Past Events

The 89th Annual Western Snow Conference will take place at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. This year's theme is Drought, Fire, and Precipitation Extremes: Operational Challenges for Snow Water Resources. (However, all snow-related research in the context of measurements, modeling, and water supply are welcome.)

Abstract deadline has been extended to February 15th.

The short course on Monday (18th) is being planned by the US National Weather Service, Colorado Basin River Forecast Center. Oral and poster presentations will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday (19th-20th). The technical tour on Thursday (21st) is being organized by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Utah Snow Survey Program.

UPDATE: The event will now be held August 30 - September 1, 2022 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.

The NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Science Workshop will be an in-person event organized by NASA and UNAVCO to bring together the science community in solid earth, ecosystems, cryosphere, hydro-geodesy and other areas of science that will benefit from the NISAR mission.

With launch planned in late 2023, NISAR will be the first radar of its kind in space to map Earth using two different frequencies (L-band and S-band). Its systematic mapping will provide consistent time series observation of our planet’s surface deformation and changes.

This 2.5 day workshop will inform the community about the upcoming mission, its planned science data products and upcoming funding opportunities to work on NISAR related science. Breakout sessions, poster sessions and plenary science talks provide a forum for building collaborations and discussing future directions for SAR data analysis, science and applications. The program will also include information on available data analysis tools, computing resources and training opportunities.

There’s a deep spring snowpack across Alaska as spring melt approaches. Crane Johnson with the National Weather Service Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center will review break-up basics and an overview of current conditions. ACCAP (Alaska Center for Climate Assessment & Policy) Alaska Climate Specialist Rick Thoman will provide the latest subseasonal outlooks that help inform the APRFC’s official break-up outlook.

Please register to attend.

The ASTM8 will be a hybrid event that takes place 9-12 May 2022. In-person participants will gather at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK. Virtual participants will be able to join both plenary and breakout sessions via Webex. To better accommodate virtual participants from other time-zones, the organizers have planned most of the discussion-based activities to occur earlier in the day when possible.

Objectives

• Reports from NASA and Affiliated projects via plenary and parallel sessions
• Reports from Working Groups
• Research to Operations discussions with representatives from resource and land management agencies
• Finalize plans for airborne remote sensing in 2022
• Advance integration, synthesis, and modeling

Important Dates

• Registration and Abstract Submission Open: March 28th
• Reduced Hotel Rate Deadline: April 15th
• Abstract Submission Deadline: April 19th

In association with ASTM8, the Alaska Fire Science Consortium (AFSC) will be hosting the Research to Operations (R2O) Workshop: Using Remotely Sensed Data in Fire and Resource Management on May 12-13, 2022. This workshop will be in-person only, starting at 1:00 pm on May 12th.

The Alaska Ocean Acidification Network announces their Spring Discussion Series with four specialized dialogue sessions from March through May, with the intention to:

• Address and explore topics within ocean acidification that are of most interest to Alaskans
• Discuss ideas and identify priorities
• Document key issues and needs so they can be communicated to funding sources, policymakers and potential collaborators

These dialogue sessions are spaces for you to both learn and provide input. Each session will run from 1-3pm AK time, beginning with a 30 minute presentation by topic area experts, followed by interactive discussion and breakouts. (The dialogue series will also be recorded and made available to registrants after each event).

Topics and Schedule

• March 23 – Regional Conditions: What do we know about ocean acidification conditions around the state, what parts are expected to change most rapidly in the future, and what areas may be most sensitive to change?
• April 5 – Species Response #1: OA and Local Communities: What does ocean acidification mean for mariculture and subsistence?
• April 20 – Species Response #2: Commercial Species: What does ocean acidification mean for commercially harvested species including groundfish, salmon, and crab?
• May 4 – Adaptation and Mitigation: How can carbon dioxide removal, carbon sequestration, and natural climate solutions help us adapt to or mitigate climate change and ocean acidification?

The Visible Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on board the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) series provides high quality radiometric measurements to enable detection and characterization of active fires. The current primary baseline NOAA operational product includes fire detection and fire radiative power (FRP) at 375m nadir resolution. VIIRS active fire data are generated globally by NOAA’s ground system and the algorithm is also available to process direct broadcast data. The product has been used to detect and monitor fire occurrence, and to serve as input to various fire-related modeling applications. This seminar will include a summary of algorithm principles, the history of the evolution of the product, current status and plans for future improvements, and examples of key applications.

