|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Today's Congressional Action:
The House and Senate are not in session.
|
Media
 President Obama Annouces More Key Administration Posts: Dr. Jackie Richter-Menge, Appointee for Member, Arctic Research Commission. Dr. Jackie Richter-Menge serves as a Research Civil Engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a position she has held since 1981.She has also served as an Affiliate Professor at the Institute of Northern Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks since 2016, a Visiting Research Scientist at the Thayer School of Engineering at the Dartmouth College since 2015, and as a Professional Engineer for the State of New Hampshire since 1983.In addition, Dr. Richter-Menge has served as Chair of the Science Steering Committee for the SCICEX Program and as Sea Ice Lead for the NASA IceBridge Science Team.She earned the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service in 1994 and 2012.Dr. Richter-Menge earned a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Delaware. The White House
Caribou Carcasses Litter Nunavut Island-Why? Scientists want to know why more than 50 caribou on Nunavut's Prince Charles Island in Foxe Basin, all of which show no obvious sign of mortal injury, have died. Environment Canada research scientist and bird biologist, Paul Smith, said he first spotted the dead caribou last July when he flew over Prince Charles Island, located in the Foxe Basin, on a survey mission for a new research cabin site. Nunatsiaq Online
Climate Change Could Release Cold War-Era Radioactive Waste in Greenland. Global warming could release radioactive waste stored in an abandoned Cold War-era U.S. military camp deep under Greenland's ice caps if a thaw continues to spread in coming decades, scientists said on Friday. Camp Century was built in northwest Greenland in 1959 as part of U.S. research into the feasibility of nuclear missile launch sites in the Arctic, the University of Zurich said in a statement. Huffington Post
 Warming Climate Expected to Squeeze Out Arctic Bird Habitat. Many species of shorebirds that migrate to the Arctic each year to breed their young will lose substantial amounts of their summer habitat to climate change, and the biggest losses in the coming decades will be in Alaska and neighboring parts of Russia, new research concludes. By 2070, higher temperatures brought on by climate change will eliminate important Arctic breeding habitat for at least two-thirds of the 24 bird species evaluated in a study published in the journal Global Change Biology, scientists predicted. Some species, like the Pacific golden plover and the red phalarope, are on track to lose nearly all of the suitable Arctic conditions they use in the summer, according to the study.
Alaska Dispatch News
Polar Bear to Decrease as Emissions Rise- Study. Diminishing sea ice levels may be the most significant problem facing polar bears today. A study that looks into different threats to the species, and the manner in which changing temperatures affect them, found that melting sea ice could significantly change polar pear populations. Some of the other threats that the study focuses on include exposure to disease as well as the impact of oil extraction and other human activities. "What we found was the overwhelming driver of future adverse outcomes is loss of sea ice habitat," said Todd Atwood, a research wildlife biologist. E&E News  Shell Returns to Unalaska.
A Shell representative says the vessels are "tasked with retrieving more than 50 anchors from the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas" and "completing required environmental science monitoring and reporting."
Meanwhile, a Coast Guard investigation
released this week confirms that inaccurate charts are to blame for one of Shell's major mishaps last summer. The icebreaker Fennica hit a pinnacle of rock near Dutch Harbor, tearing a three-foot hole in its hull and causing the boat to take on water. The original damage was estimated at $100,000 and repairs set back
the Fennica's arrival in the Arctic Ocean by a month
.
Public Radio Russia to Submit Shelf Expansion Claim to the UN on August 9. On August 9, Russia's Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sergei Donskoi will submit to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) a revised bid to expand the boundaries of Russia's continental shelf in the Arctic, the Interfax news agency reported. The bid calls for enlarging Russia's Arctic boundaries by 1.2 million sq km. Earlier, the minister said consideration of the claim could take up to three to five years. Leopold Lobkovsky, research coordinator for the preparation of the bid and deputy director for geology at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, said on August 5 that the Russian delegation will assert its claim to the expansion of the continental shelf twice a year. The Arctic
|
Legislative Action.gif "futureevents")
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
|
|
Future Events
Hosted by Saint Petersburg State University, the UArctic Congress 2016 will feature Science and Meeting sections, including:
- Acclaimed keynote speakers and scientific experts presenting research.
- Parallel sessions on Arctic science, policy, and education topics.
- Meetings for reps of the Council of UArctic and UArctic Rectors' Forum.
- Pre-Meetings to foster contacts and enhance networking.
- Opportunities to promote and market your organization and activities.
- A UArctic Student Forum with workshops.
- A Cultural and Social program.
The 2016 UArctic Rectors' Forum and the 19th annual meeting of the Council of UArctic form an integral part of the congress.
Conference on Water Innovations for Healthy Arctic Homes: September 18-21, 2016, Anchorage, Alaska. This circumpolar conference will bring together engineers, health experts, researchers, community members, policymakers, and innovators to discuss health benefits, challenges and innovations associated with making running water and sewer in remote northern communities safe, affordable and sustainable. Information and an expression of interest in attending can be found here. (The full link is: http://wihah2016.com/) 13th International Conference on Gas in Marine Sediments: September 19-22, 2016 (Tromso, Norway). GIMS 13 promotes the study of natural gas and release systems on a global scale and facilitates interdisciplinary and international cooperation. The conference intends to bring together geologists, biologists, microbiologist, geophysicists, oceanographers, geochemists and scientists from modeling disciplines. The forum will provide a platform for current knowledge and future programs in gas inventories, fluxes and their role within the carbon cycle and biodiversity. Conference is organized by CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Abstract submission deadline is May 30th and registration deadline is June 20th. For more information: http://gims13.uit.no
Bridging the Future of Arctic Social Science Research, September 23-24, 2016 (Monticello, Virginia, USA). The event is sponsored by Arctic Horizons. The event will reassemble the members of the National Steering Committee and a small but diverse selection of representatives from the five regional workshops, to total about 15 people. The aim will be to identify and synthesize the core threads of the previous workshops and public contributions proffered between workshops. The target output for the workshop will be a final report draft and outline of steps leading to the final report release in June 2016. The Jefferson Institute will manage production of the publication.
Second International Conference on Natural Resources and Integrated Development of Coastal Areas in the Arctic Zone, September 27-29, 2016 (Arkhangelsk, Russia). The Conference is organized by FASO of Russia, Russian Academy of Sciences, Government of Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk Scientific Center and International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). Conference is aimed at elaboration of research-based practical measures and instruments for realization of human, natural and transport-logistical potential of the Arctic zone, including development of the Northern Sea Route and implementation of models of integrated coastal areas management. For additional information, please email.
Arctic Ambitions V: International Business Conference & Trade Show, October 4-5, 2016 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). This once-a-year event uniquely focuses on business and investment opportunities flowing from developments in the Arctic. With interest in commercial development in the Arctic growing rapidly, WTC Anchorage initiated the Arctic Ambitions conference five years ago to address issues such as innovation, investment, infrastructure development, transportation, natural resources, and trade. At the event, corporate executives and senior government officials from across the Arctic, and around the world, make presentations and participate in panel discussions. This year's conference also includes a Trade Show and B2B Matchmaking Session. For more information, please contact Greg Wolf ( greg@wtcak.org) or call 907-278-7233.
Inuit traditions are a repository of Inuit culture and a primary expression of Inuit identity. The theme for the 2016 Inuit Studies Conference invites Elders, knowledge-bearers, researchers, artists, policy-makers, students and others to engage in conversations about the many ways in which traditions shape understanding, while registering social and cultural change. The institutional hosts of "Inuit Traditions," Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Nunatsiavut Government, invite you to contribute to an exchange of knowledge to be held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, October 7-10, 2016. Presentations on all aspects of Inuit studies will be welcome.
Arctic Technology Conference, October 24-26, 2016 (St. John's, Canada). Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is the world's foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production and environmental protection. The Arctic Technology Conference (ATC) is built upon OTC's successful multidisciplinary approach, with 14 technical societies and organizations working together to deliver the world's most comprehensive Arctic event.
|
|
  
4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 510
Arlington, VA 22203, USA
External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site ( www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
