Past Events

Water Policy Consulting, LLC, ACCAP, and tribal environmental and climate change professionals throughout the country, together, are offering the Winter 2015-16 Policy & Climate Adaptation Mitigation and Planning for Alaska Natives webinars series. The series will demonstrate how Native Villages and other communities in Alaska can apply state, federal and tribal policies to address climate change impacts on water and subsistence resources through water resource management and protection, land and water rights, sovereignty and other resiliency and mitigation strategies.

Presentation by Hal Shepherd, Water Policy Consulting, LLC.Covering Federal, state and tribal policies as they apply to arctic peoples and places and drawing on local and traditional knowledge in applying polar law and policy to climate change. Includes US Federal government climate change related initiatives for Alaska arising out of President Obama's recent visit to the State; the interest in the Arctic region that the European Union and other international bodies have recently expressed at the inter and intra governmental level and the application of Indigenous rights and policies of the arctic region to address climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Topics Include:

• Structuring of the regulatory avenues that international governing organizations are putting into place for developing policies applicable to the Arctic region;
• Recent US Federal government climate change related initiatives for Alaska;
• The Denali Commission’s as Coordinator of federal climate change policies in Alaska;
• Finding solutions tailored to the needs of the Arctic region at the international level;
• Using the international-law and Human rights perspective for cooperation with other Arctic State partners.

The “In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process – Local and Global Arctic” conference will take place in 24-26 November 2015 in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland. With the theme "Local and Global Arctic" the conference in 2015 will continue the discussion on the latest developments in the Arctic with focus on both the global developments and their consequences on the local level, as well as the interaction of the global, regional and local levels in the Arctic. The conference will consist of keynote speeches by eminent political speakers and distinguished scholars as well as presentations highlighting latest scientific papers and good practices in the thematic sessions. Key questions include:

• How the local perspective is, or should be, seen in global and international context in the Arctic?
• Does Arctic international co-operation truly support sustainable development at the local level?
• How do local perspectives and values translate to regional and global contexts?

The conference invites friends of the Arctic - decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students - to discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives in the spirit of the Rovaniemi Process.

For more information, please visit the conference website.

Speaker: Rick Thoman
Climate Science and Services Manager for the National Weather Service

Organizers announce the availability of a National Weather Service (NWS) Alaska Climate Forecast Briefing webinar. The event will be held Tuesday, 24 November 2015 from 12:00-1:00 p.m. AKST. It can be attended on the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus in the International Arctic Research Center's (IARC) room Akasofu 407 or online at:
http://accap.adobeconnect.com/november2015/event/event_info.html

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. Rick Thoman (Climate Science and Services Manager, Environmental and Scientific Services Division, National Weather Service Alaska Region) will review recent climate conditions around Alaska, review forecast tools and conclude with the Climate Prediction Center's forecast for the upcoming season.

Rick will also present a "Feature-of-the-Month" special addition in which each month he will highlight a topic relevant to the particular month.

Feel free to bring your lunch and join the gathering in-person or join online to learn more about Alaska climate and weather.

This monthly series is generally held on the third Friday of each month. Please note the change to Tuesday for the third week of November 2015.

You are cordially invited to the 23rd IAHR International Symposium on Ice, which will be held from 31st of May to the 3rd of June 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. The 23rd IAHR International Symposium on Ice is sponsored by the International Association of HydroEnvironment Engineering and Research (IAHR). The successful event has been held previously in St. Petersburg, Russia (2004), Vancouver, Canada (2008), Lahti, Finland (2010), Dalian, China (2012) and Singapore (2014). In 2016, it will be the first time that IAHR Symposium on Ice is held in Ann Arbor, MI on the University of Michigan campus, one of the foremost research universities in the United States. In Ann Arbor, there are interests related to ice research with the concern on the magnitude of long term sea level rise, the potential development of new shipping routes due to the melting Arctic, offshore structures in cold waters and their possible environmental impacts, and the impact of climate change on all water resource issues. The aim of the Symposium is on research and application of ice dynamics and thermodynamics in engineering and climate change.

