Past Events

The 4th European Marine Board Forum will bring together Arctic stakeholders from multiple sectors (science, industry, policy & governance, NGOs, etc.) to:

• Discuss current trends and patterns of change in Arctic Ocean ecosystems, including human activity;
• Identify possible “2050” scenarios for Arctic Change and the corresponding implications for human health and well-being;
• Highlight key research gaps, needs and challenges in support of understanding, mitigating against, or adapting to Arctic change;
• Stimulate dialogue across sectors to aid common understanding, collaborative actions and sustainability targets;
• Promote the need for a sustainable ecosystem-based management of the Arctic Ocean.

In the 7th thematic webinar, concepts of information sharing and communication will be discussed. Questions will focus on the role of observers in mediating the information stream, both through development of data streams, products, and interaction with communities, as well as acceptance of input from interested parties and stakeholders.The webinar will be available through Webex (details available at www.arctichub.net).

Background: On October 31, 2013, a kick-off webinar was held by the National Science Foundation to introduce 35 questions grouped in 8 thematic areas which address best practices for long-term observing management and governance. Over the next 20 weeks, 9 webinars will be held to further delve into each of the 8 themes: (1) Definition, (2) Life cycle and horizons, (3) Review: frequency, criteria, and process, (4) Network relevance, (5) Funding models, (6) Award structure and management, (7) Information sharing and communication, and (8) National and global connectivity. The ninth webinar will be a wrap-up discussion and assessment of current exchanges on these 8 themes. For a list of the 35 questions within these 8 thematic areas, please visit www.arctichub.net and click on the "Long Term Observing Management Discussion Group" link on the home page and then click Discussion on the left-hand side of the group page.

The webinars will introduce the themes and questions in detail, but the discussion continues beyond the webinar timeframe. Interested persons who would like to lead discussions on one or more of the 35 questions are encouraged to apply for discussion funding support through an online application at: http://www.arcus.org/search/aon/discussion-funding-form. Funding details and eligibility are on the form webpage. The discussion content provided through this activity will inform best practices and lessons learned in long-term observing from the viewpoint of the wide range of actors involved in natural and social observing, its management, support, and development.

We strive for a relaxed, friendly, and interactive experience, fostered in part by our relatively small size. And unlike most meetings, you can present your very latest research; the abstract deadline is only two weeks before the Workshop.

This year's theme is "Arctic's New Normal - shifting environmental baselines over decades to millennia and comparisons with the Antarctic." Although not required, we encourage participants to tie their talk to changing environmental conditions in the Arctic. Contributions documenting changes in and around Antarctica and comparisons of responses between the two polar regions are also encouraged.

The Arctic Workshop is open to all interested in high latitude environments, including those of the past, present, and future. Previous Workshops have included presentations on Arctic and Antarctic climate, atmospheric chemistry, environmental geochemistry, paleoenvironment, archeology, geomorphology, hydrology, glaciology, soils, ecology, oceanography, Quaternary history and more.

Assistance is available for a limited number of students from any country giving a talk or presenting a poster. Such support will help cover most of registration, meals, and more.

The Arctic market is different from anything we’ve ever seen before. The business opportunity, driven by vast natural resources and new transportation routes, is enormous – this much we know for sure. The Nordic countries and Russia alone will invest an estimated 100 billion euros in it by 2020. Already now, there is a high demand for clean technology and other sustainable solutions. It is quite clear that, whether in production, technology sector, or business services, it is crucial to follow the new market closely and proactively. Join us at the next ROI Finland meeting in the city of Rovaniemi. Connect with colleagues, visit businesses in the Arctic and get to know the local business-development players. The full-day program will be held in conjunction with the Arctic Business Forum, the leading conference on the Arctic economy.

This conference will cover various topics related to physical and chemical properties of ice in condensed matter physics, surface science, chemistry, geophysics, space science, biology, and materials science. Sessions will be organized so as to promote interdisciplinary discussion of the physics and chemistry of ice. Session topics include:

• Stable and metastable phases of ice
• Bulk properties of ice
• Surface properties of ice
• Defects in ice
• Phase transition of ice and snow and crystal patterns
• Clathrate hydrates
• Ice and biology
• Ice thin film
• Ice in space and in the atmosphere
• Chemical and physical reactions on ice
• Applied physics of ice and snow
• Others

Important dates include:

