Climate scientists, policy experts and environmental justice advocates on Monday announced a major project to better understand the contribution of thawing permafrost to global warming and to help Arctic communities cope with its effects. Led by the Massachusetts-based Woodwell Climate Research Center, the 6-year, $41 million project will fill in gaps in monitoring across the Arctic of greenhouse gas emissions from thawing permafrost, currently a source of uncertainty in climate models.

The North Atlantic with Iceland and northern Norway are critical communication links between North America and Europe in times of war. This winter, one NATO exercise has followed the other. The Norwegian-led Cold Response was followed by the Iceland-hosted, U.S. Sixth Feet-led Northern Viking. Now, the largest warship that participated outside Keflavik last week sails into the waters of northern Norway with the U.S. 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, forces consisting of amphibious vessels, aircraft, helicopters, multi-role attack ships, logistics and a command unit.

The recent amplified warming in the Arctic during the last decades has received much attention. But how Arctic amplification (AA) has varied on longer time scales and what drives these variations remain unclear. Recently, a study has provided a new perspective on the AA effect during the past millennium based on the best available paleoclimate data and novel data assimilation methods.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has started testing wildlife for Covid-19. It is part of a partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists want to make sure a new variant does not emerge in animals and then infect people. But Kimberlee Beckmen, a wildlife health veterinarian for Fish and Game, says to KTOO not to worry too much about getting Covid-19 from an animal.

By Alex Whiting, Donna Hauser, Ph.D, and the Native Village of Kotzebue Elders Ikaaġvik Sikukun —Iñupiaq for ice bridges— is a research effort in Kotzebue, Alaska that connects the community with scientists to understand sea ice change in Kotzebue Sound. Under guidance from an advisory council of Elders, the project uses state-of-the-art observing techniques including unmanned aerial systems —commonly known as drones— to answer questions related to sea ice, ocean physics and marine mammal biology.

The 14th annual Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference (WAISC) aims to bring together local and Indigenous knowledge of subsistence–based communities and other scientific research relevant to Western Alaska, including economic, ecological, social, and health issues important to rural communities. This year’s conference focuses on adapting connections for the communication of knowledge, science, and experiences.

An interactive webinar on how bioregioning can help transform systems for healthy and equitable communities and environments. This event is hosted by SustainaMetrix, UNE North, and UArctic.

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 Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies with additional support from the Arctic Domain Awareness Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) as guided from Alaskan Command (ALCOM) Staff and Commander. In-person participation is per invitation, but virtual participation is open to all. AAS22 starts the morning of 3 May 2022 at the Dena'ina Center downtown Anchorage and virtually at 8 AM Alaska Daylight Time. Please see the link for more details.

The 2022 theme, Pathways, reflects the choices the Arctic is facing when addressing pressing global challenges. The urgency for action will be discussed in terms of pathways to economic development, sustainability, climate action, security, stability, and respect for science in decision-making. The scale spans from national to global policies, from corporate strategies to regional actions and indigenous perspectives, emphasizing the need for broad stakeholder engagement and partnership.

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.

Organizers: Dr. Eeva Eronen-Rasimus (University of Helsinki) and Dr. Eric Collins (University of Manitoba & University of Alaska Fairbanks)

The 2022 edition of its International Online Conference is hosted by the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS). The conference contains five sessions drawing on multiple disciplines from the social to the natural sciences: Voices from Alpine and Polar regions; Bridging knowledge from Polar ocean beneficiaries; Polar regions in motion; Methods and ethics in polar research; and Advances in cryospheric sciences.

This event is hosted by The Arctic Institute (TAI). This event will include topics on: cultural security, economic security, energy security, environmental security, food security, health security, military security, and political security.

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.