Arctic Daily Update: March 14, 2011

US Arctic Research Commission

March 14, 2011

The Senate will consider a judicial nomination and a small business research bill.The House will consider several items under suspension of the rules.

Media Review

Obama to Ask Congress to Overhaul 'No Child Left Behind.' President Obama will call on Congress today to rewrite "No Child Left Behind," the nearly decade-old federal education law that helps fund the nation's public schools, before the start of the next school year in September. In a speech slated to be delivered at the Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Va., he will focus on how the current law's rigid accountability system hamstrings teachers and principals from achieving the goal of "graduating students who are ready for college and a career." Congressional Quarterly

Short-term Funding Measure to Prevent Shutdown Expected to Pass. Senior lawmakers from both parties on Sunday said they believe a short-term stopgap funding bill to keep the government running will be approved this week, but they did not see an end game in sight for developing a comprehensive plan to bring down the nation's debt. The House is expected to approve a continuing resolution this week that would keep the government funded until April 8, with the Senate expected to follow suit. Negotiations will then continue on another short-term spending bill. Government Executive

Tribes Threatened in Oil-Spill Scenario Leery of Drilling. The Bureau of Ocean Energy hasn't done enough to consult with tribes about a proposed five-year plan on offshore oil and gas lease sales that includes the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, Alaska Natives charged at a recent meeting. A spill could devastate villages across the state and those villages deserve government-to-government meetings, they said. There's no way to remove a large oil spill from under the frozen sea ice, a scenario that could pollute the food Natives gather to supplement meager incomes, they argued. Increased shipping could also disrupt migration patterns, driving away seals, whales and walrus. Alaska Dispatch

Norway Extends Ban on Arctic Shelf Oil Production Until 2013. Norway's government has extended a 30-year moratorium on oil production on its Arctic shelf until 2013 under pressure from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the environmental organization said on Monday. "The moratorium for Lofoten and Vesteralen [islands] in Norway's northern arctic waters is part of an overall management plan for the Barents Sea that is aimed at protecting important areas for fish, sea birds, seals and whales," the WWF said on its website, adding that the ban would last until 2013. RIA Novosti

Climate Scientists Battle Brutal Arctic. An elite group of scientists is heading research on ice to one of the coldest places on Earth to carry out vital research on global warming. The Arctic Circle that rings the North Pole is known as ground zero for climate change. It also has brutal weather that will batter the team virtually every moment. They will have to deal with subzero temperatures, severe storms and the threat of polar bears. CNN News

Beijing Weighs in on Canada's Arctic. When Canadians consider threats to this country's claims to Arctic sovereignty -- and they consider the issue more frequently than one might imagine -- they think of the usual suspects. There is Russia, the United States, Norway and Denmark, all the Arctic nations in their own right and all of them hungry for Arctic resources. And as global warming melts the ice on the Arctic Ocean earlier each year, and as it delays freeze up a little longer each year, the usual suspects increasingly cast covetous eyes on the Northwest Passage which, with a little more warming, may soon become a viable sea route between Europe and Asia. Ottawa claims that the Northwest Passage is a Canadian waterway. The usual suspects disagree, arguing that it is an international channel open to vessels of all nations. Now, some less usual suspects have joined the debate and few of them agree with the Canadian position. Winnipeg Free Press

Bewick's Swans' Bottoms Sized Up for Science. Scientists at the UK's Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust are measuring the size of Bewick's swans' behinds, to see if they have the fat reserves to survive their long migration to Arctic Russia. The swans' population is in decline and the researchers want to find out if a shortage of suitable food at their UK wintering sites could be the cause. BBC News

US Navy to Prepare for Arctic Missions. The US Navy and Coast Guard need to prepare for more missions in the Arctic, and plan for potential damage to bases from rising sea levels, as global warming increases, the National Research Council said on Thursday. "Naval forces need to monitor more closely and start preparing now for projected challenges climate change will present in the future," Frank L. Bowman, a retired Navy admiral who was co-chairman of the committee that wrote the report, said in a statement. Independent Online

Legislative Action

H.R.1042: To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require that certain species be treated as extinct for purposes of that Act if there is not a substantial increase in the population of a species during the 15-year period beginning on the date the species is determined to be an endangered species, and for other purposes.