The Virtual Alaska Weather Symposium (VAWS) is a collaboration between ACCAP, the Geographic Information Network of Alaska, and the NOAA National Weather Service. The organizers present cutting-edge technologies in satellite remote sensing, forecasting, and modeling to a statewide audience through this webinar series.

Registration is required.

This seminar is part of NOAA's EcoFOCI bi-annual seminar series focused on the ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and U.S. Arctic to improve understanding of ecosystem dynamics and applications of that understanding to the management of living marine resources. Since Oct 21, 1986, the seminar has provided an opportunity for research scientists and practitioners to meet, present, develop their ideas and provoke conversations on subjects pertaining to fisheries-oceanography or regional issues in Alaska's marine ecosystems, including the US Arctic.

Remote Access

https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/891851101
You can also dial in using your phone.
United States: +1 (872) 240-3311
Access Code: 891-851-101

Abstract

Patterns of change in the Chukchi Sea seasonal ice zone near Icy Cape, Alaska are observed in years-long ice profiler data.

Bio

Peggy is a research scientist at the University of Washington's Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, & Ecosystem Studies working with PMEL's EcoFOCI program.

Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC) will host their Program Year 8 Annual Meeting via Zoom Webinar. Please see the attached for an updated agenda and link for joining the webinar.

The two-day conference will start at 8:00 am AKDT / 12:00 pm EDT, is open to all ADAC’s “customers and partners” across the United States and including ADAC’s international collaborators.

Building from a successful Arctic Council Chairmanship from 2019 to 2021, Iceland has continued to advance environment, research, security, and economic development policies in the Arctic. The Iceland-United States bilateral relationship is strong in the Arctic, but certainly expands beyond that—with cooperation based on common values in the spheres of politics, trade, research, energy, and security.

Join the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute for an armchair discussion with Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir to discuss: Iceland’s position and priorities in the Arctic; the Iceland-United States bilateral relationship, and; current global affairs and how they affect security and cooperation in the North Atlantic.

Speakers

Minister Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Iceland

Michael Sfraga
Chair & Distinguished Fellow, Polar Institute // Chair, US Arctic Research Commission

Introductory Remarks

Ambassador Mark Green
President, Director, & CEO, Wilson Center

Rick Thoman will review recent and current climate conditions around Alaska, review some forecast tools and finish up the Climate Prediction Center’s forecast for May 2022 and the early summer season. Join the gathering online to learn what’s happened and what may be in store with Alaska’s seasonal climate.

Please register to attend.

In early March 2022, the Arctic Council called for a "pause" in all engagement with the Russian Federation due to their egregious and unprovoked aggressions in Ukraine. What does this "pause" mean for the future of Arctic collaboration, diplomacy, and security? And, given the importance of Arctic Indigenous Peoples to the workings of the Arctic Council and Arctic cooperation, what might we learn from Arctic Indigenous leaders who have worked and lived in Russia?

Speakers

• Troy Bouffard, Director, Center for Arctic Security and Resilience (CASR), University of Alaska Fairbanks
• Pavel Sulyandziga, former leader of Russian Arctic Indigenous Peoples, scholar, and activist
• Translator: Professor Ainsley Morse, Department of Russian
• Moderated by IAS Director Melody Brown Burkins

Originally planned: 18-22 October 2021, postponed to 25-29 April 2022.

The successful MOSAiC expedition collected terabytes of data and thousands of samples during the year of the expedition. Now, more than one year after the end of the expedition, a large meeting is being organized to present and discuss the scientific results. The “International MOSAiC Science Conference/Workshop” will be held on the Telegrafenberg campus in Potsdam, Germany. The organizers hope to host an in-person meeting but they are planning a fully hybrid setting with strong online participation options, allowing everyone to adapt to any situation.

The “International MOSAiC Science Conference/Workshop” addresses the whole MOSAiC community and offers the chance to present preliminary experimental and modelling results and to enhance the interaction and interlinkages between the different disciplines of the coupled Arctic climate system. Supporting this, the meeting offers platforms to develop future analyses and publication strategies, support and foster connections to other groups and disciplines and to identify and develop joint projects. The meeting will advertise the unique data sets and attract the big modelling centers. In such a way the “International MOSAiC Science Conference/Workshop” will function as a big step towards the improvement of the sea ice and weather forecast and regional and global climate models.