• Call for abstracts opens: August 1, 2013
• Abstract submission deadline: November 20, 2013
• Travel fellowship application due: November 20, 2013
• Early bird registration opens: December 1, 2013
• Notification of acceptance of abstract: December 15, 2013
• Paper submission opens: December 16, 2013
• Paper submission deadline: February 15, 2014
• Last date for early bird registration: March 2, 2014

This annual conference brings together major interested parties in the region development - leading politicians, academics, business executives and the future leaders of the High North represented by Master- and PhD students from all over the world. The topic of the conference is “Arctic in a Global Perspective - Resources”. In 2014, the Arctic Dialogue has a special focus on challenges and opportunities of exploration and utilization of the resources in the Arctic. The aim of the event is to create a platform for discussion of the opportunities for value creation in the Arctic in an international context.

Please note that students (Master and PhD) are encouraged to sign up for the Arctic Dialogue Master/PhD Course, taking place 17-21 March, and where the AD2014 conference is part of the course. Contact Natalia Andreassen (natalia.andreassen [at] uin.no) for more information about the course.

The NSF Arctic Observing Network (AON) announces the next thematic webinar in the series on Long-Term Observing Management and Governance. This event will focus on Award Structure and Management, and will be an interactive panel discussion held on Tuesday, 18 March 2014 at 1:30 p.m. EDT. This event has been rescheduled from February.

The webinar will be held via WebEx. The panel will be moderated by KnowInnovation and will include a question and answer session. Panelists will be providing perspectives on a wide range of approaches to funding for observations, and will address questions such as:

• How might long-term observing systems be managed?
• What are the benefits of utilizing different management structures?
• Should critical path planning be used to advance observing efforts?
• Are there cost savings from non-traditional methods, such as crowdsourcing?
• What are the realities of multi-agency funding of observations?
• Should interdependent infrastructure be encouraged to reduce redundancy and answer more integrated questions?

Please register with the ArcticHub (http://www.arctichub.net) to view future events and subscribe to the calendar of webinars. An associated funding opportunity to continue the discussion beyond the webinar timeframe can be found at: http://www.arcus.org/search-program/aon/discussion-funding-form.

We look forward to your participation and questions on February 18th.

Meeting Number: 747 423 290 Meeting Password: arctic

To join the online meeting, go to: https://nsf.webex.com/nsf/j.php?MTID=m67384577ea6cdbbfd3feda15f2e783ac

To join the teleconference only: Toll Free (US/Canada): 866-844-9416 Toll Local (US/Canada): 203-369-5026

Announce Attendee Password: arctic

State your name with spelling to the operator to be joined to the meeting in listen only mode until Q&A is announced.

If you are calling in from outside of the US, please refer to the Global Access numbers on the Arctic Hub.

For assistance: 1. Go to https://nsf.webex.com/nsf/mc 2. On the left navigation bar, click "Support".

To update this meeting to your calendar program (for example Microsoft Outlook), click this link: https://nsf.webex.com/nsf/j.php?MTID=m33a1bc5282fa4a121862e19e8260683b

To check whether you have the appropriate players installed for UCF (Universal Communications Format) rich media files, go to: https://nsf.webex.com/nsf/systemdiagnosis.php.

As a continuation of the very first SPE Workshop to be arranged by SPE Northern Norway, we are happy to invite you to the 2014 SPE Workshop in Arctic Norway.

As opposed to the previous workshop, it is decided to focus on geographical region; the Barents Sea. The main object will be to look at the special challenges encountered in the Barents Sea which are different from other places on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. This will range from logistics, climate and political impact to very specific petroleum engineering subjects:

• Reservoir Drainage Strategy and Reservoir Management
• Drilling & Well, Subsea and Hardware

In addition to the workshop, there will be time to enjoy the spectacular nature and the blue light that is so special at this time of year. Wednesday evening, all delegates are invited to the Hunting for the Aurora Borealis event.

Harstad, the oil industry capital in Northern Norway, is located north of the Lofoten Islands surrounded by mountains and sea. Several oil- and service companies are settled in Harstad, representing the full value chain from exploration and field development to operations. Statoil is the major operator. However, companies like Det norske, Total and Lundin are also present. In addition, the Norwegian authorities are represented by a branch of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

The Federal Maritime Commission's Maritime Environmental Committee will be hosting a Brown Bag Speaker Series with a presentation by Dr. John Farrell, Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and Captain David Murk, Senior Maritime Safety and Security Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The speakers will discuss the environmental impact commercial shipping may have in the Arctic, United States' interests in the Arctic, and the viability of commercial shipping in the region.

