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June 5, 2014

 

capital Today's Congressional Action:   

The House is not in session.  The Senate is expected to consider the nomination of Sylvia Mathews Burwell, of West Virginia, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, as well as a Peace Corps nomination.

 

 

Media 

 

BREAKING NEWS...Kerttula Announced as New Director of the National Ocean Council Office.
In this first week of National Oceans Month, with Capitol Hill Ocean Week coming soon, and the State Department's international Our Ocean conference following shortly thereafter, it's a good time to take stock of our progress under the National Ocean Policy and recommit ourselves to its promise. To further that effort, the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Ocean Council are pleased to announce the arrival of the new Director of the National Ocean Council Office, Beth Kerttula. Beth comes to them from Stanford's Center for Ocean Solutions, where she is a visiting fellow. She is a 15-year veteran of the Alaska House of Representatives, where she served as Minority Leader from 2006 to 2013, and has held positions in the State of Alaska Attorney General's Office. Beth knows successful marine planning depends on full partnership with the states and tribes, and she will continue to move the National Ocean Policy forward in its next phase. Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Ocean Council

 

Imaging the Future of Arctic Plant Life. If you know where to look in the Arctic, you'll find strange hexagons dotting the tundra beneath the enduring summer sun. Strange, scattered honeycomb chambers. The open-top hexagonal units shelter 1 or 2 square meters' worth of tundra plants, passively raising the temperature within their fiberglass walls by 1-3° Celcius. Every spring at diverse circumpolar sites, researchers deploy the six sided open-top chambers (OTCs) which act like small greenhouses. Their efforts are part of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX), which catalogs data gathered by scientists from across the world in an effort to forecast how the Arctic tundra ecosystem will respond to global warming. Every country that lies within the Arctic Circle has participated in ITEX. Frontier Scientists

 

Congenial Arctic Council Displeased by Russia's Move into Crimea. The situation in Ukraine has lead to speculation about how and whether the conflict might trickle into other parts of Eastern Europe. What could global tensions mean for diplomacy in the far North? Ukraine faces so much tension because it's a kind of frontier state, the frontier between Russia and the West. We report next on another frontier between Russia and the West, the Arctic, the place at the top of the globe where East and West meet. Sidsel Overgaard reports on a place where diplomatic cooperation may be cooling off. National Public Radio

 

LEGO to Celebrate Women in Science. Congratulations, women in science: LEGO is recognizing you. On Tuesday, toy manufacturer LEGO announced the winner of their LEGO Ideas Winter 2014 Review - the Female Minifigure Set. This isn't just women going shopping or wearing the latest fashions. No. Instead it features an astronomer, a paleontologist and a chemist. Global News

 

Warming Up to Arctic Prospects. April 2014 was the hottest April in recorded history across the globe, according to new data released by the National Climactic Data Center. While higher temperatures affect the world as a whole, the Arctic region is experiencing the brunt of the consequences of global warming. Arctic sea ice is melting, changing the environment and landscape of the High North and increasing accessibility to this remote region. However, not all countries are pessimistic about these Arctic changes. Why? Three valuable resources: oil, natural gas and trade routes, made accessible with the melting of sea ice. The exploitation of natural resources and control of international shipping routes will be very profitable for countries with territorial claims in the region. Washington Post 

 

Former Rear Admiral to Discuss National Security and Climate Change. David Titley, rear admiral (ret.) in the U.S. Navy and professor of meteorology at Penn State University, will discuss climate change as a national security issue on Tuesday, July 8 at 7 p.m. at the Museum of the Rockies. In a talk titled "Climate Change and National Security: People not Polar Bears," Titley will share his journey from what he calls a "hard-core skeptic" to climate risk expert for the Navy. He will give a plainspoken talk on the causes and consequences of climate change and will outline how climate, water, energy and food security intersect and how these issues collectively impact national security. KBZK

 

Putin Russian President to Discuss Arctic Exploration With Scientists. Russian President Vladimir Putin is to hold a round-table discussion on Arctic exploration with science and business experts in Saint Petersburg on June 5, the Kremlin said Wednesday. "Issues of scientific support for Arctic exploration and environmental safety in offshore projects are to be discussed at this event. Additionally, the president will confer state awards upon organizers and members of the research team involved in drilling into the sub-glacial lake Vostok [in Antarctica]," the statement said. RIA Novosti

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

 

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events

 

Arctic in the Athropocene. June 23-July 2, 2014 (Potsdam, Germany). Under the overarching theme "Arctic in the Anthropocene", this two-week interdisciplinary and interactive event will be the first in a series of Potsdam Summer Schools to be held annually. The goal is to bring together early-career scientists and young professionals from research departments, governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations, as well as the private sector from all around the world. Participants will deal with global challenges and address urgent questions on how to shape sustainable futures in the Arctic and beyond from a scientific and socioeconomic point of view. 

 

ICETECH 2014, July 28-31, 2014 (Banff, Alberta, Canada). The International Conference and Exhibition on Performance of Ships and Structures on Ice (ICETECH) is organized by the Arctic Section of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. The theme of the conference is performance of ships and structures in ice (icebreaking ships, ice resistant structures, and operations in ice) with emphasis and special sessions on looking to the future in a warming world. The conference will cover topics including:Global warming implications to Arctic ships and structures; Icebreaking ships, Naval Architecture, construction, and marine operations; Structures in ice/iceberg populated waters; Construction and logistics in ice-covered areas; Ice management; New offshore developments in ice-covered areas; Subsea pipelines and facilities in ice; Marine systems for offshore drilling and production operations in ice; Codes, regulations and standards; Ice conditions, forecasting and remote sensing; Safety, risk and environmental protection; Escape, Evacuation and Rescue (EER); and Arctic Geopolitics.

