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September 9, 2014
 

World Trade Center Alaska: Arctic Ambitions Trade Mission to Northern Europe, September 4-14, 2014 (Finland-Norway-Iceland). The Trade Mission will visit Northern and Arctic Europe starting September 4th in Finland and ending September 14 in Iceland, with an intermediary stop in Norway. The itinerary includes three days in each country and features visits to Arctic communities. Familiarization with Northern Europe's economies, and in particular commercial development in the Arctic, is the main goal of this trade mission. The participants will gain useful networking opportunities and a wealth of information on these three countries. For registration and information, please contact WTCAK at (907) 278-7233.

 

Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, September 9-11, 2014 (Whitehorse, Canada). The Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region is a biennial conference for parliamentarians representing the eight Arctic countries and the European Parliament. The biennial conference is attended by representatives from the national parliaments of the Arctic states and the European Parliament. The Arctic indigenous peoples are permanent participants to the cooperation. Observers participate from governments and inter-parliamentary organizations as well as from observer states and relevant international organizations.


capital Today's Congressional Action:  

The House and Senate are in session and are expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.

 

 

Media  

 

Foss Maritime Constructs 3 Tugs for Arctic Work. Work is underway at an Oregon shipyard to prepare for increased Arctic activity. Foss Maritime is building three new Arctic tugs at its Rainier Shipyard, each named after the three sisters that own 77 percent of parent company Saltchuk, for work in the far north. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

 

Feds Hear From Kuskokwim Residents About Salmon, Moose and Survival. Before the ice even went out on the Kuskokwim River this year, a tribal council had petitioned the federal government to close the river to king salmon fishing -- except for subsistence users. Napaskiak's tribe wanted to protect a plummeting run while allowing village residents to harvest at least some of the kings, prized for their high oil content. On Monday, the Napaskiak Tribal Council told Federal Subsistence Board members that it didn't get the result it hoped for. Alaska Dispatch News

 

Northwest Passage: Ice in the Machinery. If all goes as planned, the Crystal Serenity, an American cruise liner, will be nearing the end of its month-long journey through the Northwest Passage come this time in 2016. If that happens, the ship will be the first large cruise liner to sail the fabled passage. And given the near constant decline of ice levels in the seaway running through Canada's northern islands, Crystal Cruises, the firm operating the ship, had every reason to expect that things would go as planned when it announced in August that it would be offering the tour. Arctic Journal

 

Kaktovik Meets Fall Allotment With 3 Whales in 3 Days. The cheers were going up throughout Kaktovik this week as whaling captains and their crews brought in three whales in three days, meeting the village's allotment for the fall. Lesley Hopson, administrative manager for the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, said the captains had yet to file official reports but said she had heard anecdotal reports from captains that the whales were caught. Alaska Dispatch News

  

polar bear mattM'Clintock Polar Bear Survey Wraps Up for 2014, Nunavut Board to Ponder Quota. The first part of a survey to estimate Nunavut's M'Clintock Channel polar bear sub-population wrapped up earlier this summer - but not without some adventure and lots of bad weather. So, now it's up to the Nunavut Management Review Board to decide what the quota for 2014 should be for the M'Clintock Channel, which separates the Prince of Wales Island and Victoria Island in Nunavut's Kitikmeot region. Nunatsiaq Online

  

Pacific Walrus Population Dropped Drastically in 1980s-90s, Study Indicates. Pacific walrus numbers dropped by about half from 1981 to 1999, likely due to a combination of hunting and changes to the animals' icy habitat, according to new research from the U.S. Geological Survey, based on the most complete population data yet released on the difficult-to-study walruses. The study, published online in the journal Marine Mammal Science, is the most up-to-date and comprehensive population information released about the large Arctic marine mammals that depend on dwindling amounts of floating summer sea ice to search for food, rest and raise their young. Alaska Dispatch News

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

 

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events

   

Art & Science: An Exhibition of Arctic Climate Change, September 10, 2014 (Washington, DC). Communicating the hard science of Arctic climate change is often a difficult task through language alone. Art, however, is an effective vehicle to communicate the complexities of climate change science to a broad audience. How do Arctic science and the art about it interact, and how does each influence the public perception of Arctic climate change?  Please join the Atlantic Council's Young Atlanticist Program for a roundtable discussion with prominent artists and scientists to discuss the role of visual arts in communicating Arctic climate change science to the public, and the next generation of scientists. Presenters include Dr. John Farrell, executive director of the US Arctic Research Commission

 

AOOS Film Contest, Submission Deadline September 15, 2014. 

