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American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, February 13-17, 2014 (Chicago, Illinois, USA) AAAS hosts its annual meeting to focus on finding sustainable solutions through inclusive, international and interdisciplinary efforts that are most useful to society and enhance economic growth. There are over 150 sessions planned for this meeting. For more information about these sessions, including viewing them online, please see here.
The Big Thaw: Impacts on Health of Marine Mammals and Indigenous People in the Arctic, February 14, 2014 (Chicago, Illinois, USA) Andrew Trites of the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium with others hosts this session at the AAAS Annual Meeting. This session will consider how recent oceanographic changes have disrupted a fragile Arctic "status quo," dramatically impacting the health and resilience of marine mammals, wildlife populations, and indigenous peoples in the North. It will focus on seals, walrus, and beluga as landmark sentinel species to illustrate the consequences of a changing marine ecosystem, and how it is critically affecting the health and sustainability of marine mammal populations and the indigenous communities of wildlife and people that depend on their survival.
 Today's Congressional Action: The House and Senate are not in session. |
 Conservationists Seeks Federal Protection for Tufted Puffins. Oil spills, fishing nets and collapsing forage fish populations due to warming sea surface temperatures are decimating tufted puffins and could lead to the disappearance of one of the most photogenic seabirds in the United States south of Alaska. The situation has become dire enough for the Natural Resources Defense Council on Wednesday to file a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to have tufted puffins listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in California, Oregon and Washington, where only about 4,000 remain in scattered colonies. Anchorage Daily News
 Canada Pledges New Spending on Northern Health Services. The 2014-2015 federal budget pledges $63.7 million (Canadian $70 million) over three years to improve health services in the three northern territories, part of an effort to reduce reliance on medical travel. The money is over and above the Canada Health Transfer and Territorial Formula Financing. The cost of medical travel and treatment outside of the territories is a huge chunk of northern health budgets. In 2011-2012, Nunavut spent more than $50 million Canadian (US$45.5 million) on medical travel, and another CA$50 million (US$45.5 million) on treatment at out-of-territory facilities. Alaska Dispatch
 Saving Greenlandic. Greenlandic is a language spoken by perhaps less than 60,000 people around the world, most of them, of course, Greenlanders. While related to other Inuit languages spoken throughout the Arctic, the differences are often profound. Many fear that as Greenland continues apace into modernization through high-speed economic growth, the Greenlandic language is being lost. Arctic Journal
More Hunters Would Mean Fewer Hungry People: Report. A new report says better access to country food would go a long way towards helping Nunavummiut get enough to eat. Hunger in Nunavut: Local Food for Healthier Communities, prepared by an Action Canada task force, looks at food insecurity across the territory. Nunatsiaq Online
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Legislative Action
S. 1254, Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act. Yesterday, the Senate passed S. 1254. The bill was introduced by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and cosponsored by 18 senators. The bill passed by unanimous consent.
S. 2030, a bill to reauthorize and amend the National Sea Grant College Program Act. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced S. 2030 yesterday. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
S. 2022, a bill to establish scientific standards and protocols across forensic disciplines. Yesterday, Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced S. 2022. It was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
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Future Events
Developing Alaska's Marine Workforce, February 14, 2014. (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) hosts the luncheon. Discussion will focus on industry strategies for moving forward to secure Alaska's future needs for an educated and trained workforce are met. Feature presentations include a recap of NAMEPA's 2012 meeting, University of Alaska updates on the FSMI (Alaska's Fisheries, Seafood, Maritime Initiative) Workforce Development Plan and trends in education and training. Arctic Ambitions, February 27-28, 2014 (Girdwood, Alaska). World Trade Center Alaska will host Arctic Ambitions III: Commercial Development of the Arctic. This conference focuses solely on Arctic international trade and business opportunities. It is anticipated that about 200 business and government leaders attending next year's conference.
Arctic Ambitions III will concentrate on the theme of international trade and business opportunities that flow from resource development in the Arctic. While policy and research inform the discussion, the conference focuses on global markets, international trade and logistics. The previous two conferences brought together presenters from Canada, Finland, Norway, Russia, Korea and Alaska. USARC Chair Fran Ulmer will be a speaker. Arctic 2050, March 12, 2014 (Brussels, Belgium). The 4th European Marine Board Forum will bring together Arctic stakeholders from multiple sectors (science, industry, policy & governance, NGOs, etc.) to: discuss current trends and patterns of change in Arctic Ocean ecosystems, including human activity; identify possible "2050" scenarios for Arctic Change and the corresponding implications for human health and well-being; highlight key research gaps, needs and challenges in support of understanding, mitigating against, or adapting to Arctic change; stimulate dialogue across sectors to aid common understanding, collaborative actions and sustainability targets; promote a vision for a sustainable ecosystem-based management of the Arctic Ocean by 2050.
** New **
New Vision for Sea Shipping Between Europe-Asia-USA, March 12-14, 2014 (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka Region, Russia) The Tranzit-DV Group, with the participation of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, is holding a conference in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The conference theme is the creation of a logistics complex - MILC (Multimodal Industrial-Logistics Complex) in the Asia-Pacific Region with developed infrastructure and traffic network. Topics include: Seaports in the Primorsky and Kamchatka regions: experience, opportunities, prospects and development of sea transport; use of the Northern Sea Route in the global transport services market; state programs for investment support and development of the Russian Far East; analysis of the situation on the Russian and global container transport and bunkering markets; prospects for port hub development and multimodal carriage; and, maritime insurance issues.
44th Annual International Arctic Workshop, March 14-16, 2014 (Boulder, CO). The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research of the University of Colorado will host the workshop. This year's theme is "Arctic's New Normal." The workshop will consider shifting environmental baselines over decades to millennia and comparisons with the Antarctic. Previous workshops have included presentations on Arctic and Antarctic climate, atmospheric chemistry, environmental geochemistry, paleoenvironment, archeology, geomorphology, hydrology, glaciology, soils, ecology, oceanography, Quaternary history and more.
Association of American Geographers Polar Geography Sessions, April 8-12, 2014 (Tampa, Florida). Polar Geography Sessions are being planned in areas such as Sustainable Development in the Arctic, Urbanization and Transportation in the Arctic, etc. Contact Scott Stephenson (stephenson@ucla.edu) for more information, and see attached flyer.
Arctic Science Summit Week April 5-8, 2014 and Arctic Observing Summit, April 9-11 (Helsinki, Finland). ASSW is a gathering for Arctic research organizations. Any organization engaged in supporting and facilitating arctic research is welcome to participate. The ASSW meeting in 2014 will be arranged during April 5-8 in Helsinki Kumpula Campus, in the facilities of FMI and Physics Department of the University of Helsinki. Second circular here.
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