Arctic Update Header
June 4, 2014

 

capital Today's Congressional Action:   

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

 

 

 

Media 

 

Scientists Make Last-Ditch Effort to Save HAARP Research Facility. Dozens of scientists from universities and research institutions are campaigning to stop the Department of Defense from demolishing the world's most powerful ionospheric research facility this summer. The Air Force plans to start dismantling the $290 million High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program in Gakona as soon as the final research project ends June 10. Anchorage Daily News

 

WWF: Oil Spill in Northwest Finland Worse Than Expected. The environmental organization World Wildlife Fund says last Friday's oil spill in the northwest Finland city of Raahe is worse than originally estimated. Volunteers will continue their cleanup efforts in the islands near the mainland for as long as another week. On Tuesday volunteers focused their recovery efforts on the island of Selkämatala, an important marine nesting ground. "This is a critical location. There's some oil on the beach and many birds are here," said WWF field coordinator Teemu Niinimäki. He described the operation as taxing but rewarding. Alaska Dispatch

 

UK Has Arctic on Radar in National Maritime Security Strategy. The United Kingdom is a country with longstanding interests in the Arctic. In the 16th and 17th centuries, English whalers regularly made the trip to Svalbard to hunt cetaceans. Explorers such as Ernest Shackleton and John Franklin explored the polar regions, some more successfully than others. In Antarctica, Englishman Captain Robert F. Scott famously -- heartbreakingly, to many of his compatriots -- lost the race to the South Pole to Norwegian Roald Amundsen in 1912. Today, English adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes attempts to carry the last torch of the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration. Alaska Dispatch

 

Archaeological Sites Targeted in Finland. Evidence of illegal, clandestine excavations has been recently discovered at two of Finland's well-known prehistoric sites. Pits have been found at these separate locations, apparently the work of amateurs looking for ancient artifacts. Acting on a tip from the public, Finland's National Board of Antiquities has found a number of pits dug and then covered over in one of the graveyards associated with Rapola Castle, a prehistoric hill fortress in the municipality of Valkeakoski in Pirkanmaa. Earlier this spring, similar illicit digging was discovered at another hill fortress known as Hakoinen Castle in Janakkala. In both cases, there was damage to the archaeological integrity of the sites. Alaska Dispatch

 

Eegeesiak to Quick QIA for Pan-Arctic Inuit Chairmanship. Okalik Eegeesiak, 52, the president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, will quit her QIA job this July 24 to take on a new job as international chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council and spokesperson for the 150,000 Inuit of Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Russia, a QIA news release said June 3. ICC Canada's board announced this past January that on behalf of Canadian Inuit, they will put forward Eegeesiak's name when the ICC chairmanship comes up for "election" on the last day of the organization's general assembly in Inuvik. Nunatsiaq Online

 

From the Arctic to Africa: Where China's Wealthy Want to Travel. Forget France. China's richest travelers want to vacation in much more exotic locations, including Australia, South America, the South and North poles and Africa, according to a new study. Hurun Report, a firm that tracks the trends of China's wealthy, spoke with 203 Chinese "super-tourists"-dubbed such because they took an average of 18 vacation days abroad per year and spent at least $25,000 on one trip over the past three years-for one section of its sprawling annual survey. Wall Street Journal

 

Arctic Coming in From the Cold. With estimates of investment in the Arctic region likely to reach $100bn over the coming decade, the call for insurance from businesses operating in the area is set to increase. The importance of the region as a rich mineral reserve and the logistical benefits of its shorter shipping routes have not escaped oil and gas companies and cargo carriers, which want to boost their presence in the area. Post Online 

 

Arctic Subsea Fiber Optic Cable Project Begins Summer Marine Survey. A Canadian Telecommunications company is implementing plans to lay a fiber optic cable from London to Tokyo by way of the U.S. and Canadian arctic, and is readying summer marine surveys to map exactly where it will lay the cable. When complete, several spurs off the main fiber line could mean high-speed broadband internet for many communities in northwest Alaska. KNOM 

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

 

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

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. 

 

Arctic Frontiers: Climate and Energy, January 18-23, 2015. The earth is in the midst of major climate changes. The Arctic is experiencing the impact of these changes more and faster than other parts of the globe. Processes starting in the Arctic may have deep and profound impacts on other parts of the globe. At the same time the Earth's population is rising and with it the global energy demand. New and greener energy sources are gaining market shares, but still the energy mix of the foreseeable future will have a substantial fossil component. The Arctic is expected to hold major oil and gas resources, while the regions green energy potentials are less explored. The Arctic Frontiers conference is a central arena for discussions of Arctic issues. The conference brings together representatives from science, politics, and civil society to share perspectives on how upcoming challenges in the Arctic may be addressed to ensure sustainable development. Arctic Frontiers is composed of a policy section and a scientific section. 

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