Arctic Update Header
June 2, 2014

 

capital Today's Congressional Action:   

The House and Senate are in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation. 

 

 

 

Media 

 

navy Naval War College 'Breaks the Ice' with Arctic Security Elective. Students and faculty assigned to U.S. Naval War College's (NWC) inaugural Arctic Security class participated in the Arctic Strategy and Policy Seminar (ASPS) at NWC in Newport, Rhode Island, May 21-22. The seminar serves as the capstone event for the Arctic Security course, providing an opportunity to educate and develop leaders and help define the future Navy and its associated roles and missions in the Arctic. The Department of the Navy 

 

Ice Station Practice. So far, I've gotten to dance during four ice stations. An "ice station" is when the Healy nestles up against an ice floe, drops anchor and the scientists get to do their experiments-drill holes, collect water column samples, measure albedo, etc.. On ice station days, we have a 10am briefing in the bridge, then the Coast Guard sends down an ice survey team and a bear watch. Once the all-clear is given, the scientists gather on the deck and head down the steep brow. Arctic Spring

 

Amid Green Peace Protests, ExxonMobil Readies for Summer Project in Russian Chukchi. "We are escalating our actions against Arctic drilling. I mean, the oil industry is escalating their activities in the far North, and so are we," said Arctic campaigner Sune Scheller from aboard the Esperanza in the Barents Sea. Scheller was in Point Hope two years ago with Green Peace protesting Shell's offshore exploration in the Chukchi Sea. And while the company announced earlier this year they won't be resuming work in Chukchi waters this season, there's an American company that will-but on the Russian side. Alaska Public Radio

 

Ocean Waves Influence Polar Ice Extent. The up and down motion can fracture the ice, potentially aiding its break-up and melting, the researchers told Nature magazine. They say storm swells may have a much bigger influence on the extent of polar sea ice than previously recognized. The New Zealand-led team ran its experiments off Antarctica. BBC News 

 

North Slope Moose Hunts Curtailed As Populations Decline. As of last week moose hunts on the North Slope were scaled back, or canceled altogether, for the fall and winter, due to a steep decline in population. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced that drawing permits for moose in game management units 26A and 26B will not be issued, as the number of moose in the two North Slope regions has dropped by 50 percent. Alaska Dispatch

 

Unalaska City Officials Join Alaskans Headed to Finland. Three top Unalaska city officials will travel to Finland for a conference next month, and to Norway to meet with a shipping company that plans to transport fish from the Aleutians to Europe via the Arctic Ocean, according to Unalaska City Manager Chris Hladick. At last week's meeting, the Unalaska City Council approved travel funds for council member Dennis Robinson. At an earlier meeting, travel money was OK'd for Mayor Shirley Marquardt. The city manager's travel is likewise covered by the city, but didn't need city council approval since it comes out of the administration's travel budget. Alaska Dispatch

 

Nunavut's Next Harvesting Debate Will Likely Center on Char. As the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board figures out what to do about harvesting caribou on Southampton Island, another harvesting dilemma is already brewing in the wings. Jim Noble, the NWMB's executive director, said May 30 that the board is currently consulting with stakeholders, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, over potential harvest limits for Arctic char. Nunatsiaq Online

 

Alaska's Arctic Gears Up for Busy Summer Construction Season. Despite cool, wet weather across the Arctic, construction crews are getting set for a busy summer building season. The Kotzebue Airport safety-area improvement project, which is being done to comply with updated Federal Aviation Administration requirements, is coming up on its fourth summer of work. Anchorage Daily News

 

Red Fox Leaping Red Foxes Move Into Arctic Fox Territory on North Slope-With Help From People. Red foxes, which began showing up in the Prudhoe Bay area in the late 1980s, are gradually conquering Alaska's North Slope and humans are inadvertently aiding the invasion, a newly published study has found. Garbage left by people on the North Slope oil fields has become a mainstay of the red foxes' diet, allowing the animals to spread over the tundra and displace the smaller arctic foxes, according to the study led by University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Garrett Savory. Anchorage Daily News

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

 

No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.

Future Events

 

Arctic in the Athropocene. June 23-July 2, 2014 (Potsdam, Germany). Under the overarching theme "Arctic in the Anthropocene", this two-week interdisciplinary and interactive event will be the first in a series of Potsdam Summer Schools to be held annually. The goal is to bring together early-career scientists and young professionals from research departments, governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations, as well as the private sector from all around the world. Participants will deal with global challenges and address urgent questions on how to shape sustainable futures in the Arctic and beyond from a scientific and socioeconomic point of view. 

