Arctic Update Header
March 31, 2014

capital Today's Congressional Action:   

The Senate is in session and will consider non-Arctic legislation. The House is not in session.

 

 

 

Media 

  

Kerry Kerry on UN Climate Change Report: 'Costs of Inaction are Catastrophic.' The release of a United Nations report detailing the pervasive effects of climate change should serve as a call to action for the world's nations to curb the emission of greenhouse gases, Secretary of State John Kerry argued Sunday night. In a statement issued by the State Department, Kerry called denial of climate change science "malpractice" and warned the "costs of inaction are catastrophic." The Hill

 

Visiliev to Become [Russia's] Ambassador to Iceland. One of Russia's most respected Arctic diplomats will become that country's next ambassador to Iceland, according to sources in the Icelandic and Russian foreign ministries. Anton Vasiliev currently serves as Russia's ambassador at-large for Arctic affairs and is the country's senior Arctic official, representing Russia on the Arctic Council, a regional policy co-ordination group. Arctic Journal

 

Canadian Arctic Unprepared for Emergencies: Report. Canada's Arctic is under increasing threat from natural and man-made disasters and isn't adequately prepared to deal with them, a new report says. In light of increased activity and international interest in the region, a lack of planning and training for emergencies is "putting lives at risk," the Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program says. Sun News

 

Scientists Focus on Polar Waters as Threat of Acidification Grows. The Australian research project is one of a handful being conducted by scientists in Antarctica and the Arctic, where the reality of ocean acidification - the so-called other CO2 problem - is expected to be felt first, soon, and hard. That's because colder ocean waters inhale and retain more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than warmer waters. This creates higher levels of acidity and threatens a host of creatures - from tiny zooplankton to sea urchins and sea stars - that may have difficulty building shells or reproducing in waters with a lower pH. Yale360

 

Japan's Arctic Whaling Not for Scientific Purposes: World Court. The International Court of Justice on Monday ordered a temporary halt to Japan's Antarctic whaling program, ruling that it is not for scientific purposes as the Japanese had claimed. Australia had sued Japan at the U.N.'s highest court for resolving disputes between nations in hopes of ending whaling in the icy Southern Ocean. Huffington Post

 

Rural Alaska Wolf May Get Endangered Species Act Protection. Federal authorities announced Friday that the geographically isolated Alexander Archipelago wolf of southeast Alaska's Tongass National Forest may need protection under the Endangered Species Act to survive the impact of logging, hunting and trapping in its old-growth habitat. Populations of the rare subspecies of gray wolf are in steep decline in portions of the heavily logged region, where they den in the root systems of western hemlock and Sitka spruce and hunt black-tailed deer, which also rely on the ancient trees to shield them from harsh winters. Los Angeles Times

 

Supreme Court Won't Hear Challenge to Alaska Native Subsistence. The U.S. Supreme Court today denied a petition in Alaska v. Jewell, an Alaska Native subsistence case. The state of Alaska sought to overturn a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that allows the federal government to protect Native subsistence rights. The ruling was part of the long-running Katie John case, named for the late elder who went to court to protect her traditional way of life. Indianz

 

Parallel Parking in the Arctic Circle. I never thought I'd ever get to see what the Arctic ice cap looks like from the bottom up. It's quite stunning - blocks of blue ice tumbling around in a frigid sea amid giant, jagged ice stalactites. I was afforded that unique view while surfacing from beneath the Arctic Circle last weekend aboard the U.S.S. New Mexico, an attack submarine. I had spent the night on the sub as part of a group accompanying Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the chief of naval operations, who was observing the Navy's submarine arctic warfare exercise. New York Times

 

Linkages Between Arctic Warming and Mid-Latitude Weather Patterns, Summary of a Workshop. The National Research Council held a workshop in September 2013 to review the connections between Arctic warming and mid-latitude weather patterns, to discuss gaps in understanding, and to explore future research needs. Presenters and participants at the workshop (see list of participants) included many leading researchers in this realm with a diverse array of perspectives. Several hypotheses for how Arctic warming may be influencing mid-latitude weather patterns have been proposed. For example, Arctic amplified warming could lead to a weakened jet stream, resulting in more persistent weather patterns in the mid-latitudes. These linkages are the subject of active research. Many workshop participants noted that research on the Arctic influence on mid-latitude weather is still young, making it difficult to draw conclusions regarding the existence of such linkages or their mechanisms. Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

