Past Events

This webinar series is designed to increase transparency of the Arctic Science Ministerial science process and to provide additional opportunities for scientists, Indigenous Peoples and Arctic research stakeholders to further engage with the science and proposed actions leading up to the Third Arctic Science Ministerial in Tokyo, Japan in May 2021. The webinar series is a joint cooperation between the ASM3 Organizers in Iceland and Japan and the European Polar Board.

Each webinar will be shared afterwards on the European Polar Board YouTube page and a written summary will be made available on the ASM3 website.

Speaker:
John Telling, Newcastle University, United Kingdom

Abstract:

John Telling will give an overview of his past and present research into life and biogeochemical cycling beneath glaciers and ice sheets. He will start with his first research trips to glaciers and ice sheets over a decade ago, investigating if and how subglacial microorganisms can recycle glacially overridden soil carbon to methane, while learning first-hand the logistics required and potential dangers involved in polar and glacier fieldwork. He will talk about his current research into how the crushing of minerals under glaciers can split water and produce hydrogen and oxidants that could help support subglacial life and fuel biogeochemical cycling, and end with plans for a UK-Chile mission to drill down into and study a newly discovered subglacial lake in Antarctica, with links to an upcoming European Space Agency mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moons.

You can join this seminar for free by registering at the link above. A recording of the live session will be made available afterwards on the same website.

UPDATE (June 11, 2020):

We are excited to announce that AGU20 will be mostly virtual. “Mostly” because if science and health professionals tell us it is safe for groups to convene, AGU would like to host a regional gathering in San Francisco. If we decide that is feasible, we will let you know by August. In addition, depending on where you’re located (and if it’s safe), you can create your own mini-AGU20 watch party or hub. We’ll share guidance if you’re interested in being a convener of one of these mini-AGU20 regional events.

No matter if we are 100% virtual or if regional gatherings are possible, AGU20 will remain the global convening meeting for the Earth and space sciences community. And this year, we will be able to engage the wider global community.

AGU20 will offer real-time sessions, networking and poster hall time that work for multiple time zones around the world. We will also offer recorded content so you can enjoy “on demand” or binge watch what others are sharing at any time.

We know that meeting fellow scientists and researchers are a major reason you attended Fall Meeting in the past and we’re going to make sure that remains a key feature this year. In fact, you may be able to meet even more people than you would have ever before by using some new tools that we’re testing out now.

This year’s theme is “Shaping the Future of Science.” We selected this theme in January 2020, but we couldn’t have imagined the events that have transpired over the last six months.

We have seen how the world’s trust and respect in science remains high. But we also know we have more work to do to be more inclusive and diverse.

Fall Meeting will offer sessions on:

• COVID-19, from lessons learned in Earth and space sciences to ideas for what to do to advance research when one can’t be in the field or in the lab.
• Actions the Earth and space sciences should take to remove discrimination and eliminate racism to improve diversity and inclusion.
• How to better communicate your science to policymakers, reporters, voters and other key audiences.

Please read more here.

Fall Meeting is the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists in the world. Back in San Francisco after celebrating our Centennial, Fall Meeting 2020 aims to bring a diverse and relevant set of topics to help move Earth and space science forward.

It all starts with the innovative and dynamic session proposals from AGU’s community. Session submissions are open now. We encourage sessions with diverse groups of conveners who can work together to broaden participation. Visit our session submission guidelines to get started.

Important dates:

• 23 April 2020: Extended deadline for session, town hall, and workshop proposals
• June 2020: Abstract submissions open
• 29 July 2020: Abstract submission deadline 11:59 p.m., ET

Arctic Change will make history by going virtual for the first time ever. ArcticNet’s international Arctic science conference takes place every 3 years, bringing together researchers and partners from around the world. This year, we’re taking the conference to you! Building on the success of our previous Annual Scientific Meeting while facing the realities of our times, we are pulling out all the stops to reach a bigger audience than ever before. The ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence and our partners warmly invite the global Arctic community to join us—from wherever you are—at the Arctic Change 2020 Virtual Conference.

The Arctic is experiencing an unprecedented change in its sea and terrestrial ice, permafrost, and ecosystems under the triple pressures of climate change, industrialization and modernization. The impacts of these pressures can be seen on food and energy security, shipping, sovereignty, northern community health and well-being, and sustainable development and resource exploitation. All these issues have brought the North to the forefront of national and international agendas. Circumpolar nations face an increased demand to enhance the observational capacity and understanding of this region to ensure that the best information possible is available to support evidence-based policy and decision-making. Science and knowledge mobilization play a pivotal role in this process.

