Obama Executive Order Expands Russia-Related Sanctions. President Barack Obama has expanded sanctions related to Russia's involvement in Ukraine, on Monday signing an executive order targeting seven Russian government officials and using an existing order to sanction four Ukrainians, including the country's former president. The order authorizes Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to work with Secretary of State John Kerry to impose asset freezes and travel restrictions on "any individual or entity that operates in the Russian arms industry, and any designated individual or entity that acts on behalf of, or that provides material or other support to, any senior Russian government official," the White House said in a statement. Politico

Alaska Sues Over Rejection of Arctic Refuge Plan. The state has sued the federal government over rejecting Alaska's exploration plan for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The state last year proposed a plan aimed at determining the refuge's oil and gas potential. Gov. Sean Parnell's administration argued under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the Interior Secretary must approve an exploration plan if it meets necessary requirements. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Communities on Frontline of Suicide-Prevention Efforts. Faced with the world's highest suicide rate, Greenlandic officials are set to make prevention efforts a central element of their next five-year health strategy. Suicide rates in Greenland rose rapidly in the 1980s and have remained stubbornly high. In order to deal with the problem, the Heath Ministry has followed a plan established in 2005. Arctic Journal

Billionaires With Big Ideas Are Privatizing American Science. Last April, President Obama assembled some of the nation's most august scientific dignitaries in the East Room of the White House. Joking that his grades in physics made him a dubious candidate for "scientist in chief," he spoke of using technological innovation "to grow our economy" and unveiled "the next great American project": a $100 million initiative to probe the mysteries of the human brain. Along the way, he invoked the government's leading role in a history of scientific glories, from putting a man on the moon to creating the Internet. The Brain initiative, as he described it, would be a continuation of that grand tradition, an ambitious rebuttal to deep cuts in federal financing for scientific research. New York Times

Fossils of Miniature T. Rex Found in Arctic. Paleontologists have unearthed the fossilized remains of a pygmy Tyrannosaurus rex in northern Alaska. The prehistoric creature, which roamed the Arctic some 70 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period, was about half the size of its fearsome first cousin farther to the south. Most cars weigh more than Nanuqsaurus, whose name means "polar bear lizard" in the Alaskan Inupiat language. Voice of America

Westward March of Chinese Dragon in Eurasia. As the US militarily pivots into the Asia-Pacific, the Chinese steadily march westward simply through trade-oriented construction and economic projects. The Chinese have finished the construction of a major tunnel that is part of a mountain transport corridor from Turpan to Kurla that is linked to Pakistan. The corridor is part of the extension of the Karakoram Highway that is part of a project to re-integrate the westernmost portion of the People's Republic of China with the areas of Eurasia to its west. RT

USCG ... Past, Present & Future. Ebeneezer Scrooge would be proud. This is our annual United States Coast Guard edition, and it could best be dubbed the "Christmas Carol" edition as we examine USCG Past, USCG Present and USCG Future. First looking back (but not too far back), and in step with our continued celebration of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News' 75th Anniversary, Patricia Keefe takes an insightful look at the times, tribulations, leadership and legacy of Thad Allen, past Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Allen is widely considered to be one of the transformational leaders in this position of all time, and by any measure he is the definition of the word 'leader,' proven by a steady hand through disasters, both natural and man-made, across two Administrations. Allen was a natural choice for profile in this edition, and the story starts on page 32. MarineLink

China to Complete Arctic Shipping Guidelines in June. China is going to complete its first Arctic shipping guideline in June this year. The guidelines are jointly compiled by Ministry of Transport, Polar Research Institute of China and the Ship Navigation Engineering Research Center in Fujian Jimei Univeristy. According to Huang Pengfei, deputy chief of the Ship Navigation Engineering Research Center in Jimei Univeristy, the compilation of the guidelines started in October last year and the guidelines will mainly serve the Chinese merchant ships sailing on the Arctic routes in the future. Sino Ship News

Iconic Arctic Caribou Herd is Booming. The caribou herd known for its epic annual migrations between the Northwest Territories and Alaska is thriving after a decade of decline. In sharp contrast to many of its southern and eastern cousins, the latest population count of the Porcupine caribou found the herd has hit record numbers for recent times. The herd has grown to an estimated 197,000 animals - the highest since biologists in Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories began counting in 1972. Surrey Leader

Another Region Where the Russian Military Threatens to Dominate the US. While much of the world is focused on the Russian incursion into the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, another long-term move may allow the former Soviet navy to dominate U.S. interests to the north: the Arctic. The rapid melting of the Arctic Ocean is quickly creating a new variety of challenges that have the potential to cause significant global damage if they remain unaddressed. CNN

Warming Arctic and Potential Shifts in Mid-Latitude Weather, March 18, 2014 (Webinar). An apparently increasing number of record-breaking meteorological events have occurred in mid-latitudes during the past decade as well as a large number of recent abrupt climate changes in the Arctic. Opinions differ on whether such recent extreme weather events were related to recent global or Arctic climate change, Pacific or tropical forcing, or simply chaotic random events. Record negative values of the early winter Arctic Oscillation atmospheric circulation index, high pressures over Greenland and warm temperatures (increased geopotential thickness west of Greenland) have been observed in four of the last five early winters, with cold air penetrating into the southeastern United States and a southern location of the jet stream across the Atlantic. So far we have a tantalizing array of possible drivers based on observed correlations, theoretical reasoning and limited model work. Given the recent run of Greenland high pressures and the potential for scientific breakthroughs for improved seasonal forecasting, one should not rule out a possible emergence of a combination of Arctic change, Pacific influences, and chaotic long-wave patterns impacting mid-latitude extreme weather as an important research challenge, but one that will be dominated by uncertainty for the foreseeable future. To access the webinar, please go here.

Meeting Number:  746443948

Meeting Passcode:  PMELSeminar

Meeting Host:  MS LAUREN  KOELLERMEIER

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.