 

Murkowski Questions Interior Secretary on Arctic Commitment. With the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) responsible for advancing five key aspects of the nation's Arctic agenda, Senator Lisa Murkowski questioned the Interior Secretary about how much attention - and funding - the administration is giving its Arctic plans, as nations around the world are investing billions in the region. The administration's recent Arctic Implementation Plan identified the DOI as tasked with overseeing development of non-renewable energy resources, integrated Arctic management implementation, terrestrial ecosystem climate change research, wildland fires in the Arctic, and invasive species studies. Political News

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

  

No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.

Future Events

 

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

 

Alaska Policy Commission. May 6-7, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. The draft agenda is available here

 

International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences, May 22-24, 2014. ICASS is held every three years, bringing together people from all over the world to share ideas about social science research in the Arctic. ICASS VII, held in Akureyri in June 2011, attracted 450 participants from 30 different countries. ICASS VIII's theme is Northern Sustainabilities. By using the plural, ICASS underscores both that 'sustainability' has social, cultural, economic, political and environmental dimensions, and that definitions of the concept vary. Yet, while debating specific definitions, most would agree that working toward sustainable ways of living in the North and on approaches to sustainable engagement with the North, are critical both to the North's and to the world's future. Community sustainability in the North, whether for small settlements or large urban conglomerations, requires new models of food and energy security, and of access to employment, health care and social and cultural services for residents.

 

Arctic in the Athropocene. June 23-July 2, 2014 (Potsdam, Germany). Under the overarching theme "Arctic in the Anthropocene", this two-week interdisciplinary and interactive event will be the first in a series of Potsdam Summer Schools to be held annually. The goal is to bring together early-career scientists and young professionals from research departments, governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations, as well as the private sector from all around the world. Participants will deal with global challenges and address urgent questions on how to shape sustainable futures in the Arctic and beyond from a scientific and socioeconomic point of view. 

 

Alaska Policy Commission. August 26-27, 2014 (Kotzebue-Nome, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. 

 

Arctic Circle, October 31-November 2, 2014 (Reyjavik, Iceland).

The Arctic Circle is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Organizations, forums, think tanks, corporations and public associations around the world are invited to hold meetings within the Arctic Circle platform to advance their own missions and the broader goal of increasing collaborative decision-making without surrendering their institutional independence. The Arctic Circle will organize sessions on a variety of issues, such as: Sea ice melt and extreme weather; Polar law: treaties and agreements; The role and rights of indigenous peoples; Security in the Arctic; Shipping and transportation infrastructure; The prospects and risks of oil and gas drilling; Clean energy achievements and sustainable development; Arctic resources; Business cooperation in the Arctic; The role of Asian and European countries in the Arctic; Greenland in the new Arctic; Fisheries and ecosystem management; The science of ice: global research cooperation; Arctic tourism; The ice-dependent world: the Arctic and the Himalayas. 

 

Alaska Policy Commission. November 13-14, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. 

 

The Arctic Biodiversity Congress, December 2-4, 2014. (Trondheim, Norway). The Arctic Biodiversity Congress will present and discuss the main scientific findings of the ABA; facilitate inter-disciplinary discussion, action and status updates on the policy recommendations in the ABA; provide scientific, policy, management, NGO, academia, Indigenous peoples and industry audiences the opportunity to collaborate around the themes of the ABA; advise CAFF on national and international implementation of the ABA recommendations and on the development of an ABA Implementation Plan for the Arctic Council; highlight the work of CAFF and the Arctic Council on circumpolar biodiversity conservation and sustainable development; and, contribute to mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services, ensuring that the recommendations of the ABA are implemented by not just governments, but many organizations and people across disciplines.

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