Arctic Change 2020 will bring together leading Arctic researchers, Northern community representatives, graduate students, government and industry partners and stakeholders from all fields. During the week, the world’s foremost northern scientists will discuss the emerging global challenges and opportunities arising from climate change and modernization in the circum-Arctic. With over 1500 participants expected to attend, Arctic Change 2020 will be one of the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conferences ever held in Canada.

The deadline for abstract submissions is September 14, 2020 at midnight EDT. Follow the link above for more details.

Join Indigenous leaders from around the world as they discuss Indigenous-led innovation in Earth observations data, science and technology. This will build on the GEO Indigenous hackathon, bringing together Indigenous knowledge and state-of-the-art science and technology, as well as the global GEO community.

No registration required! Open to everyone, everywhere!

Themes: COVID-19, Women Empowerment, Education, Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Knowledge Transfer.

Lightning talks session: Lightning talks are 3 minutes pre-recorded presentations related to the themes of the Summit. To submit an abstract complete the registration form (at the link above) by the 25th of November 23:59 CEST.

The second Arctic Resilience Forum will be held online as a series of ten weekly webinars launching on October 7, 2020. Each session touches on a specific aspect of Arctic resilience, ranging from food security and Indigenous youth leadership, to gender, energy and connectivity. The forum seeks to actively engage participants in conversations about how to build resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems. It offers the opportunity to discuss concrete best practices and experiences from the Council and the broader community of circumpolar experts and knowledge holders. The Arctic Resilience Forum aims to continue to strengthen cooperation on resilience work.

The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am – 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series seeks to engage a broad audience in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas, including:

• October 7: Indigenous Youth Leadership
• October 14: Food Security
• October 21: Renewable Energy
• October 28: Human Health and Pandemics
• November 11: Broadband Connectivity
• November 18: Gender
• November 25: Socio-Ecological Resilience
• December 9: Infrastructure
• December 16: Respecting Traditional Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Follow the link above to learn more, register, and to get updates for the whole Arctic Resilience Forum series. Individual session pages will open up with registration for specific events approximately one week in advance. Russian language translation will be available for all session.

International Glaciological Society Global Seminar:

Speaking: Agneta Fransson, Norwegian Polar Institute, Oslo, Norway, "Glacial Water Impacts on the Chemical Characteristics of Sea Ice and Seawater and Ocean Acidification in Svalbard Fjords".

Please register in advance for the seminars. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the seminar.

The seminar will also be available afterwards on the Friends of the International Glaciological Society Facebook page so that you can watch it there if technology fails or you can't make it.

The ASSW2021 Local Organizing Committee in coordination with IASC decided to move the Science Symposium part of ASSW2021 (23 – 26 March 2021) into an online event. Follow the link above for more information.

Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) is an annual gathering of international organizations involved in Arctic research. It is designed to strengthen collaborations across academia, government agencies, local communities, industry, non-governmental organizations and other Arctic stakeholders.

On behalf of the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Local Organizing Committee we are pleased to invite you to take part in the Arctic Science Summit Week 2021, which will take place in Lisbon from 20 to 26 March 2021. The Conference is organized by FCT, Ciência Viva, AIR Center, the Portuguese Arctic Community and by IASC and partners.

Framed by the overarching theme for the Science Conference “The Arctic: Regional Changes, Global Impacts”, Lisbon invites International experts on the Arctic and Indigenous Peoples to discuss the “New Arctic” and also its impacts and interactions to and with the lower latitudes.

Important Dates:

• January 2020 to April 30, 2020: Call for Scientific Sessions
• May 2020 to November 30, 2020: Call for Abstracts
• November 2020 to January 31, 2021: Early Bird Registration
• April 2020 to November 30, 2020: Call for Community Meetings Requests
• November 2020: Notification of Abstract Acceptance

Extended deadline for abstract submission is 10 December 2020.

It will be a pleasure to warmly receive you all in Lisbon for the ASSW2021.

Helena Pereira, President of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology
João Canário, Chairman of the ASSW2021
Gonçalo Vieira, Chair of the ASSW2021 International Scientific Committee

Join the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Program’s (OPP) Arctic Science (ARC) Section for program manager outreach during the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) 2020 Fall Meeting.

This virtual office hour will focus on orienting interested scientists to ARC, highlighting updated solicitations, and offering insight into how COVID-19 continues to impact operations. There will also be ample time for the community to ask questions of NSF staff.

NSF staff who will be joining include Gregory Anderson, Renee Crain, Roberto Delgado, Patrick Haggerty, Jennifer Mercer, Allen James Pope, Frank Rack, Marc Stieglitz, Colleen Strawhacker, and Beverly Walker. This webinar will be recorded.

