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Today's Congressional Action:
The House and Senate are in session. The Senate is expected to consider Energy and Water appropriations.
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Media
Arctic Sea Ice Set for Record Summer Low. Sea ice physicists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), anticipate that the sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean this summer may shrink to the record low of 2012. The scientists evaluated current satellite data on the thickness of the ice cover. The data shows that the Arctic sea ice was already extraordinarily thin in the summer of 2015 and comparably little new ice had formed during the past winter. DW
EU Policy for the Arctic Region. On Wednesday 27 April, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission are set to adopt an integrated EU policy for the Arctic region. The document will guide the EU's actions for the coming years on tackling climate change, safeguarding the environment and promoting sustainable development in the region, and will support international cooperation on Arctic issues. The Arctic Journal
The Arctic Suicides: It's Not the Dark That Kills You. The first death was on the night of Jan. 9. It was a Saturday. Pele Kristiansen spent the morning at home, drinking beers and hanging out with his older brother, which wasn't so unusual. There wasn't a lot of work in town. A lot of people drank. In the afternoon, they heard someone banging on their door, yelling. "Polar bear! It's a polar bear!" WFDD
High Arctic Research Station to Boost Power Demand in Cambridge Bay. Nunavut is on the hook for a $2 million power plant extension - in large part to run the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. The territory's power corporation is adding an additional 1.1 megawatt modular power plant in Cambridge Bay. The hamlet currently has a 3.5 megawatt diesel power plant. CBC News
New Arctic Life on Barren Seabed Thrives on Methane Jets. Where there's methane, there's life, it seems. At least that's how it looks from the first survey of marine life around huge plumes of methane that bubble upwards for 800 meters or more in the Barents Sea region of the Arctic, adjacent to Scandinavia. The survey uncovered rich oases of life clustered around the methane vents, known as "cold seeps" on the Vestnesa Ridge, some 1200 meters deep. New Scientist
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
Alaska Rural Energy Conference, April 26-28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Alaska Rural Energy Conference is a three day event offering a large variety of technical sessions covering new and ongoing energy projects in Alaska, as well as new technologies and needs for Alaska's remote communities. Building on the growing success, the Alaska Energy Authority and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power have joined forces again to organize and sponsor the 10th annual Alaska Rural Energy Conference.
Regional and Global Implications of Changing Permafrost, April 28, 2016 (Washington, DC USA). There is growing realization of the strong interactions between degradation of near-surface permafrost on the dynamics of ecosystems, and that these interactions together influence local and global environmental, economic, and social systems. This presentation will discuss the use of synthesis science by both the SEARCH Permafrost Action Team and Permafrost Carbon Network to identify and understand the widespread implications of changing permafrost at both regional and local scales. This presentation is part of the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States Arctic Research Seminar Series.
High North Dialogue 2016: The Blue Future of the Arctic, May 25-26, 2016. HND is an annual conference hosted by the High North Center at Nord University, engaging a wide audience of researchers and future leaders of the region. It will address the necessary questions to effectively promote dialogue between interested stakeholders on how to sustainably develop the different realities of the many Arctics. PhD and Masters students can also participate in a week long credit awarding graduate course.
14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway). The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Rhode Island, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.
Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia). The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
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