Dear ARCUS Community,
As summer is in full-swing here in Alaska (with the mosquitos to prove it), we are settling into the COVID-19 world in our professional lives, slowly recognizing that this is a marathon, not a sprint. We continue to move forward on our projects as we are able, notwithstanding the fact that ARCUS staff will not be traveling at least for the remainder of this calendar year. With AGU’s announcement of a “mostly virtual” fall meeting, we are brainstorming ways to offer support for virtual events and gatherings of our community, and will announce details next month. Please let me know if you have any ideas for ways that we may be able to support your AGU activities this year.
As we are in the process of updating our strategic plan, we are also discussing ways to actively promote diversity and inclusion in the work that we do towards ARCUS’ vision of strong and productive connections among Arctic researchers, educators, Indigenous knowledge holders, Arctic residents, and other stakeholders. The work to foster open and collaborative activities in Arctic research is ongoing, and will require broad efforts across projects and organizations. For those interested in continuing discussion about these issues, I encourage you to join the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) Diversity and Inclusion Working Group self-forming team.
And as always, please feel free to contact myself or any Board or staff member with ideas on directions needed for Arctic research and how we can continue to build a collaborative and equitable Arctic research community together.
Sincerely,
Helen V. Wiggins
Executive Director
ARCUS News & Announcements:
 Sea Ice Outlook June Report -
The 2020 June Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) report is now available online. The Sea Ice Outlook provides an open process for those interested in Arctic sea ice to share predictions and ideas. The June report, in addition to pan-Arctic September minimum Outlooks (with a median Outlook of 4.33 million square kilometers), includes information on regional first ice-free date, sea ice probability, how observations are being used in forecasts, and several other analyses.
 2020 Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook Season Closes -
The Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook concluded the 2020 season on Friday, 12 June after 12 weeks of weekly reports featuring local observations from seven Bering Strait Communities, National Weather Service sea ice and weather forecasts, and NWS and ACCAP satellite images. All reports are available in our archive. Thank you to our local observers and partners!
Requests for Arctic Research Community Input:
 American Geosciences Institute Survey on the Impacts of COVID-19 on the Geoscience Enterprise - The American Geosciences Institute is conducting a year-long study to understand how geoscience employers and educational institutions are changing their workplace and instructional environments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to discover which of these changes will become permanent. For more information and to participate, click here.
The Ocean Enterprise Study 2020 - IOOS/NOAA are requesting input from businesses who provide infrastructure or products that support or conduct ocean observation and measurement by participating in the Ocean Enterprise Study 2020. To find out more information or to take the survey click here.
Member News & Announcements:
We are very happy to share the announcements and achievements of our members! If you have something that you would like us to include our next monthly newsletter &/or through other ARCUS communication channels, please contact Brit Myers at brit@arcus.org.
 Charting a Course for ARM Aerial Measurements - In early March 2020, atmospheric scientists interested in aerial research took part in an ARM Aerial Instrumentation Workshop. Attendees engaged in talks largely focused on instrumentation and how users can get the best data on atmospheric components that are important for understanding Earth’s energy balance and improving the representation of atmospheric processes in earth system models. Learn more.
 WHRC Staff Spotlight: Dr. Scott Zolkos - Dr. Zolkos is a WHRC postdoctoral researcher who works on the effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems, particularly from the lens of carbon and contaminant cycling. Learn more.
 Law in the Canadian North - A special issue of The Northern Review research journal is now available. This issue features a new article by UNBC’s Natalia Loukacheva exploring the evolution of the Arctic Council.
 Recording of Dr. J.J. Frost’s Arctic Research Seminar - ABR biologist Dr. Gerald (JJ) Frost was a featured speaker in the Arctic Research Seminar Series hosted by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) on 29 May 2020. If you were unable to attend or would like additional access to J.J.’s excellent talk, a recording of the seminar is now available online here.
 New Projects Launched on Arctic Migration - Research on Arctic migration increases understanding of the specificities of migration in the northernmost regions of the world. The Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland is involved in altogether six new projects related to Arctic migration that have been launched during the past spring. Learn more.
 NREL, CCHRC Combine Forces to Increase Impact, Research in Arctic Region - The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has taken a big step toward growing its mission space and impact through an expanded collaboration with Alaska’s Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC). Through the collaboration, the CCHRC staff will become NREL employees, creating new opportunities to access extreme climates and leverage CCHRC’s extensive research. Learn more.
 Research into Ecosystem Tipping Points in the Arctic - New Horizon 2020 project, ECOTIP, will assess the cascading effects of climate change to Arctic marine ecosystems and depending societies. ECOTIP will bring together a multidisciplinary group of scientists from more than 10 countries to advance understanding of the impacts of climate change on Arctic biodiversity and the cascading effects that biodiversity change can have on marine ecosystems, the climate services they provide, and the human communities that depend on them. Learn more.
 We Need a Permafrost Monitoring System - Dr. Dmitry Streletsky, expert in cryolithology and professor of geography and international affairs at George Washington University (US), spoke in an interview with RIA Novosti correspondent, Natalya Paramonova, about why there is still no permafrost monitoring system in the world. Read the interview here.
 Spring is in the Air! (Or at Least in the Water) - In May, when air temperatures in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard were still well under zero, the spring bloom was underway in the cold waters of Kongsfjorden. Researchers from the Norwegian Polar Institute were on site to track the timing of the spring algae bloom. Learn more. The Science of Justice - As society grapples with the global discussion of social justice, educators at Sitka Sound Science Center have taken a moment to look at our own practices in our education programs. Learn more.
 RSHU Students Take Part in White Sea Summer Surveys -Three RSHU oceanography students are taking part in the the Northern UGMS expedition on the research vessel Ivan Petrov in the White Sea. As part of their sampling and research activities, the students will also be carrying out microplastic studies. Learn more.
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UArctic Welcomes Cathy Sandeen as New Vice-President Academic
Manifestation and Consequences of Warming and Altered Heat Fluxes Over the Bering and Chukchi Sea Continental Shelves
