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 Updated link! (sorry about yesterday)
Photo Contest Winners. The US Arctic Research Commission announces the winners of its first Observing the Arctic Photo Contest. In addition to a Grand Prize winner, six First Place winners were chosen, one for each of several categories relating to Arctic Research. These photos are displayed on the USARC website.
Leadership, Diplomacy and Science: Resolving the Arctic Paradox" April 13-14, 2015, (Medford, MA, USA). The 4th annual Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy International Inquiry on the Warming Arctic will convene high-level decision makers from diplomatic and security circles, cutting-edge energy and science researchers, and social, environmental and business stakeholders to investigate solutions to the Arctic Paradox and promote a sustainable future for Arctic inhabitants within a "High North, Low Tension" policy framework. Special appearance: the North American debut of the Arctic Circle Assembly's panel "Rising Stars: Young Arctic Energy Researchers". Confirmed speakers include H.E. President Grimsson, Dr. John P. Holdren, Prof. Bruce Forbes and Dr. Fiamma Straneo.
Special Event...
National Petroleum Council Report Briefing, April 16, 2015 (Washington, DC).
On April 16, 2015, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm, there will be a summary briefing on the recently completed National Petroleum Council (NPC) report "Arctic Potential: Realizing the Promise of US Arctic Oil and Gas Resources" by Carol Lloyd, Chair of the study's Coordinating Subcommittee, and other study leaders. The briefing will be held at the NPC office, 1625 K Street, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006-1656. Capacity is limited, and thus RSVP is required. Please RSVP by calling Laura Alvarez at 202-393-6100 or by emailing lalvarez@npc.org. The NPC is a federally chartered and privately funded advisory committee that advises the US Secretary of Energy.
Today's Congressional Action: 
The House and Senate in session and expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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Yacht Race Planned From New York to Victoria-By Way of the Arctic. Not for the faint of heart, and definitely not for the light of wallet, an elite and extreme yacht race is being planned for 2017. Competitors will purchase or rent specially designed and built yachts for the race, to be built in Sydney, near Victoria, British Columbia. The specially designed racers, with double hulls, and made from volcanic fiber (basalt) with several watertight compartments will cost between $800,000 to $1 million each. The entry fee is $50,000, and the team costs are estimated at $2.5 million each. The extreme adventure is called Sailing the Arctic Race (STAR). Alaska Dispatch News
[Opinion] Mining and Conservation Can Co-Exist in the Arctic: Oceans North. Now that the Nunavut Planning Commission has deemed Baffinland Iron Mines' beefed up shipping plan a no-go, Oceans North is hoping Ottawa doesn't decide to overturn the decision. That option, along with others, was presented to Baffinland when the NPC issued their non-conformity ruling on April 8, effectively stalling the mining company's desire to break ice near Pond Inlet and ship ore through the winter ice season. But Chris Debicki, Oceans North's Nunavut projects director, is hoping that before Ottawa considers any possible alternatives for shipping through Milne Inlet and Eclipse Sound, that consideration is given to another huge project right next door: the proposed Lancaster Sound Marine Conservation Area. Nunatsiaq Online
 Canada Needs Better Oil Spill Preparedness in the Arctic: Transportation Canada. Canada needs to be better prepared for a catastrophic spill of oil in the Arctic, say members of Transport Canada's tanker expert panel. And the federal government should make sure the shipping industry, the Canadian Coast Guard and people who live in Canada's Arctic region are involved in spill preparedness and response, says their review of Canada's spill and preparedness response for the Arctic. "Responding to spills in the Arctic is extremely challenging due to the unique features of this region, such as the presence and extent of ice, the lack of infrastructure and the potentially remote location of the spill," the review panel says in their 112-page report, released April 8. Nunatsaiq Online
[Opinion] In Britain and Canada, Conventional Foreign Policy Thinking Needs to Change. Watching the election debates here in the United Kingdom, one thing has become perfectly clear: The current campaign isn't a contest between pro- and anti-European factions, but rather between parties featuring varying degrees of Euro-skepticism. There isn't a single major party leader pushing for increased British leadership within the EU and further European integration, despite the fact that it can be argued that this would be in Britain's interest. A truly united Europe may have enough clout to push for convergence between Washington and Moscow's disparate geopolitical worldviews. Moreover, the United Kingdom's energy could reinvigorate the EU's economy and act as an important check on Germany's continental influence. The Hill Times
 Study: Permafrost 'Carbon Bomb' Unlikely. A paper published by two University of Alaska Fairbanks' scientists suggests the release of greenhouse gases from melting permafrost may be more gradual than previously thought. The finding contradicts a group of scientists who have hypothesized a sort of "permafrost carbon bomb," where melting permafrost dramatically alters global climate in a very short time frame. Instead, co-author Dave McGuire said the timeframe will "likely occur from decades to centuries." Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Mulls 'Law on Arctic.' Russia probably needs a "Law on the Arctic" as a unified legal basis for its activities in the region, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday. "Laws that regulate legal arrangements in the Arctic are practically non-existent. We need to decide on whether we need a unified legal act - the Law on the Arctic," he said at a meeting to discuss the Arctic. Russian governmental commission on the Arctic also needs to look into the revision of activities of Russia's Arctic development program, and adjustment of the socio-economic development program of the Arctic until 2020. Sputnik News
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
National Petroleum Council Report Briefing, April 16, 2015 (Washington, DC).
