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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.
Today's Congressional Action:
The Senate is expected to consider the Department of Defense Authorization Act. The House is expected to consider a number of non-Arctic legislative provisions.
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 Murkowski Unveils Major Funding Bill for Native Services, Firefighting. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski unveiled an appropriations bill Tuesday that would ensure dedicated funding for emergency firefighting but also cut billions of dollars from federal lands and environment funding. Murkowski chairs the subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee responsible for funding the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and related federal agencies. Alaska Dispatch News
Canada Announces Polar Knowledge Organization. The Canadian government announced this week that it has merged the functions of the Canadian Polar Commission and the Canadian High Arctic Research Station initiative into a new organization. Called Polar Knowledge Canada, the new organization will have its headquarters in the Canadian High Arctic Research Station when it opens in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, in 2017. Alaska Dispatch News
 Shark! Yes, Sharks Are Returning North, and Eating Seals. It's a shark-eat-seal world out there people - at least, it could be more common in the future, warns one scientist. Thousands of years ago, seals and sharks decided to get out of each other's way, pretty much throughout the world. "The sharks were eating seals, so the seals weren't doing too well in areas where there's a lot of sharks," Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientist Steve Ferguson told Nunatsiaq News. Nunatsiaq Online
Murkowski Presses US Energy Department Nominees on Energy Exports, Arctic Opportunities. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R - Alaska) has questioned President Obama's nominees for the Department of Energy (DOE) on the department's plans to increase American energy exports and expand opportunities for energy production in the Arctic. The nominees, Jonathan Elkind for Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and Dr. Monica Regalbuto for Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, appeared and were approved by the committee last Congress but neither nomination received a vote on the Senate floor. World Oil
 Arctic Ocean Acidification May Corrode Animals' Shells. The Arctic marine species stand endangered amidst the alarming rise in ocean acidification. New research by the NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory claims the disastrous effects of the drastically rising acidity levels of Arctic Ocean on the marine species. The research has revealed that the surface waters of three seas under study, could reach such levels of acidity that would threaten the ability of animals to build and maintain their shells, with the Beaufort Sea reaching this level of acidity by 2025, Chukchi by 2027 while the Bering Sea a little later, by 2044. Marine Link
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
6th Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations, July 14-16, 2015 (Washington, DC, USA). This biennial symposium, co-hosted by the US National Ice Center and the US Arctic Research Commission, brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts on Arctic observations, climate change, and maritime operations. Past symposia expanded the discussion to include the impact of an ice-diminishing arctic on other nations and their maritime operations including commercial transportation, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, fisheries, and oceanographic research. The continuing reduction in Arctic sea ice extent remains a central focus.
104th Meeting of the USARC, August 25-26, 2015 (Nome, AK, USA).
Attention researchers in the Nome region: USARC (Fran Ulmer, Chair) invites you to share your Arctic research activities and/or suggestions on research when the Commission meets in Nome . There will be limited opportunities for formal presentations to the Commission, as well as a community comment period. If you would like to share your research (or ideas on research) with the Commission and will be in the area during our visit, please contact USARC's Deputy Director, Cheryl Rosa, at crosa@arctic.gov by June 30th. The Agenda will be forthcoming.
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.
2015 Arctic Circle Assembly, October 16-18, 2015 (Reykjavik, Iceland).
The Arctic Circle is the largest global gathering on the Arctic. It is attended by heads of state and governments, ministers, members of parliament, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists, and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic. The Arctic Circle highlights issues and concerns, programs, policies and projects; it provides platforms for dynamic dialogue and constructive cooperation. While the plenary sessions are the responsibility of the Arctic Circle, the breakout sessions are organized by various participating partners in their own name and with full authority over the agenda and the choice of speakers.
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.
Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis Meeting, November 3-6, 2015 (Cape Cod, MA, USA). On November 3rd, the 2015 School for young scientists will consider "Regional Oceanography of the Arctic marginal seas" with lectures covering major features of atmospheric, sea ice and oceanographic regimes of the: Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort, East-Siberian, Laptev Sea, Kara, Barents and Nordic seas. On November 4-6, the meeting portion will summarize project accomplishments for the last 3 years of activities and will focus on the formulation of scientific questions and directions for FAMOS future research (2016-2019) to: (a) improve Arctic modeling, employing very high resolution models; (b) develop and test new arctic monitoring/observing systems and (c) improve predictions of Arctic environmental parameters with reduced uncertainties.
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. Topics will include: 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.
Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting, November 17-19, 2015 (Seattle, Washington). The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will be 2.5 days and held at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic - from academia, agencies, industry, and other organizations. The meeting will be convened as a combination of plenary talks, parallel science sessions, and a poster session. The agenda and registration information will be forthcoming.
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