Secretary Kerry Announces Department Will Establish a Special Representative for Arctic Region. The Arctic region is the last global frontier and a region with enormous and growing geostrategic, economic, climate, environment, and national security implications for the United States and the world. Secretary Kerry informed his two former Senate colleagues that the State Department we will soon have a Special Representative for the Arctic Region, a high-level official of stature who will play a critical role in advancing American interests in the Arctic Region, particularly as we prepare efforts for the United States to Chair the Arctic Council in 2015. Department of State

Democrats Planning Climate Change All-Nighter. Get ready! Senate Democrats might be rolling out the cots next month for a debate on climate change. That's one of the plans of the new Climate Action Task Force, a group of members of the Senate Democratic Conference announced last month. Roll Call

Scientists: Disappearing Arctic Sea Ice May Be Helping Spread Diseases Among Mammals. The warming climate is helping spread southern pathogens and diseases north, scientists have found. But what about northern pathogens and diseases that that are migrating south? The melt of Arctic sea ice may be to blame, say scientists who last week presented findings about marine mammal diseases in the subarctic regions. Alaska Dispatch

Study on Arctic Port for Alaska Delayed. A much-needed Arctic port study stalled this winter as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considers more than 20 different configurations of three possible ports in Northwest Alaska. The Alaska U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Technical Lead and economist Lorraine Cordova told legislators recently that though they had planned to recommend an Arctic port or multiple port configuration by now, the process had been bogged down by too many possible options. Alaska Dispatch

Ottawa Halts Plans For New Arctic Patrol Airplane. Mounting concerns about the financial viability of the Canadian government's military strategy has led that country's government to postpone the purchase of as many as 12 new Arctic patrol aircraft by 2020. Instead, the government proposed setting aside C$2 billion ($1.8) to keep the current fleet of 18 CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft operational until 2030. Arctic Journal

Science Linking Drought to Global Warming Remains Matter of Dispute. In delivering aid to drought-stricken California last week, President Obama and his aides cited the state as an example of what could be in store for much of the rest of the country as human-caused climate change intensifies. But in doing so, they were pushing at the boundaries of scientific knowledge about the relationship between climate change and drought. While a trend of increasing drought that may be linked to global warming has been documented in some regions, including parts of the Mediterranean and in the Southwestern United States, there is no scientific consensus yet that it is a worldwide phenomenon. Nor is there definitive evidence that it is causing California's problems. New York Times

A Snowy-Owl Bonanza, Thanks to a Little, Stubby-Legged Arctic Rodent: The Lemming. A mass sacrifice of this rodent with stubby legs probably gave rise to what scientists are calling the largest snowy-owl irruption in at least a half-century. The gleaming white birds poured out of Canada this winter to points throughout the eastern United States, captivating bird watchers, scientists and people who had never seen them up close. Their flights, covering thousands of miles, were fueled by a steady diet of lemmings. The lemming population spikes about every four years in the Arctic, and last summer it rose off the charts on Canada's Bylot Island in the Nunavut territory. Washington Post

In Greenland, Wooden Micro-Shelters Designed to be Pulled by Dogs. As you may be already aware, trailer-bound tiny houses that can be transported to and fro with a four-cylinder vehicle are the hottest thing on four-plus wheels since the Airstream. With his Sledge Project, Dutch artist Rob Sweere has given mobile mini-shelters a decidedly Arctic-appropriate, sea ice-compatible makeover: white-painted, insulated wooden huts with integrated runners that can be towed across Greenland's vast snowy landscapes by snowmobile or, more authentically, "draft animal" (read: dog). Mother Nature Network

New Geese Habitat Emerging on North Slope. For animals that live on Arctic ice, like polar bears and walruses, rising sea temperatures usually mean a disappearing home. But John Pearce, a biologist for the US Geological Survey in Anchorage, says that's not always the case. "We really don't know how all the different species of wildlife are going to respond to changes in the Arctic as a result of warming climates and diminishing sea ice, but folks often say there's likely going to be winners and losers," Pearce said. Alaska Public Radio

Russian Military Boosts Arctic Presence. The Russian military is beefing up its presence in the arctic as nations begin to eye potentially plentiful natural resources in the region, officials said. Russian military officials told RIA Novosti the move comes after an order from Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase logistical and transportation infrastructure in the region. The military will reopen several air strips and ports on islands mothballed in the years after the fall of the Soviet Union. The military also plans construction of an early warning missile radar in the Arctic. Military.com

Guttenberg Named to Arctic Commission. The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission announced Interior legislator David Guttenberg as one its two newest members this week. The commission named Guttenberg, D-Fairbanks, and Harry McDonald, Saltchuck Alaska managing director, to the commission to replace former members Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, and Steve Scalzo of Foss Maritime. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner