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14th IATS Seminar, June 19-25, 2016 (Bergen, Norway). The University of Bergen (UiB) is honored to host the 14th IATS Seminar in Bergen, Norway, from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June 2016 in co-operation with the Network for University Co-operation Tibet-Norway, an academic network with the universities of Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø as partners. The convenor is Professor Hanna Havnevik, Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo, and Chair of the Network.
Today's Congressional Action:
The House is not in session. The Senate is expected to consider the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill.
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Media
 Sugar, Sugar: Inuit Diabetes Rates May Be Undercounted. The number of Inuit being diagnosed with diabetes is already rising but one researcher says doctors have misdiagnosed some Inuit. And that means the number of Inuit with diabetes may be seriously underestimated. Due to a genetic change among about 30 per cent of Inuit, doctors have problems detecting Type 2 diabetes sufferers within that group unless they employ a specific kind of test which is very rarely used. Nunatsiaq Online
No Increase in Methane Emissions on North Slope, Despite Warming Temperatures. Three decades of atmospheric monitoring on Alaska's North Slope show no signs that a feared "methane bomb" capable of accelerating climate change is emerging from thawing permafrost. The results, detailed in a new study published in the American Geophysical Union's Geophysical Research Letters, provide some assurances that thawing permafrost in rapidly warming Alaska Arctic is not venting the powerful greenhouse gas that feeds into the warming cycle. Alaska Dispatch News
Rural Alaska, Arctic Telecom Projects Continue Growth. Broadband networks and provider contracts for Alaska's largest telecommunications companies are slowly expanding in rural markets, focusing on large contracts with federally-funded Alaska Native organizations and municipal customers. General Communications Inc. announced on June 21 the addition of 10 new Northwest Alaska villages into its now-completed TERRA network. Buckland, Kiana, Noorvik, Selawik, Koyuk, Elm, Golovin, White Mountain, Stebbins and St. Michael will now have access to internet connection speeds far faster than 6 megabits per second standard in many rural Alaska communities, which is well beneath the FCC benchmark of a minimum 25 megabits per second. Alaska Journal
 The Arctic's Pretty by Alarming Strawberry-Pink Snow. Pink snow was a high-latitude curiosity described by Arctic explorers like the British Captain John Ross. Upon receiving word of the reddish snow, the London Times speculated in 1818 that the color came from meteoric iron deposits. Biologists know now that the red hue is the result of a chemical reaction within the algae Chlamydomonas nivalis and other cold-loving species. These algae are normally green, but as they start to suck up ultraviolet rays they turn red. The Washington Post
Matchark II: Matcharak Peninsula Site. Joe Keeney, National Park Service archaeologist, excavated an ancient hunting camp at the Matcharak Peninsula Site on the shore of Matcharak Lake in Northern Alaska. The site contains artifact tools crafted by ancient people; the tools are part of what archaeologists call the Northern Archaic tradition. "It represents the Mid-Holocene," Keeney said of the site. The Mid-Holocene was a relatively warm period with shifting climate conditions. "People were adapting to changes." Northern Archaic people, ancestors of Athabascans, used their skills to survive and thrive. Keeney pointed out some of the artifacts uncovered at the Matcharak site are representative of that culture. Frontier Scientists
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Legislative Action.gif "futureevents")
No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.
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Future Events
** New this week** NWS Alaska Region Climate Forecast Briefing, June 24, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA and webinar).This webinar will review recent conditions and current state of the climate system in and near Alaska and the status of important global climate drivers, review guidance available for the monthly and seasonal scale outlooks and finish up with the official outlooks by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. The webinar is sponsored by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment Policy.
Arctic 2020: Building a Sustained Observing System June 28, 2016 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA and webinar).With critical past, and potential future environmental changes affecting Alaska and the Arctic Region, the United States needs to rapidly expand long-term observing of the ice and marine environment across the greater Arctic Ocean Basin, as well as conditions across the state of Alaska. This will allow us to better monitor changes across the region, and support stakeholders with improving prediction capabilities for weather, marine ecosystems, sea-ice, and climate. This event is hosted by the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy.
TOW Arctic Broadband Summit, July 13, 2016 (Barrow, Alaska, USA).  The Arctic Economic Council, the Iñuit Arctic Business Alliance and the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation will host this event. Summit topics include the challenges of connectivity; the government's role in, and commitment to, broadband development; and, private investment opportunities. Policy leaders, regulators, other government officials, along with industry experts and executives have been invited to present and attend.
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.
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