Key Dates:

September 25th, 2015 – Abstract submission opens
November 25th, 2015 – Abstracts due
December 26th, 2015 – Notification of abstract acceptance
February 26th, 2016 – Deadline for submission of full papers
March 1st, 2016 – Registration opens
March 31st, 2016 – Deadline for early bird registration closes
April 15th, 2016 – Notification of acceptance of full paper
May 31st – June 3rd, 2016 – IAHR International Symposium on Ice

The Interdisciplinary Behavioral and Social Science Research (IBSS) competition promotes interdisciplinary research by teams of investigators in the social and behavioral sciences. Emphasis is placed on support for research that involves researchers from multiple SBE disciplinary fields and that integrates scientific theoretical approaches and methodologies from many SBE disciplinary fields. Although the IBSS competition will consider any proposal that makes a compelling case that the research will enhance broader theoretical understanding across multiple social and behavioral science fields, social and behavioral science, researchers are especially encouraged to submit proposals for research on one of the following three broadly defined topics: Population Change; Sources and Consequences of Disparities; and Technology, New Media, and Social Networks.

After almost fifty-five years, the Antarctic Treaty continues to shine as a rare beacon of international cooperation. To celebrate this milestone of peace in our civilization with hope and inspiration for future generations – ANTARCTICA DAY is recognized to be December 1st -the day when the Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959. As an annual event, Antarctica Day encourages participation from around the world.

Abstracts are currently being accepted for sessions during the 11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016). The conference aims at covering all relevant aspects of permafrost research, engineering, and outreach on a global and regional level. It will be held 20-24 June 2016 in Potsdam, Germany.

Abstract submission deadline for all sessions: Tuesday, 1 December 2015.

Abstracts should be submitted online via the external conference registration system ConfTool https://www.conftool.pro/icop2016/

Please note that a maximum of two abstracts can be submitted per first author, out of which only one can be a submission for oral presentation. Early-career researchers are encouraged to submit abstracts.

Authors will be informed about the decision on submitted abstracts by 1 February 2016. Depending on the number of accepted abstracts, sessions may be subject to cancellation or combination with other sessions. The final conference program will be released 15 April 2016.

A complete list of sessions and their descriptions is available at: http://www.icop2016.org/index.php/program/overview

The PRB fall meeting will be held on December 3-4 in Washington, DC. We are looking forward to a full and exciting meeting, including a discussion forum on “Advancing Scientific Understanding to Support Planning for Marine Protected Areas in the Southern Ocean.” Please visit our website to view the agenda and to register to attend.

This one-day conference will focus on the role of the Arctic Council as a forum for Arctic cooperation, the place of the Arctic in Canada’s foreign policy and approach to the circumpolar world, the role of the Arctic in global relations in light of the increasing interest in the region by European and Asian states, and the voice of Indigenous Peoples within the Arctic Council and in shaping circumpolar countries’ Arctic policies.

2016 is the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council. Has the Council successfully served its role as an effective forum for Arctic cooperation? How has the Arctic Council shaped Canada’s circumpolar policies? What can the Arctic states do to foster greater cooperation to address climate change? What’s the best approach to achieve state sovereignty while maintaining the Arctic Council as a platform for international cooperation? Have Indigenous Peoples played a meaningful role within the Arctic Council and in shaping circumpolar states’ Arctic policies? What progress have Indigenous Peoples made in the past 20 years in their struggle for recognition and implementation of Aboriginal rights?

Our expert presenters will reflect on those and other related topics during the conference, followed by responses from expert panel members and interactive debates among them. The conference will provide an excellent opportunity for our expert faculty and delegates to share their insight, knowledge and experience on a broad range of issues related to the Arctic Council, international cooperation in the Arctic region, the development of the Arctic, the evolution of Canada’s Arctic policies and the roles of Indigenous Peoples.

The North Pacific Research Board announces the release of its annual Request for Proposals (RFP). The 2016 RFP has an anticipated funding amount of $4.55 million. This RFP is similar in form and content to past NPRB RFPs, with research priorities structured around the 2005 NPRB Science Plan. Please consult the 2016 RFP for further details on research priorities for this year.

