This Week at a Glance: February 6-10, 2012. The Senate is expected to adopt a conference report on the FAA authorization. The Senate is expected to consider surface transportation legislation. The House is expected to consider insider trading legislation, a line-item veto provision, and legislation to "re-use" unneeded federal property. Congressional Quarterly

Less Summer Arctic Sea Ice Cover Means Colder, Snowier Winters in Central Europe. Even if the current weather situation may seem to speak against it, the probability of cold winters with much snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Scientists of the Research Unit Potsdam of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association have decrypted a mechanism in which a shrinking summertime sea ice cover changes the air pressure zones in the Arctic atmosphere and impacts our European winter weather. Science Daily 

Poles Apart: Protecting the Arctic from pollution requires a binding agreement like the Antarctic Treaty [Editorial]. Last month's centenary of the ill-fated arrival of Robert Scott at the South Pole prompted a swell of events and publicity. Yet there is another noteworthy anniversary from the far south this month. Sixty years ago, Antarctica - perhaps for the first and only time - echoed to the sound of hostile gunfire. In what became known as the 1952 Hope Bay Incident, Argentinian soldiers fired a machine gun over the heads of a British landing party that was attempting to re-establish and supply an Antarctic base that had burnt down several years earlier. In response, the British despatched armed marines from the Falkland Islands, who forced the Argentinians to retreat and offered naval protection for the reconstruction of the base. The incident was quickly brushed off as a misunderstanding, but relations had been strained. Less than a decade later, the international Antarctic Treaty set aside the territorial disputes that fuelled such skirmishes, and effectively handed the continent over to science. Nature 

Canada's Arctic Tundra is Vanishing. the latest work by Myers-Smith, Hik and 30 other researchers from 10 countries in the world suggests that sizable chunks of this alpine/tundra world are being taken over by shrub cover that is increasingly crowding out those plants that many Arctic animals depend on. "Climate warming may well be a reason why this is happening," said Myers-Smith, who is the lead author of a paper published recently in the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters. "But snow cover, nutrient availability and interactions with other plant species may also be important." An increase in shrub growth may not sound serious when compared to the advance of trees such as spruce, which some scientists believe are moving higher up in the alpine country and closer to the Arctic coast as the climate warms. Ottawa Citizen 

Coast Guard Cutter Healy Returns to Seattle. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, the nation's largest and only operational Polar ice breaker moored at Coast Guard Base Seattle Feb. 5 after completing a 254-day deployment. The Healy completed four Arctic science missions during the 2011 field season, as well as an 800-mile Bering Sea ice-escort of the Russian-flagged tanker vessel Renda to Nome, Alaska for a winter fuel delivery by sea. Military.com 

Russia Marks International Sami People's Day. Russia's Murmansk region marks International Sami People' Day on Monday, with a host of festivities expected there later in the day. Sami are the Arctic indigenous people inhabiting the Kola Peninsula of Russia and the northern regions of neighboring countries. The Kola Peninsula-based Sami people continue to make more efforts to preserve their mother tongue, develop national culture and expand ties with their compatriots from Norway, Sweden and Finland. The Voice of Russia

The Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, February 14 2012. The parliamentarians will discuss Arctic cooperation with the Chair of the Arctic Council Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. Further on the agenda are issues including oil and gas development and the effect of climate change on human health. 

Arctic Policy Forum, February 15, 2012. This Arctic Policy Forum will feature a compelling panel discussion of the history, current issues, and future plans of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) in Alaska. This Arctic Policy Forum, hosted by the Institute of the North and sponsored by the Government of Canada, will leave participants with an increased understanding of:
* A 50 year partnership and cross-border collaboration
* Arctic governance and sovereignty
* Public safety; and search and rescue
* Maritime and aviation issues related to the Arctic environment

Pew: Arctic Ocean Energy Development, February 24, 2012. The Pew Environment Group will host a panel discussion on Arctic Ocean energy development. Panelist will be Michael R. Bromwich, former director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement; Edward Itta, former mayor of North Slope Borough, Alaska; Vice Adm. Roger T. Rufe, U.S. Coast Guard (retired); and Fran Ulmer, member of the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill and Offshore Drilling Commission, and now Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. Marilyn Heiman, director of Pew's U.S. Arctic Program, will moderate. The speakers will address the challenges facing energy exploration in the U.S. Arctic Ocean, such as oil spill response, Coast Guard readiness, infrastructure needs, and how to best protect wildlife habitat and subsistence areas. Coffee and a light breakfast will be served from 8:30 to 9, and the panel will be from 9 to 10:30 at the Pew offices 901 E Street NW Washington DC 20004. Please RSVP to EHumphries@pewtrusts.org

The Arctic Imperative Summit, August 24-28, 2012. The summit will be hosted by Alaska Dispatch and will bring together leading voices in this conversation, including residents from the small villages that comprise Alaska's coastal communities, state, national and international leaders, the heads of shipping and industry, as well as international policymakers and the news media. The goal of the summit is to sharpen the focus on the policy and investment needs of Alaska's Arctic through a series of high level meetings, presentations, investor roundtables and original research. Click here.