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Today's Congressional Action:
The House is not in session. The Senate is expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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Media
 CMTS Report Puts Forward Arctic Recommendations. This report fulfills the National Strategy for the Arctic Region (NSAR) Implementation Plan Action 1.1.13 to "develop recommendations for pursing Federal public-private partnerships in support of the needs assessment and identified prioritized activities." The Committee on Marine Transportation System report "Recommendations and Criteria for Using Federal Public-Private Partnerships to Support Critical US Arctic Maritime Infrastructure" puts forward 19 recommendations for the implementation of public-private partnerships (P3s) in developing, improving and maintaining infrastructure in support of Federal maritime activities, national security, navigation safety, and stewardship of natural resources in the US Arctic. The Committee on Marine Transportation System
Permafrost Thaw Altering Chemistry of Yukon River, Signaling Profound Changes for Entire Basin. As Alaska warms and permafrost thaws, the chemistry of the Yukon River's water is transforming chemically, new research from the U.S. Geological Survey shows. Long-term monitoring reveals that levels of calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfates are increasing in the river's waters, according to a new study led by the USGS. That is evidence of widespread permafrost loss, which has allowed water to flow freely through thawed, mineral-rich soils and carry some of those minerals into the river. Alaska Dispatch News
A Rampage in Florida Shines a light on Alaska. A deadly shooting rampage at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport this month has focused attention on the interconnection of public safety and mental illness and raised questions, especially here in Alaska, about one of the thorniest questions of psychology: how to tell if someone is delusional and dangerous, or merely delusional... In Alaska, health care professionals and legal experts said the distinctive demographic, geographic and cultural stamp of the state also colors the often nuanced judgments that doctors, law enforcement officers and judges must make in deciding whether to hold a disturbed person against his or her will. New York Times
ConocoPhillips Announces Big Oil Discovery in NPR-A. ConocoPhillips has made another large oil discovery in its Greater Mooses Tooth Unit in the northeast part of the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, the company announced Friday. The Willow discovery is about 28 miles west of the Alpine Central Facility. Two wells that were drilled in 2016 yielded an estimated at 300 million barrels of potentially recoverable oil. Willow could produce up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day, once production commences, which could happen as soon as 2023. ConocoPhillips has a 78 percent working interest in the discovery and Anadarko Petroleum holds the remaining 22 percent. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
'Like Background Noise': Greenhouse-Gas Warming Boosts Shorter-term Weather Cycles. The persistently warm temperatures recorded throughout Alaska and the Arctic last year raises a question climate scientists are hearing more and more these days: that is, does that extraordinary warmth prove climate change is happening? "If one year is a record and the other year is not, it doesn't mean that global warming is happening one year and it's not happening the next year," says Anchorage climatologist Brian Brettschneider. If that were the case, he says it's unlikely climate change as it's presently understood would be happening. KUAC  With Arctic Freeze-up Coming Later, Some Beluga Whales Have Shifted to a Later Fall Migration. The annual freeze-up in Arctic waters off Alaska is coming later, and some beluga whales seem to have taken notice. A new study found that Chukchi Sea belugas are starting their autumn southward migration up to a month later than they did in the early 1990s. The study, led by University of Washington scientists and published in the journal Global Change Biology, is the first that examines the way Pacific Arctic belugas are changing their migration patterns as their habitat warms and ice retreats. Alaska Dispatch News  Allen Pope's Arctic Vision: Collaborative, Connected and Committed. The new head of the International Arctic Science Committee wants to see more teamwork among scientists of different stripes in the North - and says his own work studying glaciers is driven by a desire to better understand the processes that shape our planet.Pope is taking the lead at a crucial time for Arctic research. An alarming report by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released at the end of last year confirmed that the Arctic is changing at a rapid pace. The 11th annual Arctic report card revealed that temperatures in the Arctic are rising fast, warming temperatures are causing the tundra's permafrost to melt and algae blooms are becoming widespread. Alarmingly, the report also indicated that trends typical in the summer months are now being seen in the winter, too. News Deeply  Tiny Shrews Reveal Big Changes in the Arctic. The tiny shrew punches above its weight when it comes to illustrating the effects of climate change. In the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's recently published 2016 Arctic Report Card, a team of researchers makes the case that studying these easily overlooked critters offers valuable insights into the complex environmental changes underway in the Arctic. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe, triggering a range of harmful impacts - from vanishing sea ice to emerging diseases - to both the wildlife and human communities that live there. To mitigate these effects, scientists need to understand the region's baseline conditions. The trouble is, the researchers write, our knowledge of existing Arctic biodiversity is "woefully incomplete." Seeker New Icy Island Forms as Arctic Glacier Retreats. As Coronation Glacier on Canada's Baffin Island retreats, it has left behind a new island. The island, detected with satellite imagery, is made of loose dirt and rocks deposited by the slow-moving river of ice. Typically, a glacial island like this will erode away after the glacier stops feeding it with new sediment (embedded in the flowing ice), glaciologist Mauri Pelto wrote in the American Geophysical Union blog, "From a Glacier's Perspective." The new island, however, might endure, according to research by Pelto, of Nichols College in Massachusetts, and his colleagues.
Live Science Siberian Scientists to Study Arctic 'Anchor Points' for Development of Northern Sea Route. Specialists of the Tyumen State University will conduct studies of more than a dozen settlements, which will be used as "anchor points" in the Russian Arctic, to restore and develop the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the university's press service said on Monday. "This work will be done in the framework of the university's project called 'Russian harbors of the Trans-Arctic route: Areas and Societies of the Russian Arctic coast on the eve of new epoch in NSR development'," the press service said. "Restoration and development of the Northern Sea Route has been announced a major Russian priority, which requires urgent complex research of the key settlements ("anchor points") on Russia's Arctic coast." TASS Russian News Agency U of M Prof, Calgary Research Partner Gets $4M for Arctic Oil Spill Research. University of Manitoba professor Gary Stern will be aboard the Canadian Coast Guard research ship Amundsen in the spring on a journey of research and policy-making in the Arctic. Stern and Casey Hubert of the University of Calgary are heading up a large-scale applied research project called Genice - genomics and ice - and are the primary recipients of $4 million in funding announced Monday by Research Manitoba and the Government of Canada. Winnipeg Free Press
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Legislative Action.gif "futureevents")
No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.
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Future Events
 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.
 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 4th annual Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES) will convene policymakers, industry leaders, and leading experts to confront the leading issues in Arctic policy, innovation, and development in Seattle, WA at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center. As the largest annual Arctic policy event in the United States, the AES mission is to raise awareness, engage challenges, and develop solutions for the future of a region and a people. The two-day program includes two keynote luncheons, expert plenary sessions, break out sessions, a networking cocktail reception and seated three-course dinner.
- 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 Policy 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).
 Ninth International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences: People and Places (ICASS IX), June 8-12, 2017 (Umea, Sweden). ICASS IX's theme is People & Place. Research on social sciences and humanities have a great responsibility to address the challenges for sustainable development in the Arctic, with a specific focus on the many different parts of the Arctic and the people that live there. The multiple Arctics have lately been addressed by many policy makers and researchers. The purpose is often to counteract the stereotypic understanding of the Arctic too often represented by icebergs and polar bears. A focus on people and place highlights the many variances across the region in terms of climate, political systems, demography, infrastructure, history, languages, legal systems, land and water resources etc.
The 2nd Asian Conference on Permafrost, July 2-6, 2017 (Sapporo, Japan). Delegates will participate in state-of-the-art oral and poster presentations in the modern city of Sapporo (host of the 1972 Winter Olympics). Field trips will visit marginal and extrazonal mountain permafrost sites that support unique geo-eco-hydrological features. All aspects of frozen ground research will be covered, from needle ice to deep permafrost, from frozen ground engineering in cities to permafrost on volcanoes, and from links between frozen ground and ancient cultures to present-day outreach. Plan now to enjoy science and engineering, excellent food, and unique field trips in Sapporo.
Co-hosted by U.S. National/Naval Ice Center (NIC) and the U.S. Arctic Research Commission (USARC). A biennial symposium originating in 2001 that focuses on U. S. naval operations and national strategic issues in an "ice-free Arctic." This symposium brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts on Arctic observations, climate change, and maritime operations.
- Small and off-grid community energy solutions
- Oil and gas development
- Renewable energy
- Regulation and Financing
- Transportation and transmission
The AES is a multi-disciplinary event expected to draw several hundred industry officials, scientists, academics, policy makers, energy professionals and community leaders together to collaborate and share leading approaches on Arctic energy issues.
 Polar Law Symposium 2017 and Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit, November 13-16, 2017 (Rovaniemi, Finland). The purpose of the Polar Law Symposium is to examine, in detail, the implications of the challenges faced by the Polar Regions for international law and policy and to make recommendations on appropriate actions by states, policy makers and other international actors to respond to these emerging and re-emerging challenges. The Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit Conference is integrated with the Polar Law Symposium, which will be organized by the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law at the Arctic Center of the University of Lapland.
 POLAR 2018, June 15-27, 2018 (Davos, Switzerland). POLAR2018 is a joint event from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The SCAR meetings, the ASSW and the Open Science Conference will be hosted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL under the patronage of the Swiss Committee on Polar and High Altitude Research. The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is organizing POLAR2018.
As the Symposium is organized jointly by two leading Research Institutes of Russian Academy of Science - Institute of Water Problems and Melnikov Permafrost Institute, particularly the contributions on following research topics are welcome:
- Observational evidences of change in coupled permafrost-hydrology system.
- Present state and future projections of local, regional and pan-Arctic hydrology.
- Modeling studies representing landscape evolution, dynamics of water storages and permafrost degradation.
- Impacts of permafrost hydrology changes on local communities."
VII International Conference on Cryopedology, August 21-25, 2017 (Yaktsk, Russia). The conference will be hosted by the Institute for Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS). Plenary reports will be organized in the hall of the Academy of Sciences of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. The official languages of the conference are English and Russian (with translation). All technical facilities (projectors, computers, video sets) will be available during the conference for presentation of papers. Additional information will be available soon. See the Facebook page here.
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