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September 23, 2015
  
Eighth Polar Law Symposium Alaska 2015, September 23-26, 2015 (Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska , USA). The Eighth Polar Law Symposium is co-hosted by Alaska Pacific University (APU), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage (through its Justice Center and its Institute of Social and Economic Research), the University of Washington School of Law, and Vermont Law School, in cooperation with the Arctic Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association. The symposium will be held on both campuses of the University of Alaska. The 2015 theme is: The Science, Scholarship, and Practice of Polar Law: Strengthening Arctic Peoples and Places.

Today's Congressional Action:   
The House and Senate are not in session.

Media  
 
Scientists Probe Effects of Unusual Warming Pattern in Fish-Rich Bering Sea. When the Bering Sea warms, there are telltale signs. One is a bloom of phytoplankton that turns the water's normally gray surface to a lovely turquoise. "It does feel like you're in the Caribbean," said Janet Duffy-Anderson, a research biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Alaska Fisheries Center. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Are Emaciated Polar Bears the New Face of Climate Change? German tourists aboard a cruise through the Hinlopen Strait in Svalbard this summer were approaching a yellow dot on an ice-floe, hoping it was a polar bear, their trip's main attraction. As the dot took form about 300 meters away, it stood up, making it apparent it was indeed a bear -- but it was not at all what they hoped to see. They saw a bear so skinny and frail the ship had to turn away for fear of causing it further harm. Photographer and tour guide Kerstin Langenberger said the sight rendered the people aboard speechless. Alaska Dispatch News
 
Syrian War Causes the Global Doomsday Seed Vault's First Withdrawal. The doomsday seed vault on Norway's remote Svalbard archipelago houses the world's back up supply of seeds to ensure crop diversity. It contains deposits of nearly 865,000 varieties of seeds buried within a mountain in case of catastrophe. Due to Syria's civil war, it will now allow a withdrawal of its contents for the first time in its existence. The request to take out a small amount of the millions of total seeds from within the Svalbard Global Seed Vault comes from another gene bank, the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, which is currently based in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, but was previously headquartered in Syria. Huffington Post
 
Salmon Inuit Study Adds Twist to Omega-3 Fatty Acids' Health Story. As the Inuit people spread across the Arctic, they developed one of the most extreme diets on Earth. They didn't farm fruits, vegetables or grains. There weren't many wild plants to forage, aside from the occasional patch of berries on the tundra. For the most part, the Inuit ate what they could hunt, and they mostly hunted at sea, catching whales, seals and fish. Western scientists have long been fascinated by their distinctly un-Western diet. Despite eating so much fatty meat and fish, the Inuit didn't have a lot of heart attacks. New York Times
 
Eye in the Sky Gives Arctic Scientists New Insight Into Ice Loss. A custom-built Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) has helped Scottish-based scientists survey one of the world's most dangerous terrains as they seek to discover causes of ice loss in the Arctic. The RPA, a quadcopter, was built by Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) engineer Shane Rodwell and used a mounted laser-range finder and a camera to measure and photograph glaciers in the polar region, collecting unique data for glacier experts Dr Nick Hulton of The University of Edinburgh and Professor Doug Benn of St Andrew's University. Phys.Org

Retired nuclear icebreakers find new life in Arctic researchSpeaking in a conference this week, Rosatom Deputy Head Stanislav Golovinsky said the icebreakers should get a second life as Arctic research stations. "These ships have good accommodation and household facilites and could be used in a non-nuclear solution, they would not even need propellers", Golovinsky said. The ships can be tugged to Chukotka or other places in the Russian east Arctic and then drift westwards with researchers on board, he argues, RIA Novosti reports.  BarentsObserver
 
At Least 59 Suicide Attempts Reported to Nunavut RCMP This Year. Nunavut RCMP members field more than three calls a day, on average, from distraught Nunavummiut showing signs of poor mental health, Insp. Don Halina told a coroner's inquest into the territory's high suicide numbers Sept. 22. And Nunavut RCMP track statistics on those attempted suicides that police are alerted to, Halina told a six-member jury. "Don't quote me on this, but I think we're at 59 attempted suicides for this calendar year [in Nunavut]," Halina said at the inquest, being held at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit. Nunatsiaq Online

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

 

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

 

Future Events

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.