(Rep Baca - introduced, referred to committee)

H.R.1049: To amend the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to direct the Council on Environmental Quality to report to Congress annually on the number of permits required under Federal law for which applications have been submitted and that have not been issued because an environmental impact statement is pending, and for other purposes.

(Rep Johnson - introduced, referred to committee)

H.J.RES.48: Additional Continuing Appropriations Amendments, 2011

(Rep Rogers - introduced, referred to committee)

Future Events

HOUSE: Fiscal 2012 Appropriations: Interior and Environment, March 15, 16, 17, 30, 31; April 6, 7, 12. The Interior and Environment and Related Agencies of the House Appropriations Committee will hold hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2012 appropriations for departments, agencies, and programs under its jurisdiction.

HOUSE: Fiscal 2012 Appropriations: Homeland Security, March 15, 16, 30, 31; April 6, 7. The Homeland Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee will hold hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2012 appropriations for departments, agencies, and programs under its jurisdiction.

HOUSE: Fiscal 2012 Appropriations: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, March 15, 16; April 5, 7, 14, 15. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies of the House Appropriations Committee will hold hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2012 appropriations for departments, agencies, and programs under its jurisdiction.

SENATE: Fiscal 2012 Budget: Tribal Programs, March 15.The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the proposed fiscal 2012 budget for American Indian tribal programs.

International Conference on Arctic Marine Science, International Law and Climate Protection, March 17-18. The German Federal Foreign Office is hosting an event that will take place on the Berlin premises of the Federal Office. The event is co-hosted by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, with additional support from prominent research institutes. The Conference will discuss the legal framework for marine scientific research in the Arctic Ocean at present and in the future. Scholars, scientists and diplomats with an interest in the Arctic Ocean are invited to attend. For more information, please contact 504-s@diplo.de.

Arctic Dialogue & Study Tour, March 22-24, 2011. For the past four years Norway's Bodø University Graduate School of Business, the High North Centre for Business and Governance (affiliated with the University), the International Institute of Energy Politics and Diplomacy (MIEP) at MGIMO University in Moscow, Russia, and HBW Resources have hosted an annual Arctic Dialogue and Study Tour. The tour brings together stakeholders from all Arctic nations (government, industries, academic, native and local peoples) to discuss issues involving resource development in the Arctic, and share common experiences, best practices and solutions. For more information contact Andrew Browning.

Arctic Science Summit Week, Seoul, March 28-April 1, 2011. The purpose of Korean Flag the Arctic Science Summit Week is to provide opportunities for international coordination, collaboration, and cooperation in all fields of Arctic science. The Arctic Science Week 2011 is supported by the Korean government, the Korean Research Council of Fundamental Science & Technology, and the Seoul Tourism Organization, among other groups.

The Arctic as a Messenger for Global Processes- Climate Change and Pollution, May 4-6, 2011. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), the University of Copenhagen, and Aarhus University. The conference will include talks by invited keynote speakers, oral presentations selected on the basis of submitted abstracts, poster presentations, and short oral presentations of selected posters. A panel discussion will develop messages to be communicated to the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting that will take place in Greenland one week after the conference.

Sixth International Conference on Arctic Margins, May 31-June 2, 2011 at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks. The International Conference on Arctic Margins (ICAM) will examine current geological and geophysical research on the Arctic. Topics include: hydrocarbon potential and gas hydrates; science issues relating to UNCLOS Article 76; geodynamic significance of Arctic magmatism; vertical motions in the Arctic, tectonic, and glacial; geology and palaeogeography of the Arctic continental margins; evolution of the Arctic Ocean basins, including plate reconstructions, magmatism, and sedimentology; modern Arctic environments, including geological, climatic, and oceanographic processes; recent advances in Arctic research technology. More information email.