Please join ARCUS staff, Board members, and Institutional Member representatives for a virtual coffee chat (tea, cocoa, &/or other beverages of your choice also welcome!).

This online social hour will be an opportunity for members of the wider Arctic research community to share news, ask one another questions, and to explore next steps for some of the projects and ideas raised during the 2020 ARCUS Annual Meeting.

The Arctic Security Dialogues, hosted by the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute and Arctic Domain Awareness Center, address a broad spectrum of security issues to include, but not limited to, national security, homeland security, and the many components of civil security. “Toward a U.S. Army Arctic Strategy” is the second program in the series, following the inaugural discussion on the U.S. Air Force Arctic Strategy. The U.S. Army has yet to publish an Arctic Strategy, though one is currently in development.

Please join us for an expert conversation on the developing challenges, emerging opportunities, strategic priorities and essential components that could influence an upcoming U.S. Army Arctic Strategy. A panel of retired U.S. Army General Officers and security experts will contribute perspectives and suggestions on policy, planning and/or operations for drafters to consider in the development of the U.S. Army’s Arctic Strategy.

Moderators:

Michael Sfraga
Director, Polar Institute & Director, Global Risk and Resilience Program

Randy Kee
Global Fellow; Major General, USAF (Retired); Executive Director, Arctic Domain Awareness Center, University of Alaska Anchorage

Introductory Remarks:

Major General Bradley T. Gericke
Director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, United States Army, Washington, DC

Major General Peter Andrysiak
Commander, U.S. Army Alaska, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, USA

Panelists:

Brigadier General J.B.P. Carpentier
Commander Joint Task Force North

Iris A. Ferguson
Senior Advisor, Department of the U.S. Air Force’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration, and Requirements

Lieutenant General William B. Garrett III
Former Deputy Commander, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany

Sherri Goodman
Senior Fellow, Polar Institute and Environmental Change & Security Program;
Former U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security)

Lieutenant General Mike Shields
Senior Vice President, Advanced Technology for Mission Adoption, CACI International Inc.

Major General Randolph J. Staudenraus
Commander, 175th Wing, Maryland Air National Guard, Baltimore, Maryland

Jim Townsend
Global Fellow, Polar Institute; Adjunct Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Council, Center for a New American Security; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO

The 2020 Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management will be completely virtual!

Registration is opening soon!

For 26 years, the Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management has been a vital networking space for Tribal environmental professionals from across Alaska to learn from one another, connect with support organizations and agencies, and discover resources to help support efforts to improve local environmental health.

Broadband connectivity is a prerequisite for economic growth, education, national security, and the provision of public services in the COVID-19 era. Yet many communities throughout the North American Arctic lack reliable, affordable, and redundant internet access. Insufficient telecommunications and data infrastructure affect critical defense and homeland security assets and missions, while Chinese and Russian investments in the Arctic continue to grow. The region’s dynamic social, environmental, and political landscape requires more advanced, secure telecommunication and data infrastructure.

Please join Polar Institute Director Mike Sfraga for a virtual armchair discussion assessing one company's efforts to enhance telecommunications infrastructure in the Arctic. Quintillion is the owner and operator of the only subsea fiber optic cable system in the North American Arctic. The company's vision includes an expansion connecting Japan to London with Alaska at the fulcrum, as well as key landings in Iceland and Thule Air Force Base in Greenland that have the promise of supporting a broad range of civil, federal, and military needs.

Moderator:

Michael Sfraga
Director, Polar Institute & Director, Global Risk and Resilience Program

Panelists:

George Tronsrue III
Chief Executive Officer, Quintillion

Michael (Mac) McHale
Chief Revenue Officer, Quintillion

General (Ret.) Charles H. Jacoby, Jr.
Senior Strategic Advisor, Quintillion

The National Science Foundation (NSF) invites investigators at U.S. organizations to submit proposals for Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs) to the Arctic Sciences Section, Office of Polar Programs (OPP) to conduct dissertation-level research about and related to the Arctic region. The Programs that are currently accepting DDRIG proposals are the Arctic Social Sciences (ASSP), Arctic System Science (ARCSS), and Arctic Observing Network (AON) Programs.