Please RSVP to Lauren M. Engel: LENGEL [at] FMC.GOV or (202) 523-5740.
Walk-ins welcome.

Following the end of easy oil and gas, operators are now looking to many of the world’s frontier regions for exploration and production. As a result, the Arctic region has seen rapidly intensifying levels of petroleum resource development over the past few decades. Exploration and production now dominates the Arctic agenda. It is clear that the Arctic is a place characterised by extreme operating conditions, where remoteness, ice presence, prolonged darkness and political regulation pose just some of the threats to efficient operation. Arctic participants are keen to hear critical insights in how to overcome these challenges in such territories and what is necessary in order to drive value creation in the region. This exclusive marcus evans forum will look beyond simply identifying the challenges facing exploration and production in the region, instead offering an insight into what market players are doing to overcome these issues. We will be discussing how to benchmark practices that are crucial in boosting geological understanding, winning licensing rounds, optimising operations and driving collaborative practice. The focus will be on equipping industry leaders with practical insights on how to effectively tap into the proven resources that exist within this region.

In the final thematic webinar, issues regarding the interaction between individual observing activities and regional-to-global scientific organizations will be discussed. Questions will revolve around the development and adoption of international standards and best practices for making science relevant to international bodies.The webinar will be available through Webex (details available at www.arctichub.net).

Background: On October 31, 2013, a kick-off webinar was held by the National Science Foundation to introduce 35 questions grouped in 8 thematic areas which address best practices for long-term observing management and governance. Over the next 20 weeks, 9 webinars will be held to further delve into each of the 8 themes: (1) Definition, (2) Life cycle and horizons, (3) Review: frequency, criteria, and process, (4) Network relevance, (5) Funding models, (6) Award structure and management, (7) Information sharing and communication, and (8) National and global connectivity. The ninth webinar will be a wrap-up discussion and assessment of current exchanges on these 8 themes. For a list of the 35 questions within these 8 thematic areas, please visit www.arctichub.net and click on the "Long Term Observing Management Discussion Group" link on the home page and then click Discussion on the left-hand side of the group page.

The webinars will introduce the themes and questions in detail, but the discussion continues beyond the webinar timeframe. Interested persons who would like to lead discussions on one or more of the 35 questions are encouraged to apply for discussion funding support through an online application at: http://www.arcus.org/search/aon/discussion-funding-form. Funding details and eligibility are on the form webpage. The discussion content provided through this activity will inform best practices and lessons learned in long-term observing from the viewpoint of the wide range of actors involved in natural and social observing, its management, support, and development.

Last week, APECS Canada launched their Science & Policy webinar series in honour of Polar Week. The bridge between science and policy is a growing focus in our society. Early career researchers are often asked to frame their science in a policy-relevant format but are not equipped with the knowledge or tools they need to effectively accomplish this. This webinar series aims to ignite conversation about this important subject.

Our second webinar will focus on defining the science/ policy interface and outline the role of science in developing ecosystem-based Arctic policies. Northern communities are in a state of flux facing multiple political and environmental pressures that lead to a complex policy landscape. Historically science has played a key role in Arctic policy and decision making. Trans-boundary scientific research and collaborations have been on the main agenda of the Arctic Council, an international ‘soft- power’ governance body. International science has had a decision-shaping influence at the Arctic Council, which uses its scientific knowledge to inform its policy-frameworks. These international policy frameworks set the stage for decision-making at national and regional levels. However, policies in northern Canada face added regional pressures from development, climate change, devolution, and land claims agreements. It is important to recognize that Canada’s northern communities demand new perspectives in policy that take a community-centered approach based on science that is relevant and accessible. In this webinar our speakers will outline some important science policy documents that will help young scientists understand how to conceptualize the relevance of their science to regional, national, and international policy priorities.

Speakers:

• Marc-André Dubois coordinates the WWF Global Arctic Programme’s engagement with the Arctic Council and other international organisations. He has a background in political science with degrees from Université de Montréal and the Institut d`Études Politiques de Lille. His current research interests lie in the field of circumpolar international governance and the interface of science and policy.

• Bob Van Dijken has lived in Canada’s north for the last 33 years and is currently working for the Council of Yukon First Nations as Director of Circumpolar Relations. Bob has a BSc in Physical Geography and has spent many years working in environmental consulting, science communication and bridging the science and policy divide.

