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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 region's 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.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 19-23, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The symposium will feature a session on the Communicating Ocean Sciences, keynote addresses, poster sessions, and workshops. As in past years, the main content of the symposium is organized by large marine ecosystem. The 2015 schedule will be: Tuesday, January 20 - Gulf of Alaska; Wednesday, January 21 - Bering Sea; and Thursday, January 22 - Arctic Ocean.
 Today's Congressional Action:
The House and Senate are in session. The Senate will consider legislation regarding the Keystone XL pipeline. Tonight, the President will deliver the State of the Union address.
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Media
 The Science of Cook Inlet. Cook Inlet plays a big part in life in Anchorage, but what do we know about the health of the waterway that brings us fish, oil and gas, the cargo ships that supply us, and accepts our waste? As the Alaska Marine Science Symposium takes place in Anchorage, APRN talks with experts about the Inlet and Gulf of Alaska, the waters and wildlife. Alaska Public Radio
Indigenous and Political Leaders to Gather, Talk About Language. As those involved with Arctic Council projects prepare to hand over their recommendations for next steps under a new American chairmanship in April, at least one project coordinator is hopeful her work, and that of her indigenous colleagues, will remain on the priority list for years to come. Lenore Grenoble, a professor of linguistics at the University of Chicago, is passionate and knowledgeable about languages, especially northern ones. Nunatsiaq Online
 How Adaptable Are Arctic Ecosystems? The man in charge of the Polar Night scientific cruise is Stig Falk-Petersen, professor at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromso and research advisor at Akvaplan-niva, a research consultancy working on environment monitoring. Originally from the Lofoten islands, he is a fountain of knowledge on marine life but also on history, especially relating to changes in the Arctic and indeed the European climate in general. He makes climate history of warm and cold periods more understandable by relating it to events like the Napoleonic wars, or the battle of Stalingrad. He stresses how that kind of approach shows just how important the climate is to society. He also knows a lot about the history of Arctic research. We owe a lot to Russia, where most of the Arctic research came from for a long time, says Stig. Alaska Dispatch News
US Seeks Finnish Support for Arctic Goals. The United States is seeking a closer partnership with Finland through the Arctic Council, which brings together countries on or near the Arctic Ocean. This spring the U.S. begins a two-year chairmanship of the council, followed by Finland in 2017-19. The U.S. special representative for the Arctic, Admiral Robert Papp, tells Yle that the Americans aim to tackle issues that are important to Finland during their term at the helm of the Arctic Council, which begins in a few months. Alaska Dispatch News
Researchers Identify Inuit Gene Responsible for Sugar Intolerance. For some northerners, there is reason to cut down on sugar that has nothing to do with New Year's resolutions: A genetic intolerance to sugar is hardwired into the DNA of some Arctic peoples. A newly identified gene in the Canadian Inuit population is responsible for a condition that makes it difficult or even impossible for the body to digest sugar. Alaska Dispatch News
Norway to Award Oil and Gas Drilling Licenses. Norway's government said on Tuesday that it would award new oil and gas drilling licenses in 2016, including the first new areas to be opened for drilling since 1994, to encourage exploration amid low oil prices and challenging times for the oil sector. The government said that 57 license blocks will be awarded in the first half of 2016, including 34 in the southeastern Barents Sea, an Arctic area previously disputed with Russia. Five years ago, the two countries agreed to split the 175,000 square-kilometer area, ending a four-decade stalemate. Wall Street Journal
Landmark UCLA Study Reveals Melting of Greenland Ice Sheet From Top to Bottom. Many scientists have studied how the glaciers and big chunks of ice breaking off the edges of the Greenland ice sheet are contributing to sea level rise. Yet a new research study led by geographers at UCLA is the first to comprehensively examine how the rivers on top of the ice sheet drain meltwater and contribute to sea level rise. Importantly, the researchers found that current climate models, which do not account for subglacial processes, could be overestimating sea level rise because they do not consider the fact that a significant portion of meltwater is stored inside and below the glacier. Not all of the meltwater, in other words, immediately flows out to sea. Alaska Dispatch News
China Goes Polar. People don't generally think of China as a polar power. But they might think again after listening to the head of China's national oil company, who came all the way to the Arctic Circle here Monday to make the point. "China is prepared to assist" in oil and gas exploration in the Arctic, Sun Xiansheng, the director general of China National Petroleum Corporation, told an international conference on the future of the region in Tromsø, a bustling, if frozen city of 72,000 people on an island 217 miles inside the Arctic Circle. Newsweek 
China's Arctic Guidance Due in October. China's Navigation Guidance for the Arctic Route (Northwest Passage) is in preparation and scheduled to be released in October, according to the country's Ministry of Transport. The publication's writers - from the East Sea Navigation Security Centre - have referred to all existing documents on the Northwest Passage, including 20 British charts, 22 Canadian charts, and four Japanese charts, said the ministry. HIS Maritime
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Legislative Action
HR 240, Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015. (H.R. 240 was received in the Senate and placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar)
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Future Events
Symposium on Law and Governance in the Arctic, UCI LAW, January 30-31, 2015 (Irvine, California, USA). The symposium will explore the effectiveness of existing governance in the Arctic region, strategies for improving effective implementation, and possible alternative governance regimes. A segment of the presented papers will be published in the UCI Law Review as a symposium. Presenters include: Betsy Baker, Michael Byers, Joseph DiMento, Tore Henriksen, Brian Israel, Timo Koivurova, Tullio Scovazzi, and Oran Young.
