Europe’s only indigenous population is under threat. For centuries, the Sámi people have herded reindeer throughout northern Europe. Now, warmer winters are turning the snow the reindeer dig through to find food into ice, blocking their only source of sustenance. In the last two years, 10,000 reindeer died. If this winter is bad, herders fear up to half the herd could be lost. This video contains graphic footage some may find distressing.

It’s early August and the research vessel Barba sails at 80 degrees north along the coastline of Svalbard. The endless Arctic sun lies low on the horizon, the ocean is calm, and the temperate a mild 5 degrees. The team aboard are just 12 hours south of the pack ice surrounding the North Pole, and underway on their circumnavigation of the archipelago as part of the Arctic Sense 2021 Expedition. It’s approaching midnight when Barba’s captain, Norwegian marine biologist Andreas B. Heide, receives word that there may be blue whales in the area.

Tintinnids are planktonic ciliates with loricae around their body. They are considered bioindicators of various oceanographic conditions. The Arctic Ocean is one of the most sensitive regions to global warming. It contains complex water masses with unique hydrographic features and zooplankton communities.

Sea ice predictions have improved markedly since the founding of an international forecasting and monitoring network 14 years ago. “These forecasts are quite encouraging in their increasing accuracy,” said Uma Bhatt, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute. Bhatt spoke about the Sea Ice Prediction Network at the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting last month.

World Wildlife Fund and the Alaska Ocean Observing System are pleased to host the next in a series of conversations between Russian and Alaskan colleagues studying and observing fisheries in the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea, and Arctic Ocean. The goal will be to stimulate broader discussions about the need for more collaboration and identify opportunities to strengthen research and exchange of observations across the border. Simultaneous English-Russian interpretation will be provided.

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.

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.