|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arctic Technology Conference, February 10-12, 2014 (Houston, TX). Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) provides offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection. The Arctic Technology Conference (ATC) is built upon OTC's successful multidisciplinary approach, with 14 technical societies and organizations. The conference is an international event focused on continuing innovative technologies and solutions needed for exploration and production of energy within the circum-Arctic.
 Today's Congressional Action:
The House and Senate will be in session. The formal agenda includes non-Arctic legislation.
|
 Young Calls for Subsistence Seats on Fisheries Council, Yukon Panel. Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young is looking to add a subsistence representative to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council as part of the pending changes during the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The act provides the basis for federal fisheries management throughout the country, including between three and 200 miles offshore from Alaska. It was last updated in 2006, and is set to be reauthorized this year. A draft version, with changes, was released by the House Natural Resources Committee in December. Anchorage Daily News
Canadian Forces to Hold Training Exercise in Eastern Arctic. Rankin Inlet, a community in Canada's eastern Arctic territory of Nunavut, will be the temporary home to approximately 350 soldiers as the Canadian Armed Forces unfolds its new Arctic field training, known as Exercise Trillium Response. The 4th Canadian Division/Joint Task Force Central and the 31 Canadian Brigade Group from Ontario will be honing their winter warfare and cold weather survival skills over the course of 10 days. Alaska Dispatch
 EU Strengthens Greenland Ties With More Cash, Diamond Agreement. The only country ever to withdraw from the European Union will receive more money in the coming years after the European Parliament voted last week in favour of increasing the amount of financial support it pays to Greenland. With only 13 MEPs voting against and 14 abstaining, the 766-member legislature voted to set aside €218 million for the 2014-2020 period. Under the previous multi-year agreement, Greenland had received €184 million. Arctic Journal
 Russia Looks to Robots to Aid Arctic Development. Over the past decade there have been significant improvements in energy, microelectronics and information technology. These shifts have led to the rapid improvement of robots and now Russian scientists are expecting to use them as they seek to develop the Arctic. Robots, according to Arseny Mitko, a member of the Russian Arctic social sciences academy and an expert on robotics, suggested robots could be used in construction and to carry out difficult underwater tasks. Arctic Journal
Museum Exhibit Opens Highlighting Marine Debris Problem. Marine Debris used to be mostly nets, buoys and fishing gear but now it includes plastic bottles, bottle caps, and styrofoam. It's everywhere, there's nowhere to put it and more is coming every day. Alaska Public Radio
Arctic May Warm 13 C by End of the Century - Study. The Arctic could warm as much as 13 degrees Celsius, or 23.4 degrees Fahrenheit, by the end of the century if efforts are not undertaken to cut greenhouse gases, according to new research from federal scientists. The findings published in Earth's Future and led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers use the most recent climate models to try to pinpoint the future of the Arctic. E&E News
Link to the study, first published by Earth's Future: here.
 Shell Looks to Science for Arctic Help. Michael Macrander, a chief scientist for Shell in Alaska, said engagement with the scientific community could help his company navigate arctic waters. Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben van Bueden said last month he was "not prepared to commit further resources for drilling in Alaska in 2014" following a court decision challenging a 2008 lease for acreage in the Chukchi Sea. UPI
Obama Arctic Plan Misses the Mark, Says Alaska Lt. Governor. At a 3-day Arctic technology conference in Houston, Texas, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell told a gathering of oil and gas experts that President Obama's recently released implementation plan for the nation's Arctic strategy misses the mark. "The White House plan does not move us toward more certainty on development," Treadwell said. "Arctic offshore oil and gas development is occurring, just not in the U.S. You'd think we would have figured out how to offer certainty to investors by now." MarineLink
 Russian Scientists Offer Mossy Treats for Fast-Food Menu. "Lichen chocolate" and "mossy sweets" are some of the delicacies on the world's first Arctic-sourced fast-food menu. Scientists at an Arctic research laboratory in Russia's far north have developed quick and easy meals from local ingredients, including a mixture of dried bread and swamp moss, seasoned with lichen sauce. "Just add hot water, and your lunch is ready in three minutes," they told Governor Dmitry Kobylkin of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area at an official tasting. BBC News
|
|
Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.
|
|
Future Events
** New**
Fisheries Treaties and Port State Measure Agreements, February 12, 2014 (Washington, D.C.) The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a hearing on several outstanding treaties and agreements including: the Convention on Future Multilateral Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries; the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the South Pacific Ocean; the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean; and, an Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Several witnesses with Arctic experience are expected to testify, including: Senator Lisa Murkowski and Ambassador David Balton, among others.
Developing Alaska's Marine Workforce, February 14, 2014. (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) hosts the luncheon. Discussion will focus on industry strategies for moving forward to secure Alaska's future needs for an educated and trained workforce are met. Feature presentations include a recap of NAMEPA's 2012 meeting, University of Alaska updates on the FSMI (Alaska's Fisheries, Seafood, Maritime Initiative) Workforce Development Plan and trends in education and training.
Arctic Ambitions, February 27-28, 2014 (Girdwood, Alaska). World Trade Center Alaska will host Arctic Ambitions III: Commercial Development of the Arctic. This conference focuses solely on Arctic international trade and business opportunities. It is anticipated that about 200 business and government leaders attending next year's conference.
Arctic Ambitions III will concentrate on the theme of international trade and business opportunities that flow from resource development in the Arctic. While policy and research inform the discussion, the conference focuses on global markets, international trade and logistics. The previous two conferences brought together presenters from Canada, Finland, Norway, Russia, Korea and Alaska. USARC Chair Fran Ulmer will be a speaker.
Arctic 2050, March 12, 2014 (Brussels, Belgium). The 4th European Marine Board Forum will bring together Arctic stakeholders from multiple sectors (science, industry, policy & governance, NGOs, etc.) to: discuss current trends and patterns of change in Arctic Ocean ecosystems, including human activity; identify possible "2050" scenarios for Arctic Change and the corresponding implications for human health and well-being; highlight key research gaps, needs and challenges in support of understanding, mitigating against, or adapting to Arctic change; stimulate dialogue across sectors to aid common understanding, collaborative actions and sustainability targets; promote a vision for a sustainable ecosystem-based management of the Arctic Ocean by 2050.
44th Annual International Arctic Workshop, March 14-16, 2014 (Boulder, CO). The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research of the University of Colorado will host the workshop. This year's theme is "Arctic's New Normal." The workshop will consider shifting environmental baselines over decades to millennia and comparisons with the Antarctic. Previous workshops have included presentations on Arctic and Antarctic climate, atmospheric chemistry, environmental geochemistry, paleoenvironment, archeology, geomorphology, hydrology, glaciology, soils, ecology, oceanography, Quaternary history and more.
** New **
Association of American Geographers Polar Geography Sessions, April 8-12, 2014 (Tampa, Florida). Polar Geography Sessions are being planned in areas such as Sustainable Development in the Arctic, Urbanization and Transportation in the Arctic, etc. Contact Scott Stephenson (stephenson@ucla.edu) for more information, and see attached flyer.
Arctic Science Summit Week April 5-8, 2014 and Arctic Observing Summit, April 9-11 (Helsinki, Finland). ASSW is a gathering for Arctic research organizations. Any organization engaged in supporting and facilitating arctic research is welcome to participate. The ASSW meeting in 2014 will be arranged during April 5-8 in Helsinki Kumpula Campus, in the facilities of FMI and Physics Department of the University of Helsinki. Second circular here.
|
|
 
4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 510
Arlington, VA 22203, USA
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