On April 16, 2015, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm, there will be a summary briefing on the recently completed
National Petroleum Council (NPC) report "Arctic Potential: Realizing the Promise of US Arctic Oil and Gas Resources" by Carol Lloyd, Chair of the study's Coordinating Subcommittee, and other study leaders. The briefing will be held at the NPC office, 1625 K Street, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006-1656. Capacity is limited, and thus RSVP is required. Please RSVP by calling Laura Alvarez at 202-393-6100 or by emailing lalvarez@npc.org. The NPC is a federally chartered and privately funded advisory committee that advises the US Secretary of Energy.
Arctic Matters: The Global Connection to Changes in the Arctic, April 17, 2015 (Webinar, EDT). Join a panel of Arctic experts for a webinar to explore a new booklet that introduces the threats and opportunities of the Arctic's rapidly changing environment and explains why the Arctic matters - to all of us.
Viewed in satellite images as a jagged white coat draped over the top of the globe, the high Arctic appears distant and isolated. But even if you don't live there, don't do business there, and will never travel there, you are closer to the Arctic than you think.
The Road to Iqaluit: The Arctic Agenda on the Eve of the US Chairmanship, April 17, 2015 (Washington, DC). On April 24-25, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry, his fellow Arctic Council Foreign Ministers and indigenous representatives will gather in Iqaluit, Canada when, at the conclusion of the ministerial meeting, the United States will assume its two-year chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The United States has outlined an ambitious chairmanship agenda to include a strong focus on addressing the effects of climate change, particularly the impacts of pollutants; improving ocean stewardship and maritime safety; and improving the health and well-being for those who live in the Arctic region. With event sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies will have keynote remarks by Senator Lisa Murkowski followed by a discussion on the future of offshore energy development in the American Arctic based on the recent release of the National Petroleum Council's Arctic Study as well as a discussion on developments in Arctic health and well-being upon the occasion of the release of a new CSIS policy report on Arctic Health and the U.S. Arctic Council Chairmanship.
Arctic States Symposium, April 17-19, 2015 (Charlottesville, VA, USA).
ARCTIC STATES, a three-day symposium at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, brings together an international consortium of leading designers and colleagues from allied disciplines to posit the role of design in the rapidly transforming region, and generate critical discussions by sharing recent work that will trace, critique and speculate on its past, present, and future.
Arctic Science Summit Week, April 23-30, 2015 (Toyama, Japan). The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) is the annual gathering of the international organizations engaged in supporting and facilitating Arctic research. The purpose of the summit is to provide opportunities for coordination, collaboration and cooperation in all areas of Arctic science. The summit attracts scientists, students, policy makers and other professionals from all over the world.
The Polar Geography and Cryosphere, April 21-25, 2015 (Chicago, IL, USA). The Polar Geography and Cryosphere Specialty Groups of the Association of American Geographers will host its annual meeting in Chicago to consider: current topics in human-environment interactions; current topics in politics, resource geographies, and extractive industries; current topics in Antarctic research; advances in cryosphere research; high latitude environments in a changing climate; an mountain ice and snow.
The House of Sweden Conference, May 19-20, 2015 (Washington, DC, USA). A two day conference focusing on changes, adaptations and opportunities for a changing Arctic. The conference will be divided into separate, but intertwined thematic segments - policy, science, climate change and green technologies. The conference is organized by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, DC and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and is aimed at Arctic oriented policy-makers, researchers, business representatives and NGO's in the lead-up to the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council.
The European Union and Arctic (2015 EU-Arctic Conference), May 29, 2015 (Dundee, UK). The School of Law, University of Dundee, UK and the K. G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea, University of Tromsų, Norway are pleased to announce the registration open for "The European Union and the Arctic" (2015 EU-Arctic Conference). This conference will bring together academics and practitioners from relevant disciplines such as international law, international relations, political science and marine biology, NGOs, representatives from EU institutions and international organizations to discuss the EU's potential contribution to enhance Arctic governance. A roadmap for increasing the effectiveness of the EU's action in the Arctic will be drawn at the end of the conference.