American Meteorological Society Summer Policy Colloquium, June 5-14. This policy colloquium brings together a group to consider atmospheric policy. The colloquium will cover policy creation basics, interactions with congressional staff, and information on the current atmospheric policy issues.

The Arctic Imperative, June 19-21, 2011. The Alaska Dispatch, Aspen Institute, Commonwealth North, and the Institute of the North will host a forum titled "The Arctic Imperative: Think of the Bering Strait as the Next Panama Canal." The forum will bring together international policymakers, industry, and investment leaders to consider topics just as security, resources, port development, marine shipping, commerce, and trade.

7th Congress of the International Arctic Social Sciences, June 22-26, 2011. myvatn The 7th Congress, "Circumpolar Perspectives in Global Dialogue: Social Sciences Beyond the IPY," will be held in Akureyri, Iceland. The International Congress of the Arctic Social Sciences is held every three years.

Holocene Glacier Variability from the Tropics to the Poles, July 20-27, 2011. Glaciers respond sensitively to climate change. Recent (Holocene) glacier fluctuations are a valuable proxy for terrestrial interglacial paleoclimate conditions. A main challenge for interpreting paleoclimate from past mountain glacier extents is distinguishing local and regional patterns from global signals. Reconstructing Holocene glacier extents involves many disciplines including terrestrial and marine geology, geochronology and glaciology. Organizers hope to facilitate an inter-hemispheric comparison of glacier records including locations in the Tropics, European Alps, American Cordillera, Southern Alps of New Zealand, Himalaya and Polar Regions and to identify future research questions and directions. For additional information contact: Meredith Kelly.

13th Arctic Ungulates Conference (AUC), August 22-26, 2011. The theme of the conference will be "Challenges of Managing Northern Ungulates." The theme Muskok addresses the difficulties of managing ungulate populations that are faced with the unpredictable effects of climate change and an ever-increasing human presence on the land. The conference will also focus on the challenges associated with developing recovery actions for declining caribou and reindeer populations that are an integral part of Aboriginal cultures and ways of life.

9th International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering, September 3-7, 2011. The Melnikov Permafrost Institute (Yakutsk, Russia), the Institute of Northern Mining (Yakutsk, Russia), the Cold and Arid Regions Engineering and Environmental Research Institute (Lanzhou, China), and the Heilongjiang Institute of Cold Region Engineering (Harbin, China) will host the Ninth International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering to be held in Mirny, Yakutia. The aim of the Symposium is to provide a forum for discussion of permafrost engineering issues, as well as for exchange of practical experience in construction and maintenance of engineering structures on frozen ground. For additional information, please contact Lilia Prokopieva.

4th International Sea Duck Conference, September 12-16. The conference is held to provide researchers and managers with opportunities to share information, research, and conduct workshops.

Lowell Wakefield International Fisheries Symposium, September 14-17, 2011. The 27th Lowell Wakefield International Fisheries Symposium, entitled "Fishing People of the North: Cultures, Economies, and Management Responding to Change," will be held in Anchorage, Alaska. This international symposium will provide a forum for scholars, fishery managers, fishing families, and others to explore the human dimensions of fishery systems and growing need to include social science research in policy processes. The conference is part of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Sea Grant program.

Operating in the Arctic: Supporting the US Coast Guard Challenges Through Research, Sept. 21-23, 2010. This workshop, held at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and co-sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security and the US Arctic Research Commission, explored and identified ways in which scientific research and development can improve the ability of the U.S. Coast Guard to operate and carry out its statutory missions in the Arctic region. Participation in this event included state, local and international stakeholders, academics and researchers, and USCG and other federal agency officials. A funding opportunity associated with this activity is described here.

The Tenth International Conference on Permafrost, June 2012. The conference will be held in Tyumen, Russia, and is organized and hosted by Russia. The last conference was held in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2008. More details to follow.

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