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Today's Congressional Action:
The House and Senate are not in session.
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Media
Putin Making a Play for Arctic Shipping Route. Our relationship with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, is complicated. Since the Obama administration's "reset with Russia," the former KGB bigwig has, not only pushed the envelope in numerous areas of governance around the world, but shored up his quest to establish Russia as the pre-eminent international force. Here at home, Vlad insinuated himself as a prominent topic of media speculation during our presidential election process. The hacking and leaking of political communications and his ambiguous relationship with our President-elect kept his name in the news. And then there is Trump's alleged relationships within the Russian business community and the banking industry. It's a complicated story. The Michigan City News-Dispatch
 Global Warming Alters Arctic Food Chain, Scientists Say, with Unforeseeable Results. The Arctic Ocean may seem remote and forbidding, but to birds, whales and other animals, it's a top-notch dining destination. "It's a great place to get food in the summertime, so animals are flying or swimming thousands of miles to get there," said Kevin R. Arrigo, a biological oceanographer at Stanford University. But the menu is changing. Confirming earlier research, scientists reported Wednesday that global warming is altering the ecology of the Arctic Ocean on a huge scale. New York Times
 Murkowski Lays Out Path on Arctic Leases. Republicans have options to counteract the Obama administration's move to pull Arctic waters from the federal offshore oil and gas lease plan, but they are far from immediate. When the Interior Department released its 2017-2022 outer continental shelf, or OCS, lease plan document on Nov. 18 sans sales in Alaska's Beaufort and Chukchi seas, the state's leaders were instantly livid as environmental watchdogs rejoiced, tallying the news as a victory on the climate change front. Juneau Empire
Scientists Already Worry About Using the Words 'Climate Change.' Scientists don't expect to see many press releases in the Trump administration like the one the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued yesterday. "NOAA research links human-caused CO2 emissions to dissolving sea snail shells off U.S. West Coast," the headline declared. Scientists had clearly linked human activity to the mortality of microscopic marine sea snails that are an important source of food for salmon. E&E News
President-elect Trump's view (on 11/22/16) on climate change...
When Thomas Friedman, of the NY Times asked, "Do you think climate change is caused by human activity?" Trump answered, "I think there is some connectivity." It is not clear "how much," and what he will do about it "depends on how much it's going to cost our companies." Trump said he would study the issue "very hard" and hinted that if, after study, he was to moderate his views, his voice would be influential with climate skeptics. NY Times.
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Legislative Action.gif "futureevents")
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
 ** New this week ** Observations and Predictions for Arctic Sea-Ice Use: Perspectives from Coastal Alaska, November 30, 2016 (Washington, DC USA). The Arctic sea-ice cover is in the midst of a major transformation, with the Pacific Arctic sector and Alaska experiencing some of the most profound changes in ice cover anywhere in the Arctic. With impacts on Arctic coastal communities and increases in maritime activities, both observations of changes underway and predictions at the scale of less than a week to several months out are of importance to the research community and those living and operating in ice-covered seas. The presentation will explore key benefits or hazards deriving from sea ice, and explore the types of information and predictions most relevant to sea ice users, with a focus on Alaska coastal environments. Specifically, use of coastal land fast ice by Indigenous communities and industry serves to illustrate the importance of stakeholder input and guidance in defining the research problem and types of observations and predictions needed. The presentation will explore how the combination of surface-based observations, Indigenous and local knowledge, and remote sensing is particularly effective in addressing a hierarchy of issues of deriving from rapid changes in coastal ice environments.
Alaska Ocean Acidification 'State of the Science' Workshop, November 30 - December 1, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska USA). This 2-day workshop will discuss the latest monitoring, research, findings. Workshop goals include educating the broader Alaska community on the processes and consequences of OA, creating connections between researchers and stakeholders, and developing new ideas and partnerships to enhance monitoring, community engagement, and future adaptation efforts. The workshop is free and will be broadcast via webinar to satellite locations and personal computers. For more information and registration, please visit the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network.
 ArcticNet annual Scientific Meeting 2016, December 5-9, 2016 (Winnipeg, MP Canada). ArcticNet will host its 12th Annual Scientific Meeting. The ASM2016 will welcome researchers, students, Inuit, Northerners, policy makers and stakeholders to address the numerous environmental, social, economical and political challenges and opportunities that are emerging from climate change and modernization in the Arctic. As the largest annual Arctic research gathering held in Canada, ArcticNet's ASM is the ideal venue to showcase results from all fields of Arctic research, stimulate discussion and foster collaborations among those with a vested interest in the Arctic and its peoples.
 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 12-16, 2016 (San Francisco, CA USA). Anticipating about 25,000 attendees, AGU's Fall Meeting will again be the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world. 2016 marks the meeting's 49th year and there will be approximately 20,000 oral and poster presentations in over 1,700 sessions, many of which will focus specifically on Arctic science. Among the highlights, the "2016 Arctic Report" will again be released, IARPC will hold a "Town Hall Meeting" on Thursday, Dec. 15th, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in Moscone West Room 2003, and NASA will have a Town Hall on Operation IceBridge on Dec. 14th, in Moscone Room 202 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.   Objectives for Arctic Research 2017-2018" at AGU Town Hall Meeting, December 15, 2016 (San Francisco, CA, USA) Commissioner Jackie Richter-Menge will release the report and give a summary of the contents.
 Alaska Marine Science Symposium, January 23-27, 2017 (Anchorage, AK USA). The annual Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS) is Alaska's premier marine research conference. It brings together roughly 800 scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and interested public to discuss marine research being conducted in Alaskan waters. Research will be presented by geographic theme, including the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands, and the Arctic. Topic areas will include ocean physics, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, local traditional knowledge and more. Keynote presentations will be held Monday, January 23rd; Gulf of Alaska presentations will be on Tuesday, Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands on Wednesday, followed by the Arctic on Thursday. USARC will also do a "State of Alaska release" of its 2017-2018 "Goals Report" at this symposium. A prior release will be at the AGU meeting, described above, on December 15th.
 Alaska Forum on the Environment, February 6-10, 2017 (Anchorage, AK USA). This statewide gathering of environmental professionals, community leaders, Alaskan youth, conservationists, biologists and community elders will be holding its 19th meeting to continue providing a strong educational foundation for all Alaskans and a unique opportunity to interact with others on environmental issues and challenges. As many as 1,800 people are expected to attend AFE this years meeting.
6th Annual Fletcher Arctic Conference, February 17-18, 2017 (Medford, MA USA). Fletcher Arctic VI, a TEDx-style event, will showcase the ideas, stories, and initiatives of people who live and work in the Arctic. The conference will bring together inspiring leaders, innovative business people, expert scientists, and artists from the pan-Arctic region. Building on The Fletcher School's interdisciplinary approach, Fletcher Arctic VI will be a forum to engage in conversation and spark open and constructive debate between speakers and participants, providing deep insights into this unique and rapidly changing region.
IV International Forum, March 2017 (Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation) Arkhangelsk will host the Forum. The Forum will be titled Human in the Arctic and will be aimed at putting together joint efforts of the international community to promote effective development of the Arctic region as a territory for comfort life, work and leisure. The Forum will be attended by government officials, representatives of international organizations and prominent business communities, centers for political studies, Polar researchers and members of the international Arctic expeditions, foreign political scientists and economists, Russian and foreign journalists from leading international media organizations. The Forum will be attended by the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin. Additional information will be announced here.
- The Arctic Cryosphere
- Pollution in the Arctic
- Human Health Aspects of Pollution and Climate Change
- Global and Arctic Systems Feedback Mechanisms
- Resilience within Arctic Ecosystems
- Science and Plicy Making
- Socio-Economic Drivers and Impacts of Arctic Change
Organizers announce a call for abstracts which are due by December 2, 2016. The event is organized by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP).
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