Today [Tuesday], Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) delivered the following opening remarks in a hearing to examine the existing and future security threats in the Arctic Region and opportunities for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to effectively respond and address these threats.

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded a $37.5 million grant to boost an Alaska mine project that would produce a mineral deemed critical to electronics and batteries: graphite. The award is to go to Graphite One Inc., a Vancouver-based company seeking to develop a mine about 37 miles north of Nome, the department said on Monday.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the Improving Agriculture, Research, Cultivation, Timber, and Indigenous Commodities (ARCTIC) Act, legislation that will strengthen a variety of Farm Bill provisions to better address needs in Alaska “Over the past year, in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill, my team and I have been working diligently with Alaskan stakeholders to learn more about their concerns, priorities, and goals. Following our hard work and Alaskans’ generous input, I’m proud to unveil the Improving ARCTIC Act, a measure that is truly a win for Alaska in this year’s Farm Bill,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Amid global calls to reduce plastic production, new research shows high amounts of plastic in Arctic Sea ice and sediment. Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury scientist Dr Deonie Allen is part of the international research team that found Arctic algae (Melosira arctica) has 10 times the concentration of plastic particles than surrounding seawater, potentially threatening sea life and exposing the people who reply on marine food in the region to plastics.

A team led by Prof. Wang Wei from the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IBCAS) has unraveled the evolutionary history of the Arctic flora. The study was published in Nature Communications. The Arctic tundra, to the north of the natural tree line, is a relatively young and new type of biome and is particularly sensitive to the effects of global warming. The composition, density, and distribution of Arctic vegetation have been changing as a result of climate warming. Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand how the Arctic flora has been shaped over time.

Last summer, an exceptionally dense and widespread concentration of Alexandrium, a type of harmful algae, occurred in the Bering Strait. This harmful algal “bloom” (HAB) event raises alarms about the marine ecosystem's health and regional food security. Evie Fachon will present. She is a PhD candidate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Her research focuses on harmful algal blooms in the Pacific Arctic. Evie will review the 2022 HAB event as well as ongoing algae monitoring efforts.

Arctic Circle is an international conference on dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic and our planet. It is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, indigenous communities, concerned citizens, and others. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan.

Conference hosts invite researchers, research managers and stakeholders to the fourth Svalbard Science Conference. The conference will focus on achieving excellent science through cooperation; enhancing cooperation and quality within Svalbard research, building and strengthening interdisciplinary and international networks and consolidating Svalbard as an attractive platform for Arctic research. The conference is hosted by The Research Council of Norway, The Norwegian Polar Institute, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, The Norwegian Meteorological Institute and Svalbard Science Forum.

The 6th biennial "Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit" Conference will be held on 14-15 November 2023 in Rovaniemi, Finland, the birthplace of official Arctic cooperation. This international conference, organized by the City of Rovaniemi and the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland, gathers policymakers, academics, and other stakeholders for Arctic discussions. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, changes in Arctic cooperation will be prominently featured in the conference agenda, and will be explored from the point of view of national and international security, and from a regional perspective, including the Barents region.

For more than 100 years AGU has been opening science—opening pathways to discovery, opening greater awareness to address climate change, opening greater collaborations to lead to solutions and opening the fields and professions of science to a whole new age of justice equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. This year, as AGU convenes >25,000 attendees from 100+ countries in San Francisco for AGU23, the theme is: Wide. Open. Science.

The Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS), has been bringing together scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and interested public for thirty years to discuss the latest marine research being conducted in Alaskan waters. Over 700 people attend this 4-day long conference held annually during the month of January.

The Arctic Frontiers annual conference aims to connect different expertise and perspectives from areas such as policy, science, and business. It is an arena for networking and knowledge exchange.

Arctic360’s Annual Event brings together Northern and Indigenous governments, institutions, and corporations; global finance; state leaders; mining, innovation, and other industry leaders; and Arctic experts from Canada and around the circumpolar North to advance the conversation and foster action for building a sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous Arctic region.

The 52nd International Arctic Workshop will be held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The International Arctic Workshop is a friendly, informal, and relaxed conference open to all students and professionals interested in the Arctic. Originally started at INSTAAR at the University of Colorado - Boulder, the Arctic Workshop alternates between INSTAAR and an international host. This year, University of Massachusetts with the department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences & Climate System Research center will be hosting. The event website will be available in August.

Abstract deadline: February 15, 2024

The 7th biennial AOS as part of Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2024. The AOS draws a wide range of participants from across the spectrum of Arctic observing – Indigenous experts, operational agency representatives, scientists, and others – from around the world. Much of the summit is organized around discussions led by working groups on particular themes (Regional to global observing, Data sharing, System implementation/SAON ROADS, Observing System Benefits). In addition to plenary and working group sessions, this year we will include additional breakout sessions. 

This conference is being organized by the Cold Regions Engineering Division (CRED) and supported by the Aerospace Engineering Division (ASD) and the Forensic Engineering Division (FED), of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and will be hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage. 

The conference aims at connecting engineers, academics, and cold regions experts from various disciplines to share their knowledge and experience.  The conference theme is Sustainable and resilient engineering solutions for changing cold regions.

Nordland Research Institute and NORD University host this event. The congress includes high-level plenary sessions, several parallel sessions, network activities, and social and cultural events. Researchers, policymakers, businesses, and students exchange knowledge and connect across the Arctic. IASSA and UArctic will also hold their General Assemblies.

The 12^th International Conference on Permafrost will consider “Integrating Perspectives of Permafrost Thaw, Change, and Adaptation.” Event partners include the Canadian Permafrost Association, IPA, and Yukon University.

In lead up to its 35th anniversary in 2025, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is coordinating a multi-year planning process for the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) that will engage Arctic researchers, policymakers, residents, and stakeholders from around the world to collegially discuss the state of Arctic science, the place the Arctic occupies in global affairs and systems, to consider the most urgent knowledge gaps and research priorities that lie before us and to explore avenues to address these research needs. This event is hosted by a consortium of US institutions, including the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Northern Iowa, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska Pacific University. ICARP I, II, and III focused the attention of the world’s researchers toward the value of strategic international coordination in accelerating progress in addressing critical challenges. ICARP IV will build upon this concept by striving to achieve consensus and build collaborations among the leading scientific, academic, environmental, Indigenous and political organizations currently concerned with Arctic issues.