The Arctic black carbon mitigation initiative grew out of a series of workshops in 2007-8 that were organized by two NGOs, the Clean Air Task Force and the Climate Policy Center, and eventually the international Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). In 2009 the U.S. Department of State committed $5M toward international cooperation aimed at reducing black carbon emissions in and around the Arctic http://cop15.state.gov/pressroom/133771.html. On the U.S. side, this effort is currently being carried by EPA, DOE and USDA, with a focus on developing emission inventories, mitigation strategies and policies for minimizing black carbon fossil fuel and biomass burning impacts. The U.S. emphasis is on partnerships with the Russian Federation . U.S. mitigation efforts are motivated by concern that the amount of absorbing aerosol deposited on high-latitude snow and ice surfaces is significant, and has measurable impacts on Arctic climate. Russian Federation concerns with black carbon are more centered on human health issues. The mitigation efforts have 3 focus areas : transportation, residential/industrial pollution and biomass burning.

Speakers include:

• Andrew Eil (U.S. State Department): The Arctic Black Carbon Initiative in the Context of International Climate and Arctic Diplomacy

• Elke Hodson, Joe Cresko (U.S. Department of Energy), MD Cheng, John Storey, Vitaly Prikhodko, Mary Eibl (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Joshua Fu, Kan Huang (University of Tennessee, Knoxville): DOE's black carbon initiative in the Arctic - Potential Russian Sources, Russian BC Emissions Inventory, and Assessment of Emissions Reduction Strategies for the Murmansk Region

• Teresa Kuklinski (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), Meredydd Evans (Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory): EPA's black carbon diesel initiative in the Russian Arctic – overview and focus on the Murmansk Emissions Inventory

• Brad Kinder and Wei Min Hao (U.S. Forest Service): Fires and Arctic Black Carbon in Russia: Emissions Inventory, Transport, and Mitigation Options

For more information on how to join the webinar, please visit the link above.

The Sea Ice Prediction Workshop will be held at National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on 1-2 April 2014 in Boulder, Colorado.

The workshop goal is to plan for the 2014 SEARCH Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) and to advance the science of sea ice prediction by coordinating experiments, defining and developing data sets for initialization and validation, creating new and better metrics for evaluation, and discussing stakeholder needs.

Anticipated participants include SIO contributors, data experts, sea ice experts, experts on prediction from other fields, and U.S. agency program managers.

Workshop space is limited. Organizers ask those interested in attending to send a brief (about 100 words) statement of interest and summary of work related to sea ice prediction to Cecilia Bitz (bitz [at] uw.edu).

The workshop is funded, in part, by the Department of Energy. There will be no registration fee. Participants will be asked for a small donation for refreshments. Limited funding is available for travel support. If attendance is contingent on receiving travel support, please explain travel needs and note if PhD has been received within five years.

For further information, please visit the website.

This workshop is dedicated to both snow hydrologists and researchers dealing with avalanche formation, as well as scientists from the remote sensing and glaciology communities aiming at retrieving snow water equivalents. The workshop will last 2 full days and is organized by SLF Davos and IUP Heidelberg. We expect the number of attendees to be rather small (30-50 people) so that there will be ample room for exchange and discussions. The goal is to gather specialists from renowned research institutions worldwide. The first day will be dedicated to measuring techniques whereas on the second the focus will be on modeling approaches. We plan to open both workshop days with a keynote lecture.

Furthermore, we plan to organize an optional field trip to our field test site at Weissfluhjoch the day after the workshop with the aim of providing hands-on field experience on the different measurements techniques.

Aims and scope of the workshop include:

• Compare different measurement techniques and their accuracy
• Learn more on current assumptions to model liquid water transport and storage in snow
• Gather ideas to obtain good validation and verification data

If you want to participate, please send an e-mail to: mitterer(at)slf.ch no later than 15 January 2014. In case you want to present your work, please submit an abstract to: mitterer(at)slf.ch no later than 15 January 2014.

The workshop will be organized as informal meeting; conference fees will be kept low (<US $100).

The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) is the annual gathering of international organizations engaged in supporting and facilitating Arctic research. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for international coordination, collaboration and cooperation in all fields of Arctic science and to combine science and management meetings.

The ASSW and AOS meetings are arranged during April 5-8 and April 9-11 in Helsinki. The conferences will be arranged in the facilities of the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Meteorological Institute located on the science campus Kumpula.

