Arctic Update Header
November 30, 2018

Earthquake damage. Epicenter 7 miles north of Anchorage. Tsunami warning for southern AK coastal areas of Cook Inlet and Kenai

C. Rosa photo


Updated: Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic.
The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) announced the release of the Principles for Conducting Research in the Arctic 2018. The revised Principles build upon the 1990 version. Through an extensive comment and review process, the updated version includes five Principles that reflect the values held widely about how researchers should plan and conduct Arctic research. For more information and to see the Principles, go to: 
Media

Healy, Coast Guard Coast Guard Icebreaker Returning to Seattle After Arctic Mission. After 4 months in the Arctic, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy returns home to Seattle on Friday. The crew of the Healy - at 420 feet long and 16,000 tons, the largest ship in the U.S. Coast Guard - completed three research missions during the 129-day mission in partnership with the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Naval Research, conducting physical and biological research in the Arctic Ocean. KPIC
 
Russia to Invest $4 Billion to Build Arctic Port Along Northern Sea Route. Plans for building a sea port in on one of Russia's northernmost areas have been brought back to life. The $4 billion project in the Nenets region is key to the country's strategic plan to open shipping in the Arctic. The project has reportedly been included in Moscow's list of major investment projects on transport and infrastructure development. The new port, which will be located in the small Nenets settlement of Indiga, will be operated year-round. The annual cargo turnover is set to reach 70 million tons, 50 million tons of which will account for coal shipments, extracted from Russia's biggest coal mining area in the Kuznetsk Basin, located in southwestern Siberia. Hellenic Shipping News
 
NPS Team Completes Remote Arctic Research Expedition. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) scientists and students just returned from the heart of the desolate Arctic on an expedition which will deepen our understanding of a rapidly retreating northern ice pack. The arduous, five-week voyage aboard the polar icebreaker USCGC Healy (WAGB-20), the Coast Guard's largest and most technologically-advanced research vessel, forged deep into the volatile sea ice of the eastern Beaufort Sea to deploy a series of NPS-developed Autonomous Ocean Flux Buoys (AOFB), which will continuously monitor the delicate balance between ocean, ice and sun. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

Marine Mammal Commission Announces Fiscal Year 2019 Grant Focal Area: Impacts of a Changing Ocean on Marine Mammals of Importance to Alaska Natives. Maintaining marine mammals as functioning elements of healthy ecosystems and as resources for subsistence needs of Alaska Native communities, requires understanding the role of marine mammals in the ecosystem and how they may be impacted by ongoing changes in the environment and human use of marine areas. Access to accurate and precise information is imperative for sound decision-making, and can be facilitated by co-production of knowledge between scientists and Alaska Native communities. Marine Mammal Commission

Summer Transportation Internship (paid) in Washington, DC. The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) is accepting applications for the 2019 Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups (STIPDG). The program provides college/university students with hands-on experience and on-the-job training while working on current transportation-related topics and issues. The STIPDG is open to all qualified applicants but is designed to provide qualified women, persons with disabilities, and members of diverse groups with summer opportunities in transportation. The STIPDG is a paid internship program, from June 3 to August 9, 2019, that is open to all qualified candidates. Successful applicants may be selected by any of the DOT agencies and offices for the summer, including the US Committee on the Marine Transportation System. The program also provides housing but the applicant will have to pay their travel to and from Washington, DC. Applications for the 2019 summer program are being accepted through January 22, 2019. Any successful candidates that have an interest in maritime-related transportation, including those in the Arctic, may contact Helen.Brohl@cmts.govfor more information. Additional details are here:  https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/education/stipdg.cfm
Future Events

American Geophysical Union Fall meeting, December 10-14, 2018 (Washington, DC USA). The AGU 2018 Fall Meeting will mark another dynamic year of discovery in Earth and space science, serve as the advent of AGU's Centennial year, and provide a special opportunity to share our science with world AGU logo leaders in Washington, D.C. As the largest Earth and space science gathering in the world, the Fall Meeting places you in the center of a global community of scientists drawn from myriad fields of study whose work protects the health and welfare of people worldwide, spurs innovation, and informs decisions that are critical to the sustainability of the Earth. 

USARC Commissioner Jacqueline Richter-Menge to deliver the Nye Lecture at the 2018 AGU Fall Meeting. The US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) is pleased to announce that Commissioner Jacqueline Richter-Menge will present this year's Nye Lecture, titled "A Career of Change," at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in Washington, DC at 2:50 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 in the Marquis room of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001.
 
ArcticNet: Annual Scientific Meeting 2018, December 10-14, 2018 (Ottawa, ON Canada). Canada's North is experiencing unprecedented change in its sea and terrestrial ice, permafrost and ecosystems under the triple pressures of climate change, industrialization and modernization. The impacts of these pressures can be seen on food and energy security, shipping, sovereignty, northern community health and well-being, and sustainable development and resource exploitation. All these issues have brought the North to the forefront of national and international agendas. Building on the success of its previous Annual Scientific Meetings and International Arctic Change Conferences, the Arctic Network of Centers of Excellence announces the 14th ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting. 

Arctic Frontiers, January 20-25, 2019 (Tromso, Norway). The Arctic Frontiers is a global scientific conference on economic, societal, and environmental sustainable growth. This year's theme will be "Smart Arctic," with a pan-arctic emphasis, and an effort to build new partnerships across nations, generations and ethnic groups. Arctic Frontiers provides a forum for dialogue and communication between science, government and industry. The plenary program will have five main sessions: State of the Arctic, Blue Growth, Smart Solutions, Bridging the Gap, and Arctic business prospects. An abstract-driven science program will address Plastics in the Ocean, the Future of Governance and Handling Vulnerability in Arctic Ecosystems, State of the Arctic and A Smart Arctic Future.

Save the Date! 

Mark your calendars to attend IDA-8, which some have called one of the best Arctic gatherings around. Historically, this biennial symposium was co-hosted by U.S. National/Naval Ice Center (NIC) and the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC). In 2019, these partners will join forces with the preeminent Wilson Center's Polar Institute, as a third co-host. The now 2-day symposium will be held in the Ronald Reagan Building Amphitheater, in Washington, DC. The event will focus on a broad cross-section of naval and maritime operations and issues in an ice-diminishing Arctic. The symposium brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts on Arctic governance, geopolitics, marine operations, infrastructure, science, and environmental observations, from the local, regional, and pan-Arctic scale. Information on prior symposia, including lists of speakers, video clips, and copies of presentations, is available here. Attendance is free, and registration will begin in Spring 2019. The event will be webcast live, and video recorded.

Arctic Futures 2050: Science and Policy for a Changing Arctic, September 4-6, 2019 (Washington, DC USA). In 2019, the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) and partners will convene Arctic scientists and decision makers to jointly forecast Arctic research needed to inform policy in the coming decades. The conference also is intended to foster more effective and iterative collaborations among Arctic scientists and decision makers.
 
of the AAG includes over 8,500 geographers converging from the U.S., Canada, and nearly 60 other countries in a typical year including geographers, GIS specialists, environmental scientists, and other leaders for the latest in research and applications in geography, sustainability, and GIScience.
 
18th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering / 8th Canadian Permafrost Conference, August 18-22, 2019 (Quebec, Canada). Sustainable infrastructure development and permafrost science, in a climate change context, will be the focus of the discussions of this international conference.

USARC header

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter jmml_blue5_btn.gif

4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 510
Arlington, VA 22203, USA 
(703) 525-0111 (phone)
www.arctic.gov
info@arctic.gov
 
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.
 
US Arctic Research Commission, 4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 510, Arlington, VA 22203
Sent by donotreply@arctic.gov in collaboration with
Constant Contact