 

ICETECH 2014, July 28-31, 2014 (Banff, Alberta, Canada). The International Conference and Exhibition on Performance of Ships and Structures on Ice (ICETECH) is organized by the Arctic Section of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. The theme of the conference is performance of ships and structures in ice (icebreaking ships, ice resistant structures, and operations in ice) with emphasis and special sessions on looking to the future in a warming world. The conference will cover topics including:Global warming implications to Arctic ships and structures; Icebreaking ships, Naval Architecture, construction, and marine operations; Structures in ice/iceberg populated waters; Construction and logistics in ice-covered areas; Ice management; New offshore developments in ice-covered areas; Subsea pipelines and facilities in ice; Marine systems for offshore drilling and production operations in ice; Codes, regulations and standards; Ice conditions, forecasting and remote sensing; Safety, risk and environmental protection; Escape, Evacuation and Rescue (EER); and Arctic Geopolitics.


Alaska Policy Commission. August 26-27, 2014 (Kotzebue-Nome, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. 

 

2014 Week of the Arctic, October 6-11, 2014 (Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North will host the 2014 Week of the Arctic. The 2014 Week of the Arctic is a platform for community leaders, subject matter experts and interested stakeholders to learn about the Arctic while contributing to a growing list of priorities and perspectives. Presentations, roundtable discussions and workshops will be held in Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow. Throughout the week, presentations and interviews will be captured on video for distribution through social media and web-based sharing.

 

2014 FAMOS School and Workshop #3, October 21-24, 2014 (Woods Hole, MA). The Forum for Arctic Ocean Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) is an international effort to focus on enhancing collaboration and coordination among Arctic marine and sea ice modelers, theoreticians and observationalists synthesize major results from the field studies and coordinated numerical experiments. The major themes of workshop include but not limited by studies focused on: predictions; Arctic observational and modeling initiatives; fate of sea ice in models and observations; atmospheric, sea ice and ocean dynamics; process studies and parameterizations; model validation and calibration; numerical improvements and algorithms; ecosystems, biological issues, and geochemistry.

 

Arctic Circle, October 31-November 2, 2014 (Reyjavik, Iceland).

The Arctic Circle is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Organizations, forums, think tanks, corporations and public associations around the world are invited to hold meetings within the Arctic Circle platform to advance their own missions and the broader goal of increasing collaborative decision-making without surrendering their institutional independence. The Arctic Circle will organize sessions on a variety of issues, such as: Sea ice melt and extreme weather; Polar law: treaties and agreements; The role and rights of indigenous peoples; Security in the Arctic; Shipping and transportation infrastructure; The prospects and risks of oil and gas drilling; Clean energy achievements and sustainable development; Arctic resources; Business cooperation in the Arctic; The role of Asian and European countries in the Arctic; Greenland in the new Arctic; Fisheries and ecosystem management; The science of ice: global research cooperation; Arctic tourism; The ice-dependent world: the Arctic and the Himalayas. 
 

US- Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum, November 4-6, 2014 (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada). Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the Canadian Polar Commission in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, are hosting the fourth Canada - United States Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum. The Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum is a biennial meeting with representation from government, industry, academia, Aboriginal groups and Northerners from both Canada and the United States. The Forum provides an opportunity to discuss current and future priorities for northern oil and gas research. The Forum will showcase the value of northern research in support of sound decision-making for oil and gas management.

 

Alaska Policy Commission. November 13-14, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. 

 

The Arctic Biodiversity Congress, December 2-4, 2014. (Trondheim, Norway). The Arctic Biodiversity Congress will present and discuss the main scientific findings of the ABA; facilitate inter-disciplinary discussion, action and status updates on the policy recommendations in the ABA; provide scientific, policy, management, NGO, academia, Indigenous peoples and industry audiences the opportunity to collaborate around the themes of the ABA; advise CAFF on national and international implementation of the ABA recommendations and on the development of an ABA Implementation Plan for the Arctic Council; highlight the work of CAFF and the Arctic Council on circumpolar biodiversity conservation and sustainable development; and, contribute to mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services, ensuring that the recommendations of the ABA are implemented by not just governments, but many organizations and people across disciplines.

 

Arctic Change 2014, December 8-12, 2014 (Ottawa, Canada). The international Arctic Change 2014 conference aims to stimulate discussion and foster collaborations among people with a vested interest in the Arctic and its peoples. Coinciding with the pinnacle of Canada's chairmanship of the Arctic Council and marking ArcticNet's 10th anniversary, Arctic Change 2014 welcomes researchers, students, Northerners, policy makers, and stakeholders from all fields of Arctic research and all countries to address the numerous environmental, social, economical and political challenges and opportunities that are emerging from climate change and modernization in the Arctic. With over 1000 participants expected to attend, Arctic Change 2014 will be one of the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conferences ever held in Canada. 

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