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June 23, 2015

 

Today's Congressional Action:   

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The Senate is expected to consider non-Arctic legislation. The House is not in session.

 

 

 

 

 

Media  

 

Report Calls Climate Change 'Medical Emergency." A major report from one of the world's best-known medical journals declared climate change a "medical emergency" that could undo decades of health progress. The report published Monday night in The Lancet said the threat posed by climate change has largely been underestimated thus far. The Hill
 

NASA Wans GOP on Cuts to Space Program. GOP-backed legislation pending in Congress would thwart NASA's push to end U.S. dependence on the Kremlin to send astronauts to the International Space Station, the agency i warning. For years, NASA has relied on Russia to send American astronauts to the station, but the space agency is developing a plan to wean the United States off of that arrangement. The Hill

 

High Inuit Suicide Rates Rooted in Historical Trauma: Veteran Nunavut Researcher. As in Greenland, Nunavut's alarming suicide rate among Inuit - now 10 times the Canadian national average - is the reverse of what historical records show for the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, says researcher Jack Hicks, a former suicide-prevention advisor for the territory. As co-chair of a panel on historical trauma in indigenous societies at the International Association for Suicide Prevention's 28th congress in Montreal, June 18, Hicks presented evidence that shows suicide rates among the Inuit of Nunavut began steadily growing towards their current record levels after about 1970. Nunatsiaq Online

 

usarc logo large US Arctic Research Commission Will Visit Nome This Summer. The U.S. Arctic Research Commission will be visiting Nome in August looking for feedback on local Arctic research-what's needed, what's funded, and what needs more support. While the commission itself does not fund research, it makes recommendations to Congress and the Office of the President on where funding goes and what research gaps in the Arctic need to be filled. They're holding their 104th meeting in Nome to solicit ideas about what research people in our region want to see, and to increase awareness of current research that could impact the Bering Strait. KTOO

 

Canada's Beaufort Sea Acidifying Fastest in the World, Study Says. Research suggests Canada's Beaufort Sea is becoming acidic more quickly than any other ocean in the world, offering a window into what a major side effect of climate change will do to waters around the globe. "As goes the Arctic, so go the rest of the oceans," said Jeremy Mathis of the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, lead author of the new paper published in the journal Oceanography. The Globe and Mail

 

US Coast Guard Launches Major Study of Arctic Ocean- Canadian Scientists Involved in Project. About 50 of those aboard will be scientists who will be collecting data on the Arctic Ocean, said Hamilton, who has been with the Coast Guard for 26 years and captain of the Healy for two weeks. What makes Hamilton's first expedition with the Healy unlike any other Arctic study is the international partnership to create a baseline for the area's biogeochemical cycles - the cycles of chemical elements and compounds in the ecosystem. The study is part of the U.S. Geotraces project, an international study of the marine biogeochemical cycles. Ottawa Citizen

 

Healy, Coast Guard Coast Guard Cutter Healy Heads Out on Arctic Expedition. U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Jason Hamilton, of Bainbridge Island, will lead a crew of 150 on an unprecedented expedition to study the Arctic Ocean. About 50 of those aboard will be scientists who will be collecting data on the Arctic Ocean, said Hamilton, who has been with the Coast Guard for 26 years and captain of the Healy for two weeks. What makes Hamilton's first expedition with the Healy unlike any other Arctic study is the international partnership to create a baseline for the area's biogeochemical cycles - the cycles of chemical elements and compounds in the ecosystem. The study is part of the U.S. Geotraces project, an international study of the marine biogeochemical cycles. Military.com

 

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

 

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

 

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.

  

11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), June 20-24, 2016 (Potsdam, Germany). The Alfred Wegener Institute has teamed up with UP Transfer GmbH and the University of Potsdam to organize a great conference for you, permafrost researchers. The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering and outreach on a global and regional level.

  

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