7th International Conference on Arctic Margins, June 2-5, 2015 (Trondheim, Norway). The next meeting, the 7th International Conference on Arctic Margins (ICAM VII), previously announced to be arranged in St. Petersburg, will be held in Norway. ICAM VII is hosted by the Geological Survey of Norway. The International Conference on Arctic Margins (ICAM) was founded by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, formerly the Minerals Management Service, in 1991 with the underlying two-point theme of 1) Arctic understanding, 2) international cooperation in Arctic research. To these ends, ICAM has provided a successful forum for the exchange of information, collaboration in research, and presentation of results. ICAM is organized, hosted, and conducted by scientists for scientists which makes it a unique forum.
16th International Congress on Circumpolar Health: Focus on Future Health and Wellbeing, June 8-12, 2015 (Oulu, Finland). The congress will focus on human health and well-being in the Arctic and northern areas. It is open for everyone interested in Arctic issues, especially scientists, researchers, health care professionals, policy analysts, government agency representatives and community leaders. The congress is organized by the Thule Institute, University of Oulu in collaboration with the International Union of Circumpolar Health (IUCH), the Nordic Society for Circumpolar Health, the Society of Arctic Health and Biology, and the Rokua Health & Spa. The InternationaI Congress on Circumpolar Health (ICCH) series are arranged every three years in Arctic countries or countries related to Arctic issues. First congress of the series was arranged in 1967, and it was previously hosted by Oulu in 1971.
52nd Annual Conference of the Animal Behavior Society, June 10-14, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The Animal Behavior Society was founded in 1964 to promote the study of animal behavior in the broadest sense, including studies using descriptive and experimental methods under natural and controlled conditions. Current members' research activities span the invertebrates and vertebrates, both in the field and in the laboratory, and include experimental psychology, behavioral ecology, neuroscience, zoology, biology, applied ethology, and human ethology as well as many other specialized areas.
2015 ESSAS Annual Science Meeting, June 15-17, 2015 (Seattle, WA, USA). This symposium, to be held at the University of Washington, is intended for interdisciplinary scholars who will be prepared to discuss their research in the sub-arctic North Atlantic, sub-arctic North Pacific, and the Arctic Ocean that bears on the issue of how changes in sea ice are likely to affect these marine ecosystems. The symposium will also consider the people who depend upon these ecosystems and how they may be able to cope with the changes in the ecosystem goods and services that are coming. These goods and services include the availability of transportation corridors, the availability of subsistence foods, and the opportunity for commercial fishing. To put the present day in a longer perspective, the symposium will include a session on the paleo-ecology of people in sub-arctic and arctic regions that were forced to adjust to changing sea-ice conditions in the past.
6th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations, July 14-16, 2015 (Washington, DC, USA). Program in development...check back soon. To see the programs from prior symposia, click here.
Polar Law Symposium (8th) will be held in Alaska ( Sept. 23-24, UAF; Sept. 25-26, UAA). It's sponsored by UAF, UAA (and ISER), UAA Justice Center, UW Law School. Abstracts due 3/15/15. This year's conference theme is, "The Science, Scholarship, and Practice of Polar Law: Strengthening Arctic Peoples and Places."
2015 Arctic Energy Summit, September 28-30, 2015 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA).The Institute of the North's 2015 Arctic Energy Summit builds on our legacy efforts to address energy as a fundamental element of the sustainable development of the Arctic as a lasting frontier.Central to this concept is a focus on providing pathways for affordable energy development in the Arctic and for Arctic communities.
The Polar Oceans and Global Climate Change, November 3-6, 2015 (La Jolla, California USA.) The American Polar Society will host this Symposium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A flyer with a partial list of presenters is available on the Society's website (americanpolar.org) and from the Society's Membership Chairman by email.
Due North: Next Generation Arctic Research & Leadership, November 5-8, 2015 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) will convene an interdisciplinary conference of early career scientists working on Arctic issues. The organizers have issued a call for abstracts, due 5/31/15, on the following topics, full descriptions of where are available here, Arctic Communities, Arctic Sustainable Development, Arctic Wildlife, Ecosystem and Biodiversity, Arctic Food Security, Arctic Landscapes, Climate Change and Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, Policy, Politics and Leadership, Arctic Environment (Data and Techniques), Arctic Resources, and Future of Arctic.
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External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site ( www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.
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