In celebration of its 10th Anniversary, Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) is seeking short films highlighting Alaska's coast or oceans.   AOOS welcomes films of any genre relating to the ocean (i.e. people using the ocean and coast, marine research, marine wildlife, ocean-related policy issues, etc).  You don't need to be a professional to submit a film!   

 

102nd US Arctic Research Commission Meeting, September 15-16, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The 102nd USARC meeting will be held in Anchorage. Draft agenda available here

 

Ocean Obs and Ecological Forecasting Webinar, September 16, 2014 (Webinar). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is developing an Ecological Forecasting Roadmap and program manager Allison Allen will be in Anchorage on Tuesday Sept. 16 to hear from key researchers and stakeholders about existing efforts and needs across Alaska. Please join us in person or remotely (log-in info below) to hear the latest state of the science on Harmful Algal Blooms, pathogens and other environmental change. Discussion will focus on identifying priorities for developing operational tools in Alaska, scenario modeling, early warning systems and forecasts of marine events. We invite you to join us for lunch following the formal presentation for an opportunity to continue the conversation informally with Allison. Please RSVP to tyler@aoos.org by Sept 10.  

 

2014 Week of the Arctic, October 6-11, 2014 (Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North will host the 2014 Week of the Arctic. The 2014 Week of the Arctic is a platform for community leaders, subject matter experts and interested stakeholders to learn about the Arctic while contributing to a growing list of priorities and perspectives. Presentations, roundtable discussions and workshops will be held in Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow. Throughout the week, presentations and interviews will be captured on video for distribution through social media and web-based sharing.

 

2014 FAMOS School and Workshop #3, October 21-24, 2014 (Woods Hole, MA). The Forum for Arctic Ocean Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) is an international effort to focus on enhancing collaboration and coordination among Arctic marine and sea ice modelers, theoreticians and observationalists synthesize major results from the field studies and coordinated numerical experiments. The major themes of workshop include but not limited by studies focused on: predictions; Arctic observational and modeling initiatives; fate of sea ice in models and observations; atmospheric, sea ice and ocean dynamics; process studies and parameterizations; model validation and calibration; numerical improvements and algorithms; ecosystems, biological issues, and geochemistry.

 

Transatlantic Science Week 2014, October 27-28, 2014 (Toronto, Canada). The purpose of the annual Transatlantic Science Week (TSW) is to promote enhanced cooperation between Canadian, American and Norwegian stakeholders in research, innovation and higher education. TSW is an arena where different stakeholders can meet with the purpose of developing long-term collaborations or partnerships. The conference also hopes to strengthen the linkages that currently exist between the research and education domains. Finally, TSW also provides an excellent arena for dialogue between the research communities and policymakers. 

 

Arctic Circle, October 31-November 2, 2014 (Reykjavik, 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. 
 

US- Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum, November 4-6, 2014 (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada). Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the Canadian Polar Commission in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, are hosting the fourth Canada - United States Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum. The Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum is a biennial meeting with representation from government, industry, academia, Aboriginal groups and Northerners from both Canada and the United States. The Forum provides an opportunity to discuss current and future priorities for northern oil and gas research. The Forum will showcase the value of northern research in support of sound decision-making for oil and gas management.

 

Alaska Policy Commission. November 17-18, 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.

 

Arctic Change 2014, December 8-12, 2014 (Ottawa, Canada). The international Arctic Change 2014 conference aims to stimulate discussion and foster collaborations among people with a vested interest in the Arctic and its peoples. Coinciding with the pinnacle of Canada's chairmanship of the Arctic Council and marking ArcticNet's 10th anniversary, Arctic Change 2014 welcomes researchers, students, Northerners, policy makers, and stakeholders from all fields of Arctic research and all countries to address the numerous environmental, social, economical and political challenges and opportunities that are emerging from climate change and modernization in the Arctic. With over 1000 participants expected to attend, Arctic Change 2014 will be one of the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conferences ever held in Canada. 

 

Arctic Frontiers: Climate and Energy, January 18-23, 2015. The earth is in the midst of major climate changes. The Arctic is experiencing the impact of these changes more and faster than other parts of the globe. Processes starting in the Arctic may have deep and profound impacts on other parts of the globe. At the same time the Earth's population is rising and with it the global energy demand. New and greener energy sources are gaining market shares, but still the energy mix of the foreseeable future will have a substantial fossil component. The Arctic is expected to hold major oil and gas resources, while the regions green energy potentials are less explored. The Arctic Frontiers conference is a central arena for discussions of Arctic issues. The conference brings together representatives from science, politics, and civil society to share perspectives on how upcoming challenges in the Arctic may be addressed to ensure sustainable development. Arctic Frontiers is composed of a policy section and a scientific section. 

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