The organizers envision a meeting concept that combines aspects of a conference and a workshop with sessions for oral and poster presentations and a great number of breakout sessions for detailed discussions. Therefore, the meeting offers plenary sessions in the beginning to inform generally about the scientific status of MOSAiC and breakout sessions for the individual MOSAiC Teams. In addition, there will be parallel sessions following the character of a conference with scientific oral and poster presentations on Tuesday and Wednesday. For those sessions, abstracts can be submitted. Furthermore, towards the end of the week, it is planned to have breakout sessions that allow detailed discussions. Many topics are already defined, but there will be capacity to spontaneously develop breakout sessions to respond to topics that will come up during the meeting.

Registration and Abstracts

The organizers would like to encourage new colleagues within MOSAiC related projects to attend the conference who started after the registration in 2021. The registration website will reopen by 1st of March 2022 and new registrations are possible until 31st of March 2022.

Abstracts for talks can be submitted and will be used to fill free slots if any become available. New abstracts for posters are welcome as well. Abstracts to the proposed sessions can be submitted until March 31st 2022.

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Biogeosciences Section is hosting a series of webinars addressing Safe and Inclusive Fieldwork, open to everyone, including those who aren’t members of AGU.

If you do field work or mentor people who do, this series is for you (and them)! Fieldwork presents inherent safety hazards (physical, psychological and emotional); can be unfamiliar or inaccessible; and can result in situations where you or team members are vulnerable to assault, harassment, or hostile environments and encounters. How can you prepare yourself, team or class for these risks? This virtual series will offer you resources and guidance to prepare for safety, respond to issues and help others.

Each event will stand alone, so please attend whenever you can.

AGU Frontiers in Safe and Inclusive Fieldwork: Program Manager Perspectives on Safety and Safety Planning (Webinar #2)

Why should all PI’s care about safety planning? How and why is safety a growing consideration in project management and evaluation? Panel with Program Managers Renee Crain (NSF), Dan Stover (DOE) and Mike Falkowski (NASA).

Moderated by Peter Griffith.

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) invites nominations for members to serve on the consortium’s Membership Committee. Committee members will serve a one-year term and participate in regular committee meetings approximately four to six times through the year.

The ARCUS Membership Committee is a standing committee established by the ARCUS Board of Directors to plan and support activities for ARCUS members and the wider Arctic research community, including planning and hosting the ARCUS Annual Meeting. Members of the committee involved in ARCUS Annual Meeting planning may meet more regularly in advance of this virtual fall event. This opportunity allows committee members to serve an active role in developing and strengthening relationships with fellow ARCUS members.

Self-nominations from all disciplines, career levels, and research backgrounds are welcome. However, as this group’s function is to support ARCUS member engagement, ARCUS is primarily looking for nominations from ARCUS individual members, institutional member representatives, or institutional representative designees. Serving members of this committee must be employed by an ARCUS member organization and/or be willing to join ARCUS as an individual member. You do not currently need to be an ARCUS member to submit a nomination or self-nomination.

Nominations should be sent to Brit Myers at brit [at] arcus.org and include:

• Name, affiliation, and contact information;
• Resume, curriculum vitae, or link to a professional webpage;
• A brief statement explaining why you or your nominee would like to be part of the committee and what you/they would like to contribute; and
• For those nominating a colleague, confirmation that the nominee is aware of the nomination and is willing to serve on the committee.

Nomination deadline: 25 April 2022.

Dr. Brendan Griebel is the 2022 Canada Fulbright Research Chair at Dartmouth. A cultural anthropologist working with and for Arctic Indigenous communities, his Fulbright work at Dartmouth includes a systematic review of Dartmouth's collected information of Inuit knowledge and how that knowledge can be digitally returned to Inuit communities to assist with contemporary cultural revitalization.

Dr. Griebel holds a diversity of roles in Canada, including Senior Researcher at Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society in Nunavut, Principal of Intuit Research in Alberta, and the Co-founder and Director of the Museum of Fear and Wonder, also in Alberta.

