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February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 

 

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, February 13-17, 2014 (Chicago, Illinois, USA) AAAS hosts its annual meeting to focus on finding sustainable solutions through inclusive, international and interdisciplinary efforts that are most useful to society and enhance economic growth. There are over 150 sessions planned for this meeting. For more information about these sessions, including viewing them online, please see here.

 

The Big Thaw: Impacts on Health of Marine Mammals and Indigenous People in the Arctic, February 14, 2014 (Chicago, Illinois, USA) Andrew Trites of the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium with others hosts this session at the AAAS Annual Meeting. This session will consider how recent oceanographic changes have disrupted a fragile Arctic "status quo," dramatically impacting the health and resilience of marine mammals, wildlife populations, and indigenous peoples in the North. It will focus on seals, walrus, and beluga as landmark sentinel species to illustrate the consequences of a changing marine ecosystem, and how it is critically affecting the health and sustainability of marine mammal populations and the indigenous communities of wildlife and people that depend on their survival.

 

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.


capital Today's Congressional Action:   

The House and Senate are not in session.

 

 

 

Media 

 

Landrieu's Gavel Comes with Risks. Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-La.) new powers as chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee could end up being a double-edged sword for her already-difficult reelection chances. The Bayou Democrat took over the plum post on Wednesday evening, which could allow her to push legislation popular back home that boosts the oil industry, all while distancing herself from an unpopular President Obama. The Hill

 

Murkowski Murkowski Slams "Unambitious" White House Arctic Plan. Senator Lisa Murkowski today reached out to the Obama administration and expressed her disappointment that its recently-released "Arctic Strategy Implementation Plan" falls far short of America's needs as the nation slips further behind other nations investing in the region. The United States is scheduled to become the Chair of the Arctic Council next year, and Senator Murkowski has been working with Cabinet officials, top military brass and international leaders to advocate for a better awareness of Alaska's Arctic role and the need for action and investment now.   Murkowski also gave the keynote address at last week's Arctic Symposium in Seattle. Senator Lisa Murkowski

 

Searchable Sea Ice Atlas Holds 160 Years of Information. A new digital atlas chronicling sea-ice concentrations in the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering seas from 1850 to 2012 has been launched. The interactive, Web-based graphic will allow users to view the extent of sea ice as much as 300 miles off Alaska's coast, dating back to 1850. Users can search based on date or location, and there are animations of monthly ice change, ice-coverage graphs and a glossary of sea ice and scientific terms. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

 

Arctic Oil Could Wipe Out Icelandic Debt-And More. Iceland, long known for its geothermal power, may become the next Nordic oil state, should predictions of an offshore deposit containing 10 billion barrels of oil hold true. Icelandic authorities told Dagbladet, a Norwegian newspaper, that the deposit, between the country's north-eastern coast and the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, could be worth upwards of $1 billion. Arctic Journal

 

beluga Public Health Warning Issued After Cat Parasite Spreads to Whales. A potentially deadly parasite has spread from domestic cats to beluga whales in the Arctic, prompting scientists to issue a public health warning. Inuit populations who consume whalemeat have been warned the parasite, called Toxoplasma gondii, can be spread when people do not wash their hands after preparing meals. The bacteria is destroyed by cooking the meat, yet the Food Standards Agency suggests around 350,000 people become infected every year. International Business Times

 

NOAA Researcher Says Arctic Marine Mammals Are Ecosystem Sentinels. As the Arctic continues to see dramatic declines in seasonal sea ice, warming temperatures and increased storminess, the responses of marine mammals can provide clues to how the ecosystem is responding to these physical drivers. Seals, walruses and polar bears rely on seasonal sea ice for habitat and must adapt to the sudden loss of ice, while migratory species such as whales appear to be finding new prey, altering migration timing and moving to new habitats. ScienceCodex

 

permafrost Simple Science Keeps Alaska's Permafrost Frozen. An Anchorage company is the only manufacturer in the United States of thermosyphons, a simple machine that works as a cooling system for permafrost that arctic infrastructure is built on. All over Alaska, heat from roadways and buildings can cause the ice in unstable permafrost to melt, creating problems for infrastructure. KTUU

 

Arctic Council Group Talks Oil Spill Policies. Girdwood is hosting dozens of international delegates working as part of the Arctic Council to protect the marine environment of the world's northernmost waters. The group, known as Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment, had its first meeting in Alaska Wednesday. KTUU 

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

  

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events

 

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. 
 

Warming Arctic: Development, Stewardship and Science (March 3-4, 2014). The third in a series of Fletcher School International Inquiries on the implications of the Warming Arctic will focus on the economic development of the High North in the years ahead. The 1st Warming Arctic inquiry in March 2012 explored the importance of the 8-country Arctic Council, just becoming of age. The 2nd Inquiry in March 2013 focused on the science of the warming arctic impacting global climate change. This 3rd Inquiry will address the accelerating economic development of the Arctic lands and waters as its plentiful resources become more accessible to be plumbed. 

 

Additional Documents: Save the Date; Hothouse in the Arctic: Planning for Wealth or Balancing Progress; A Witch's Brew: Arctic Warming + Global Climate Change.

  

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.
 
** New **

New Vision for Sea Shipping Between Europe-Asia-USA, March 12-14, 2014 (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka Region, Russia) The Tranzit-DV Group, with the participation of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, is holding a conference in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The conference theme is the creation of a logistics complex - MILC (Multimodal Industrial-Logistics Complex) in the Asia-Pacific Region with developed infrastructure and traffic network. Topics include: Seaports in the Primorsky and Kamchatka regions: experience, opportunities, prospects and development of sea transport; use of the Northern Sea Route in the global transport services market; state programs for investment support and development of the Russian Far East; analysis of the situation on the Russian and global container transport and bunkering markets; prospects for port hub development and multimodal carriage; and, maritime insurance issues.

 

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.
 

Navigational Developments and the Viability of Commercialized Shipping in the Arctic, March 20, 2014. (Washington, D.C.) The Federal Maritime Commission's Maritime Environmental Committee will be hosting a Brown Bag Speaker Series with a presentation by Dr. John Farrell, Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and Captain David Murk, Senior Maritime Safety and Security Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The speakers will discuss the environmental impact commercial shipping may have in the Arctic, United States' interests in the Arctic, and the viability of commercial shipping in the region.

 

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

 

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