The goal of this solicitation is to attract research proposals that advance a fundamental, process, and systems-level understanding of the Arctic's rapidly changing natural environment and social and cultural systems, and, where appropriate, to improve our capacity to project future change. The Arctic Sciences Section supports research focused on the Arctic region and its connectivity with lower latitudes. The scientific scope is aligned with, but not limited to, research challenges outlined in the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee’s five-year Arctic research plan (https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/arctic/iarpc/start.jsp). Given that this solicitation is designed to support early career scientists, this Program will also advance research capacity in Arctic sciences, promote workforce development, and enhance diversity and inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

The Arctic Sciences Section coordinates with programs across NSF and with other federal and international partners to co-review and co-fund Arctic proposals as appropriate. The Arctic Sciences Section also maintains Arctic logistical infrastructure and field support capabilities that are available to enable research.

Speakers:

• Rick Thoman, Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Tom Ballinger, International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Alison York, Alaska Fire Science Consortium (AFSC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Gabe Wolken, International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks & Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Department of Natural Resources
• Ben Jones, Institute of Northern Engineering (INE) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Gerald “JJ” Frost, ABR, Inc.—Environmental Research & Services

Issued annually since 2006, the Arctic Report Card is a timely and peer-reviewed source for clear, reliable and concise observational information on the current state of different components of the Arctic environmental system relative to historical records. The Report Card is intended for a wide audience, including scientists, teachers, students, decision-makers and the general public interested in the Arctic environment and science. This webinar will give a broad overview of the 2020 Arctic Report Card followed by Alaska-focused highlights on the following topics:

• Air temperature
• Wildfires
• Glaciers
• Coastal permafrost
• Greening of the tundra

Please follow the link above to register.

The full report card will be released shortly before this webinar on December 8th. Please check out the full Arctic Report Card (available December 8th onward) and then tune into this webinar to learn more focused on the Alaska context.

The second Arctic Resilience Forum will be held online as a series of ten weekly webinars launching on October 7, 2020. Each session touches on a specific aspect of Arctic resilience, ranging from food security and Indigenous youth leadership, to gender, energy and connectivity. The forum seeks to actively engage participants in conversations about how to build resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems. It offers the opportunity to discuss concrete best practices and experiences from the Council and the broader community of circumpolar experts and knowledge holders. The Arctic Resilience Forum aims to continue to strengthen cooperation on resilience work.

The Arctic Resilience Forum will be convened every Wednesday from 11:30am – 1:00pm (EST) over a series of ten weeks, beginning October 7, 2020. The online series seeks to engage a broad audience in conversations about how to build the resilience of Arctic communities and ecosystems across a variety of focus areas, including:

• October 7: Indigenous Youth Leadership
• October 14: Food Security
• October 21: Renewable Energy
• October 28: Human Health and Pandemics
• November 11: Broadband Connectivity
• November 18: Gender
• November 25: Socio-Ecological Resilience
• December 9: Infrastructure
• December 16: Respecting Traditional Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Follow the link above to learn more, register, and to get updates for the whole Arctic Resilience Forum series. Individual session pages will open up with registration for specific events approximately one week in advance. Russian language translation will be available for all session.

Weather plays a significant role for people’s lives, livelihoods, and property in Alaska. The ROC stands at the crossroads of weather and communication for the National Weather Service’s Alaska Region and we must remain vigilant of the ever changing weather. We will discuss the National Weather Service’s structure in Alaska and the ROC’s role in supporting National Weather Service operations and partners at all levels.

Please follow the link above to register.

Join the Arctic Data Center for an overview webinar about the primary repository for the NSF Arctic Section of the Office of Polar Programs.

Community Engagement and Outreach Coordinator Erin McLean will present on the mission of the Arctic Data Center, the data available on the website, and how researchers can both contribute and use data.

This webinar will be recorded.

This event is co-sponsored by the Polar Institute and the Global Europe Program.

As the Arctic opens to global activity, its importance in the geopolitical struggle between NATO and Russia continues to grow. Norway is in a unique position in this relationship, with one of the few direct borders between a NATO member and Russia. Norway’s relations with Russia are understandably complex, with deep economic ties and a history of regional cooperation, but also mutual suspicion and elevated concern. Norwegian State Secretary Audun Halvorsen will join us for a conversation on the state of Norwegian-Russian relations and their future trajectory.

Guest Speaker:

Audun Halvorsen
State Secretary to the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Discussants:

Matthew Rojansky
Director, Kennan Institute

Daniel S. Hamilton
Director, Global Europe Program; Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Distinguished Fellow

Moderator:

Michael Sfraga
Director, Polar Institute // Director, Global Risk and Resilience Program

The tools and techniques for making monthly and season scale climate forecasts are rapidly changing, with the potential to provide useful forecasts at the month and longer range. We will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center’s forecast for January (2021) and the remaining winter season. Join the gathering online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.

Please follow the link above to register.