Arctic Encounter Symposium 2015: Charting a Path to US Leadership in the Far North, January 30-31, 2015 (Seattle, Washington, USA). The second annual Arctic Encounter Symposium will focus on the role of the U.S. as an Arctic nation and the challenges it will confront in its upcoming chairmanship of the Arctic Council, including: climate change, natural resources, investment opportunities, and international relations. The goal of the 2015 Arctic Encounter is to facilitate a creative environment for the development of a proactive agenda, short and long-term domestic and international priorities, and a strategic execution plan.The two-day program will take place at the University of Washington with a dinner reception on January 30, 2015 at the Museum of History and Industry.
Alaska Forum on the Environment, February 9-13, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Forum on the Environment (AFE) is Alaska's largest statewide gathering of environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit and for-profit businesses, community leaders, Alaskan youth, conservationists, biologists and community elders. The diversity of attendees and comprehensive agenda sets this conference apart from any other. Each year there are over 80 technical breakout sessions and sensational Keynote Events. There will be a full week of sessions on climate change, energy, environmental regulations, cleanup and remediation, fish & wildlife, solid waste, and of course much more. The event will continue to present expanded content on Marine Debris, Coastal Issues and Tsunami's in order to address the pressing concerns from Alaska rural coastal communities.
International Symposium on Northern Development, February 25-27, 2015 (Quebec, Canada). The Québec government, in collaboration with Université Laval, will co-chair with the Nordic Council of Ministers the International Symposium on Northern Development. The event will allow for the pooling of knowledge, experience and perspectives in the realm of northern development. It will assemble representatives of the northern countries, the universities and local populations, including the Aboriginal nations, and businesspeople and enterprises. The key themes will be the North as a living environment; the North as a physical territory; the North as a hub of economic development; and, the North as a hub of knowledge training and research.
US Arctic Research Commission's 103rd Meeting, March 4-5, 2015 (Washington, DC, USA). More information to come.
PNWER...Pacific NorthWest Economic Region's Arctic Caucus meeting, March 5, 2015, Washington, DC, USA. More info to come.
Arctic Summit 2015, March 12, 2014 (Oslo, Norway) The Economist is hosting the Arctic Summit 2015 where discussions will focus on whether commercial interest in the Arctic is a bubble about to burst. There are discounted registration fees are available for NGOs, government, academics, charities and students. There are also discounts for groups of 3 or more people.
Polar Shelves and Shelf Break Exchange in Times of Rapid Climate Warming, March 15-20, 2015 (Lucca, Italy). The GRCs provide an international forum for the presentation and discussion of frontier research in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences, and their related technologies. The guiding principle of a GRC is to encourage communication and discussion of ideas and new unpublished results at the very frontier of a particular field of research, by bringing together outstanding scientists from academia, industry, and government, ranging from senior experts to Ph.D. students. With the increasing impacts of reduced sea ice and warming seawater conditions in both the Arctic and Antarctic, this conference can act as a forum for potentially transformative discussions for interdisciplinary, international and compare/contrast evaluation of polar sciences. In addition, the Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will precede the GRC to provide a forum for graduate students and post-docs to present and exchange new data and cutting edge ideas with experts in the different polar fields of science.
Sweden-U.S. Planning Workshop on Joint Arctic Research Using the I/B Oden, March 30- April 1, 2015 (Stockholm, Sweden). The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Arctic Section is supporting a 'Planning Workshop on joint Arctic Research using the Swedish Class 1A Icebreaker Oden.' This workshop is held in collaboration with the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (SPRS) and the Swedish Research Council (Formas and VR). The US delegation will be led by Drs. Patricia Matrai (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences) and Peter Minnett (RSMAS, U. Miami), as workshop co-organizers with Dr. Caroline Leck (Stockholm U.). This workshop will bring together those with research and operational/ logistical interests in the Arctic and will discuss a baseline for establishing a new, longer-term collaborative relationship among U.S. and Swedish scientists for Oden-based research in the Arctic Ocean.
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.
6th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations. July 14-16, 2015. Naval Heritage Center, Washington, DC. Program in development...check back soon. To see the programs from prior symposia, click here.
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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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