New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) suggests an hour of hiking with hunting gear may be enough to help control blood glucose levels in Arctic Inuit with a "faulty" copy of the TBC1D4 gene, which increases their risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings, made by scientists in Denmark and Greenland, open the door to lifestyle precision medicine for the population, with the potential to help thousands across the Arctic region.

On 23, April a side event “Arctic 2050: Mapping the Future of the Arctic” took place as part of the High North Dialogue Conference in Bodo. The event featured policy-makers, businesses, NGOs and academic speakers discussing opportunities for the sustainable future of Arctic development. Future scenarios report “Arctic 2050” co-written by Nord University and Skolkovo School of Management served as a basis for discussion. Four scenarios of the Arctic development represent road marking that is meant for guiding, supporting decision making and fostering dialogue between stakeholders. Scenarios incorporate social, economic and environmental dimensions.

The period looked at was between 2000 and 2019. The loss of glacier mass during this period also accounted for 21 per cent of the observed sea-level rise, the authors said. The study, “Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century” was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Glacier mass loss has been accelerating by about 50 billion tons annually each decade since 2000, the study found.

In August 2016 a massive storm on par with a Category 2 hurricane churned in the Arctic Ocean. The cyclone led to the third-lowest sea ice extent ever recorded. But what made the Great Arctic Cyclone of 2016 particularly appealing to scientists was the proximity of the Korean icebreaker Araon. For the first time ever, scientists were able to see exactly what happens to the ocean and sea ice when a cyclone hits. University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers and their international colleagues recently published a new study showing that sea ice declined 5.7 times faster than normal during the storm. They were also able to prove that the rapid decline was driven by cyclone-triggered processes within the ocean.

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

This event is hosted by the Arctic Domain Awareness Center. This workshop will be an assessment of the future maritime transportation system of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort sea regions.

Free webinar on Women Communicating Arctic Science: Gender in Transdisciplinary Research. In this webinar, you will hear from Dr. Alexandra Middleton about Arctic science communicated by women, the heart and sense dilemma, and Dr. Amy Lauren Lovecraft about whether gender matters in transdisciplinary Arctic research.

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS), the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) Collaborations, and University of California, Irvine host a virtual Arctic Research Funders Meet and Greet networking event. The Arctic Research Funders Meet and Greet will provide an informal opportunity for Arctic researchers to connect with multiple agency program officers to gain insight into each organization’s Arctic research interests. The event has been planned using a “speed networking” format that will allow representatives from each funding organization to meet with small groups of up to 10 people for approximately 10-15 minutes at a time. Researchers will be invited to move between breakout rooms hosted by agency staff in a round-robin small group format.

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.

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.

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.