Resources for the Future and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment are hosting a seminar to understand the science behind increased shipping and the related impacts on marine life, ecosystems, and the communities that depend on them. Among the speakers will be Dr. Lawson Brigham, from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, an advisor to the USARC, and Ms. Denise Michels, Mayor of Nome, Alaska. Registration required. Available as webcast too. (By the way, RFF's website won't enable you to register using the Safari browser...try Chrome, or another)

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.
 
2015 Arctic Science Conference, October 1-3, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The conference theme is "Healthy Estuaries: Sustainability and Resilience." Conference topics include traditional scientific disciplines, science education, arctic social sciences, biomedical research, and artistic interpretation of the evolving North.  Abstract submissions are now being accepted. The deadline is August 1, 2015.
 
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.

2015 Fall Meeting of the Marine Board of the National Academies, November 12-13, 2015 (Washington, D.C.). The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies will host its Fall 2015 Marine Board meeting in Washington, D.C. The main topics of focus for this meeting are "Responding to Emergencies in the Arctic 2015" and "Human and Intellectual Capital in Marine Transportation."

Matchpoints Seminar, November 12-13, 2015 (Aarhus, Denmark). The purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for policy-makers and academics to deliberate on how the security, resilience and sustainability of the globalized Arctic region and its peoples may be enhanced, and what instruments of governance may most suitably contribute. The conference will spell out (1) how the different relevant dimensions of security (military, economic, environmental, energy and human security) manifest themselves in the governing / governance arrangements in the Arctic; (2) how the challenges associated with each manifest themselves, individually and together; and  (3) what forms of governing arrangements can best help to address the challenges. The conference will also focus on (4) how the Nordic countries and nations, including Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Aaland Islands, may contribute to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Arctic region through collaborative efforts based on their shared social, human, environmental and democratic values.
 
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.
 
In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process 2015, November 24-26, 2015 (Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland).When the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the so-called Rovaniemi Process, was adopted in 1991, it aimed at overcoming divisions and turning the zone of Cold War military tensions into a region of peace and co-operation. In this joint effort focusing on the protection of environment, and later, sustainable development, the Arctic states supported by indigenous organizations laid grounds for institutionalized collaboration and the emergence of Arctic regional identity. The second international conference will bring together decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students to address these questions and discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives.

Arctic Encounter Paris (AEP 2015), December 11-12, 2015 (Paris, France) (During the UN Convention on Climate Change - COP21). The Arctic Encounter Paris will take place at the French Senate at Luxembourg Palace and the French Military College, �cole Militaire, in Paris, France, on the final days of the monumental United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP21) where thousands of global citizens and government delegates will be gathered to deliberate the world's response to our changing planet in Paris. The AEP is the only Arctic policy side event currently planned to take place during the UN Convention. A reception will take place following the closing panel.

3rd Annual Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES 2016), January 15-16, 2016 (Seattle, WA, USA). Building upon the preceding Arctic Encounter event in Paris, the third annual Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES) in Seattle, Washington will convene policymakers, industry leaders, and leading experts to confront the leading issues in Arctic policy, innovation, and development. As the largest annual Arctic policy event in the United States, the AES mission is to raise awareness, engage challenges, and develop solutions for the future of a region and a people. The two-day program includes two keynote luncheons, expert plenary sessions, break out sessions, a networking cocktail reception and seated dinner at the Museum of History and Industry on South Lake Union. A closing reception will take place at the conclusion of the program. The official host of the third annual AES is the University of Washington School of Law. 
 
Arctic Science Summit Week Arctic Observing Summit, March 12-18, 2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA). ASSW is the annual gathering of international organizations that support and facilitate long-term planning in Arctic research. In 2016, ASSW will be held in conjunction with AOS, which brings people together to facilitate the design, implementation, coordination and sustained long-term operation of an international network of Arctic observing systems.

  
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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