2020 Sea Ice Outlook Interim Post-Season Report is Now Available Online Report
The 2020 Sea Ice Outlook Interim Post-Season Report is now available. The September monthly averaged sea ice extent at the end of the 2020 summer melt season was 3.92 million square kilometers. This is the second lowest in the satellite record that began in 1979.
This interim report is intended as a quick postseason update that summarizes how the outlooks did in comparison to the observed September monthly mean extent. A full post-season report, to be published in February 2021, will include an in-depth analysis of factors impacting sea ice this past summer, further discussion about the outlooks, comments on regional observation, predicted spatial fields, Antarctic contributions, and a summary from the Sea Ice Drift Forecast Experiment (SIDFEx).
Virtual Resources for the Classroom Now Available Education
Teachers in the U.S. and abroad currently have the difficult task of adapting to virtual and hybrid classrooms during the pandemic. To assist teachers during this time, a number of PolarTREC lesson plans have been identified and assembled into a Virtual Resources Collection for online teaching. Other lesson plans are currently being adapted for online teaching, so remember to revisit the PolarTREC website for additional resources.
ARCUS Early Career Conference Funding Award Opportunity
ARCUS is pleased to announce our new Early Career Conference Funding Award to support attendance of virtual conferences. This award program aims to increase accessibility of Arctic research for early career researchers and students, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The application period is open until 1 November 2020.
Witness Community Highlights Publication
The September 2020 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes two articles: “Seasonal Forecasting of Arctic Sea Ice and Atlantic Hurricanes,” describing efforts from the respective scientific communities to improve forecasting capabilities at seasonal time scales; and “Inuit Food Sovereignty and Self-Governance — A Healthy Arctic,” summarizing findings from the Inuit-led research and report that illuminates the Inuit values and management practices. Further, the report links Inuit Food Sovereignty to holistic and adaptive management strategies that can ensure the food security and well-being of Inuit throughout the Arctic for generations to come.
Polar Technology Conference Report Available Report
The meeting report from the 2020 Polar Technology Conference, held 10–12 March in Boulder, Colorado, is now available. The goal of the meeting was to link experts in polar science and technology development to discuss current technological resources for polar research and identify barriers to research and application of technology for problems unique to polar regions.
Arctic Research Seminar Series – Bridging Arts and Science Webinar
ARCUS invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar. This seminar, titled Bridging Arts and Science, will take place Monday, 21 September 2020 at 8:00 a.m. AKDT (9:00 a.m. PDT, 10:00 a.m. MDT, 11:00 a.m. CDT, 12:00 p.m. EDT).
The seminar will be presented by Matthew Burtner (University of Virginia), Leena Cho (University of Virginia), and Gabrielle Russomagno (School of Visual Arts). During this webinar presenters will discuss how their work spans science and the arts through media such as music, landscape architecture, and the visual arts.
ARCUS Annual Meeting Meeting
Please Save The Date! The 2020 ARCUS Annual Meeting will take place virtually this year on Thursday, 29 October 2020, 9-11am AKDT, 10am-12pm PDT, 11am-1pm MDT, 12-2pm CDT, 1-3pm EDT. ARCUS Annual Meetings serve as an important opportunity for for the Council of ARCUS Institutional Member Representatives, ARCUS Individual Members, and other members of the broader Arctic research community to connect with one another, the ARCUS Board of Directors, and staff. The meeting will be open to all interested participants and there is no cost to attend.
ARCUS Virtual Backgrounds Available Announcement
The Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) supports a rich range of Arctic research, education, and communication activities. Our Polar Media Archive is a valuable resource that is home to over 20,000 beautiful photos from across the Arctic. Of these, we’re proud to present 30 handpicked images to serve as virtual meeting backgrounds.
Witness the Arctic Publication
This issue includes news about the new NSF Director, Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan; updates from NSF’s Office of Polar Programs; summaries of recently released strategic plans from NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and from the American Geophysical Union (AGU); science articles about understanding circumpolar bear ceremonialism and about the changing carbon cycle of the Arctic Ocean; updates on the PolarTREC program and the Sea Ice Prediction Network–Phase 2 project; overviews of the first Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) Investigators Meeting and of the sixth annual APECS conference; comments from the ARCUS Executive Director, Board President, and other board members; and a highlight of ARCUS member institution, Kawerak, Inc.
New Resources Available Through PolarTREC Education
We are excited to announce new resources available through the PolarTREC website. Whether you are a classroom teacher looking for new lessons for next fall or an informal science educator looking for new ideas to use with your audiences - PolarTREC has resources for you! Recently published resources include:
- Growing Up on Ice – In this STEM-based lesson, students analyze Weddell seal pup growth data, collected by the Growing Up on Ice, B-030, research team.
- Don’t Clam Up - The Effect of Warming Seas on Respiration and Biomass – This lesson plan is designed to teach students about the importance of the benthic community in the shallow portions of the Arctic and how climate change may affect their respiration.
- Jumping Into Warming Seas – This lesson introduces students to the impacts of increasing ocean temperatures on marine life.
Image Spotlight
As part of the July 4th celebration, the whaling teams have skin boat races. Skin boats are the traditional whaling boats made of bearded seal skins. They are used during the spring whaling season. This photo shows one of the them finishing their race near the beach in Barrow, Alaska.
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