 

Alaska Policy Commission. August 26-27, 2014 (Kotzebue-Nome, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. 

 

Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, September 9-11, 2014 (Whitehorse, Canada). The Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region is a biennial conference for parliamentarians representing the eight Arctic countries and the European Parliament. The biennial conference is attended by representatives from the national parliaments of the Arctic states and the European Parliament. The Arctic indigenous peoples are permanent participants to the cooperation. Observers participate from governments and inter-parliamentary organizations as well as from observer states and relevant international organizations. 

 

2014 Week of the Arctic, October 6-11, 2014 (Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North will host the 2014 Week of the Arctic. The 2014 Week of the Arctic is a platform for community leaders, subject matter experts and interested stakeholders to learn about the Arctic while contributing to a growing list of priorities and perspectives. Presentations, roundtable discussions and workshops will be held in Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow. Throughout the week, presentations and interviews will be captured on video for distribution through social media and web-based sharing.

 

2014 FAMOS School and Workshop #3, October 21-24, 2014 (Woods Hole, MA). The Forum for Arctic Ocean Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) is an international effort to focus on enhancing collaboration and coordination among Arctic marine and sea ice modelers, theoreticians and observationalists synthesize major results from the field studies and coordinated numerical experiments. The major themes of workshop include but not limited by studies focused on: predictions; Arctic observational and modeling initiatives; fate of sea ice in models and observations; atmospheric, sea ice and ocean dynamics; process studies and parameterizations; model validation and calibration; numerical improvements and algorithms; ecosystems, biological issues, and geochemistry.

 

Arctic Circle, October 31-November 2, 2014 (Reyjavik, Iceland).

The Arctic Circle is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Organizations, forums, think tanks, corporations and public associations around the world are invited to hold meetings within the Arctic Circle platform to advance their own missions and the broader goal of increasing collaborative decision-making without surrendering their institutional independence. The Arctic Circle will organize sessions on a variety of issues, such as: Sea ice melt and extreme weather; Polar law: treaties and agreements; The role and rights of indigenous peoples; Security in the Arctic; Shipping and transportation infrastructure; The prospects and risks of oil and gas drilling; Clean energy achievements and sustainable development; Arctic resources; Business cooperation in the Arctic; The role of Asian and European countries in the Arctic; Greenland in the new Arctic; Fisheries and ecosystem management; The science of ice: global research cooperation; Arctic tourism; The ice-dependent world: the Arctic and the Himalayas. 
 

US- Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum, November 4-6, 2014 (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada). Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the Canadian Polar Commission in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, are hosting the fourth Canada - United States Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum. The Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum is a biennial meeting with representation from government, industry, academia, Aboriginal groups and Northerners from both Canada and the United States. The Forum provides an opportunity to discuss current and future priorities for northern oil and gas research. The Forum will showcase the value of northern research in support of sound decision-making for oil and gas management.

 

Alaska Policy Commission. November 13-14, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. 

 

The Arctic Biodiversity Congress, December 2-4, 2014. (Trondheim, Norway). The Arctic Biodiversity Congress will present and discuss the main scientific findings of the ABA; facilitate inter-disciplinary discussion, action and status updates on the policy recommendations in the ABA; provide scientific, policy, management, NGO, academia, Indigenous peoples and industry audiences the opportunity to collaborate around the themes of the ABA; advise CAFF on national and international implementation of the ABA recommendations and on the development of an ABA Implementation Plan for the Arctic Council; highlight the work of CAFF and the Arctic Council on circumpolar biodiversity conservation and sustainable development; and, contribute to mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services, ensuring that the recommendations of the ABA are implemented by not just governments, but many organizations and people across disciplines.

 

Arctic Change 2014, December 8-12, 2014 (Ottawa, Canada). The international Arctic Change 2014 conference aims to stimulate discussion and foster collaborations among people with a vested interest in the Arctic and its peoples. Coinciding with the pinnacle of Canada's chairmanship of the Arctic Council and marking ArcticNet's 10th anniversary, Arctic Change 2014 welcomes researchers, students, Northerners, policy makers, and stakeholders from all fields of Arctic research and all countries to address the numerous environmental, social, economical and political challenges and opportunities that are emerging from climate change and modernization in the Arctic. With over 1000 participants expected to attend, Arctic Change 2014 will be one of the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conferences ever held in Canada. 

 

Arctic Frontiers: Climate and Energy, January 18-23, 2015. The earth is in the midst of major climate changes. The Arctic is experiencing the impact of these changes more and faster than other parts of the globe. Processes starting in the Arctic may have deep and profound impacts on other parts of the globe. At the same time the Earth's population is rising and with it the global energy demand. New and greener energy sources are gaining market shares, but still the energy mix of the foreseeable future will have a substantial fossil component. The Arctic is expected to hold major oil and gas resources, while the regions green energy potentials are less explored. The Arctic Frontiers conference is a central arena for discussions of Arctic issues. The conference brings together representatives from science, politics, and civil society to share perspectives on how upcoming challenges in the Arctic may be addressed to ensure sustainable development. Arctic Frontiers is composed of a policy section and a scientific section. 

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