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June 29, 2015

 

Can Russian-Western Cooperation in the Arctic Survive the Current Conflict? June 29, 2015 (Washington, DC) This event co-sponsored by the Wilson Center's Polar Initiative, Environmental Change and Security Program, Global Europe Program, and Kennan Institute as well as The Institute For 21st Century. The Russia-Ukraine conflict will affect the prospects for war, peace, and general cooperation in many parts of the world for the foreseeable future. What impact will this conflict have on the future of the Arctic? Is there an agenda for continued Russia-U.S. cooperation in this theatre and others? What does it look like? And what happens if it fails?
 

Today's Congressional Action:   

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The House is not in session. The Senate is expected to hold a pro forma session.

 

 

 

 

 




Media  

 

Smoking Rates Up in Nunavut, but so is Life Satisfaction. Smoking rates in Canada continue to drop, but not in Nunavut. The newly-released Canadian Community Health Survey for 2014 shows that the number of Canadians who smoke either daily or occasionally dropped to 18.1 per cent from 19.3 per cent in 2013. Nunatsiaq Online

 

September Sea Ice Outlook: June Report. The median Outlook value for September 2015 sea ice extent is 5.0 million square kilometers with quartiles of 4.4 and 5.2 million square kilometers. Contributions are based on a range of methods: statistical, numerical models, estimates based on trends, and subjective information. ARCUS has a large spread in the Outlook contributions, which is not surprising given the wide-ranging observed values for the September extent in the past few years. The overall range (excluding an extreme outlier) is 3.3 to 5.7 million square kilometers. The median Outlook value is up from 4.7 million square kilometers in 2014. These values compare to observed values of 4.3 million square kilometers in 2007, 4.6 million square kilometers in 2011, 3.6 million square kilometers in 2012 and 5.3 million square kilometers in 2014. Arctic Research Consortium of the US

 

Melting Arctic Sea Ice Could be Disrupting the Oceans' Circulation- with Major Consequences. We already know that melting sea ice in the Arctic is bad news. Less ice means less habitat for animals like polar bears, and it also means there are fewer reflective surfaces in the North to bounce sunlight back into space, allowing the planet to absorb more heat. And as global warming continues to warm up the Earth, we're only going to lose more ice. A study released Monday in Nature Climate Change is drawing attention to yet another ice-related problem - one that could cause some large-scale consequences. According to the study, retreating sea ice could disrupt a major ocean circulation pattern and even affect climate patterns in Europe. Washington Post

 

Asia Ahead on Preparing for Polar Climate Change, Says US Arctic Rep. Asia has lessons to teach other countries when it comes to preparing for polar climate change, says the U.S. special representative to the Arctic. While western nations are quick to engage with hot button issues like war in Afghanistan, terrorism and nuclear proliferation, they've been slow to plan and adapt to the changing global dynamics of climate change when compared to countries like China and Singapore, said retired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Robert Papp, the top U.S. Arctic official since 2014. Alaska Dispatch News

 

Improving Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice Extent. Scientists in the Sea Ice Prediction Network share and discuss their user-oriented forecasts of seasonal sea ice in a changing Arctic. AGU's EOS

 

[Opinion, Mead Treadwell] Arctic Ambitions: Will US let Russia Control Shipping in the Far North? YAKUTSK, Russia -- In August 1981, our Russian hosts built a campfire on a bluff overlooking the Lena River here, a region most Americans only know from its strategic position in the board game Risk. Under a bright midnight sun, we washed down frozen whitefish, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes and stewed horsemeat with numerous toasts of Soviet champagne, vodka and brandy, and dreamed out loud about what could happen in the Arctic. Alaska Dispatch News.

 

[Opinion] Greenland, Alaska Share Potential and Problems of the Arctic Commons. Then-Gov. Wally Hickel described Alaska as an Owner State, with commonly owned land and resources to be developed for public benefit. His perspective was not confined to Alaska, however, and he took his message of the potential for northern prosperity around the world. For him, the Owner State could lift a people out of poverty. In Alaska, the development of the Commons is not so simple, with intersecting sovereignty, governance and management regimes. The promise of prosperity has been tempered by the reality of a system designed not for effectiveness and cooperation, but focused on ownership in a singular interest. Those interests, whether federal, state or local, are not always in alignment -- and sometimes are in conflict. Alaska Dispatch News

 

NASA NASA Shows Off Under-Ice Rover Prototype Designed for Europa and Other Icy Planets. NASA has revealed a prototype of its under-ice rover which could one day be used on missions to Europa and other icy planets that may harbour liquid oceans underneath the ice sheets. The under-ice rover was on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. According to Andy Klesh, principal investigator for the rover at JPL the buoyant rover can be used here on Earth to study the Arctic and Antarctic. Researchers also envision that a technology like this could one day explore icy bodies in the solar system, and even look for signs of habitability and life. Techie News

 

Imperial Joint Venture Delays Plan for Oil Drilling in Canadian Arctic. Imperial Oil and its offshore Arctic joint-venture partners are delaying their plans for an ambitious drilling project in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, news organizations reported on Friday. The partners - Calgary-based Imperial, Exxon Mobil and BP - have asked Canadian officials for seven-year extensions of Beaufort Sea exploration licenses that are currently scheduled to expire in 2020, reported Reuters, the CBC, The Globe and Mail and other news organizations. The joint venture partners concluded they will not be able to complete predrilling work in time to drill a well by 2020, the news organizations reported. Alaska Dispatch News

 

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 [email protected] 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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