The ASSW 2014 will include business meetings of the parti- cipating organizations on 5-8 April and the 2nd Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) on 9-11 April. The Common Day in the middle of the week will be devoted to the opening of the 3rd International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III).

Overall, the ASSW 2014 will address the common concern regarding the Arctic environ- ment under the pressure of climate change and global economic demands for natural re- sources and seek feasible strategies for advanced Arctic Observing Systems to conduct systematic, reliable and cost-effective monitoring of long-term trends and rapid changes.

We are pleased to announce that on 7th – 11th April 2014 the Centre for Ice and Climate (University of Copenhagen) will be hosting a workshop on subglacial processes, focusing on the role of sediment and water.

The workshop is aimed at PhD students, Masters students and early career scientists. During the week we will cover topics in both observations and modelling through a series of featured talks, hands on exercises and discussion sessions. Confirmed speakers include Doug Benn, (UNIS/St. Andrews) and Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, (Centre for Ice and Climate, University of Copenhagen). A full programme along with further details will be announced within the next few weeks. We hope that the workshop will provide a base for exciting discussions and lots of networking between the participants.

There is no registration fee, but participants are expected to pay for their own travel and accommodation.

All participants are encouraged to present their own work (either as a poster or a short oral presentation) and will be rewarded 2 ECTS points for participation.

The workshop is supported by the Centre for Ice and Climate and the Niels Bohr Institute (University of Copenhagen), Aarhus University and the SVALI project (Stability and Variations of Arctic Land, Nordic Centre of Excellence).

If you are interested in participating or would like more information please contact Alexandra Messerli (messerli [at] nbi.ku.dk) or Nanna B. Karlsson (nbkarlsson [at] nbi.dk). The deadline for signing up for the course is the 15th of March.

The APECS Workshop "Connecting Early Career Researchers and Community-Driven Research in the North" is part of the APECS Nordic Project "Bridging Polar Early Career Researchers and Indigenous Peoples in Nordic Countries" funded in part by the Nordic Council of Ministers (Norden). The workshop will bring together key stakeholders including mentors and experts and Early Career Researchers and Indigenous peoples, youth and local expert representatives among indigenous peoples, senior scientists, key representatives of international organizations and other media. Please visit the workshop website for a draft agenda and more information! Results from the workshop will be summarized and compiled into a report and translated into Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Sami and Danish and made available on the APESC Nordic webpage. Workshop participants are also encourage to attend parts of the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2014 and the Arctic Observing Summit.
Speakers include: Gail Fondahl, PhD from UNBC , Canada, Arja Rautio, MD PhD from uni Oulu, Finland, Heidi Eriksen MD PhD, Utsjoki Health Centre, Finland, Anna Afanasyeva, Indigenous Peoples Adviser, International Barents Secretariat, Norway, and many more to be confirmed over the coming weeks.

Please join fellow geographers, GIS specialists, environmental scientists, and other leaders for the latest in research and applications in geography, sustainability, and GIScience at the 2014 Annual Meeting of Association of American Geographers (AAG). The meeting will be held from April 8 to April 12, 2014, and will feature over 5,000 presentations, posters, workshops, and field trips by leading scholars, experts, and researchers.

Many sessions will be organized around special, featured themes including:

• Geographies of Climate Change;
• GIScience, GIS and Policy;
• Racism and Violence;
• Scale and Sustainability; and
• The American South.

Further information on registration, call for papers, and the program, please visit the conference website.

The Arctic Shipping Forum is the key industry event focused on Arctic shipping operations, technology, and ship design for ice-going vessels. Presentations will be given on the following subjects:

• The future of Arctic shipping: what new developments will be seen in the next 10 years?
• Impact of insurance on developing Arctic shipping: key drivers for insurers in underwriting ice-going voyages
• New and current energy and mineral projects in the Arctic: focusing on the shipping needs for oil, gas and mining projects
• Update on the Polar Code: Latest status and implications for shipowners
• Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic: hear the Chinese views and strategies for the Arctic
• Maritime domain awareness: improving capabilities and ensuring safe operations
• Search and rescue: a panel of regional administrations will examine current implementation of the Arctic Council protocol
• Managing offshore operations: training for offshore and ice management, tracking and detection of icebergs using satellite imagery
• Ship design and technology for ice-going vessels: latest designs for icebreakers, OSVs and large scale vessels
• Trans-shipment hubs: building infrastructure to support future trade