The Canada Fulbright Research Chair in Arctic Studies at Dartmouth is an annual visiting scholar program established in 2016 and hosted by Dartmouth's Institute of Arctic Studies (IAS) with generous support from the Dean of the Faculty and Canada Fulbright.

Looking for collaborators in Arctic research? Join ARCUS and IARPC Collaborations for a virtual speed networking session on Tuesday, 26 April. Over the course of 1.5 hours, researchers will be split into a series of small groups to rapidly get to know one another and explore shared research interests. Groups will be organized across disciplines, with a particular emphasis on grouping social scientists and natural scientists together.

The EMS2022 (European Meteorological Society) is planned to be held as an in-person meeting at the Poppelsdorf Campus of the University of Bonn, from 4 to 9 September 2022. The conference will have an online component. For onsite participation the organizers will follow the then-valid regulations on travelling and access to large events.

The challenges and opportunities for meteorological science and services are growing continuously: climate change and more frequent extreme weather events with high socio-economic impact pose growing threats. However, new opportunities emerge from increasing computer and telecommunication resources, artificial intelligence, new observing systems and technologies as well as a broader awareness of the potential of meteorological science and applications across diverse communities, from meteorological research organisations and companies to society and stakeholders.

Abstract submission deadline is 26 April 2022.

For sixty years, ISER researchers have contributed to our understanding of Alaska’s social and economic issues. Meet the new generation of ISER researchers for a discussion on the questions that fascinate them and the challenges of conducting social science and policy research in Alaska. Lee Gorsuch, who led ISER from 1976-1994 and was UAA Chancellor from 1994-2004, will join to provide a perspective from the past and bring our discussion full circle.

Participants

ISER Researchers:

• Dayna DeFeo, education
• Mary Kopriva, healthcare economics
• Jennifer Schmidt, natural resources
• Brett Watson, economics

In conversation with:

• Lee Gorsuch, ISER Director (1976-1994), UAA Chancellor (1994-2004)
• Diane Hirshberg, ISER Director and moderator

Can other Northern nations, cities, and communities embrace full-scale renewable energy and move away from fossil fuels given the seeming lack of optima opportunities?

The Arctic is at an energy crossroads: Fossil fuels such as diesel offer reliable energy systems especially for remote communities, however the North is warming at twice or three times the rate as the rest of the planet, stressing the need to shift towards non-emitting sources of energy. How can Arctic regions adapt their energy systems to non-polluting sources, and is 100% clean energy possible?

The issue is complex as many challenges exist on the path towards sustainability in Arctic energy production. Difficulties in transporting supplies and equipment, finding and training the necessary human resources, and securing project capital are the main barriers. This session will explore the possibilities of achieving a fully renewable grid across several Arctic countries, including Canada and Iceland, and will discuss the technologies that have the potential to make a complete departure from fossil fuels possible.

Confirmed Speakers

• Moderator: Heather Semotiuk, Senior Energy Planner at the Government of Yukon‍
• Heather Shilton, Director at Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation
• Paul Emile McNabb, Director of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Businesses

With climate change expanding trade routes in the Arctic and the resultant pursuit of oil, gas, mineral deposits, and fish, it is imperative that the eight Arctic countries find paths towards sustainability and peace in the region. Revisiting and understanding the early play and games of the indigenous people of these regions can go a long way towards helping those determining the region’s future to work cooperatively towards these goals.

Throughout history, the games the Sámi have played have been a testament about who they were, and are. From early Sámi lassoing games, to the gladiator contests of Ancient Rome, to the modern American game of baseball, the games the Sámi play have served as a statement of and a rehearsal for the life-world of that period and place. By reconnecting with and understanding the games of the Sámi's past, we can build meaningful bridges between the past and present, and hopefully gain a better understanding of the modern world. The aforesaid are timely and important, especially as they relate to indigenous people throughout the world who are trying to preserve their traditions in a fast changing modern world.

This presentation will offer, based on John Kilbourne's research and experiences in the Arctic, lessons learned from early Sámi play and games that may help promote sustainability and peace in the Arctic world. Hopefully, by acknowledging these lessons we can pursue a path forward, together reconnecting with the early play and games of the Arctic with the hope of building meaningful bridges between the past and present and moreover, helping to enhance our understanding of the important role early games can play in shaping an Arctic where sustainability and peace flourish.