Proposals must be submitted online in accordance with instructions in the RFP. A new proposal submission system has been developed and may be accessed at http://grants.nprb.org/rfp/2016.

This system will be active on October 12, 2015. *The deadline for proposal submission is 4 PM Alaska Standard Time on Friday, December 4, 2015.

For the 2016 RFP and more information, visit the website at:
www.nprb.org/annual-research-program/request-for-proposals

When making important resource management decisions in the face of accelerating impacts from climate change, managers and conservation practitioners must prioritize areas for adaptation actions. 'Climate Refugia' are often highlighted as potential target areas for conservation because they are buffered from climate change and therefore can help to ensure greater protection of wildlife and resources. This presentation will summarize the physical processes that create climate refugia, discuss a new framework for locating and managing them, and use examples to illustrate ways to identify and verify climate refugia.

Introduction to ​Alaska's Shorelines and Understanding Shoreline Change
Jacquelyn Overbeck
Div. of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Dept. of Natural Resources, State of AK

Coastal vulnerability is often described by the rate of shoreline change along a section of coast. These rates range from long-term change (e.g., 1 foot per year of retreat) to erosion from a single storm event (e.g. 100 linear feet of erosion). Rates of shoreline change, however, are highly dependent on the type of shoreline being measured, the calculations being used to determine the rate of change, and the data available to define shoreline positions. The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys' Coastal Hazards Program has created an online tooll with a written guide to provide background on how shoreline positions are defined and how rates of shoreline change are determined. This talk will introduce the shoreline and shoreline change to the general user with examples from the Alaska Shoreline Change Tool that show some of the uses and limitations of shoreline change rates and projections of shoreline positions.

In Anchorage:
OSM Conference Room (2nd Floor)
US Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office
1011 E. Tudor Rd.

Online
Join WebEx meeting
Meeting number: 749 403 701
Meeting password: !WaLCC2015

Call-in toll-free number (Verizon): 1-866-730-5871 (US)
Attendee access code: 111111

In this webinar, Fran Ulmer will provide an overview of the rapid changes that are taking place in the Arctic: social, economic, environmental, and governmental. She will also summarize the Arctic Council history and current agenda. Learn more about the U.S. Arctic Research Commission at https://www.arctic.gov.

Webinar co-sponsored by the NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center, the EBM Tools Network, OpenChannels.org, and MPA News. Register online.

A two day workshop will be held 12-13 December 2015 in advance of the AGU 2015 Fall Meeting in San Francisco to discuss the design and implementation of a Greenland Ice Sheet Ocean Observing System (GrIOOS). The aim of GrIOOS is to provide long-term time series of critical in situ glaciological, oceanographic and atmospheric parameters at several key locations around Greenland.

The workshop will be limited to ~35 participants. Expressions of interest to attend are being solicited from the international community at this time (one page maximum). These should be sent to grioos2015 [at] gmail.com by August 23, 2015 and state clearly the proposed contribution to the workshop. Expressions of interest from groups representing a particular discipline, technique, or field site are strongly encouraged. Participants selected will represent the glaciological, oceanographic, climate, and instrumentation engineering research communities, with special attention to including early-career investigators, women, and underrepresented minorities. Attendees will be notified in September 2015.

The workshop is sponsored in part by SEARCH, CliC (Climate & Cryosphere), and GRISO (Greenland Ice Sheet Ocean Science Network), as well as potentially other groups. Participants will be expected to cover their own travel to San Francisco (the workshop precedes the AGU Fall Meeting) but some funding will be available for the extra accommodation and meal costs.

The 5th annual meeting of the Permafrost Carbon Network will take place on Sunday, 13 December 2015 in San Francisco. We are working on our agenda and will post more details once the meeting comes closer, but we already hope to see many of our members join us.

This annual meeting is open to all interested members of the Permafrost Carbon Network. Please send a email to Christina Schädel at Christina.Schaedel [at] nau.edu for more details.

Welcome to the 2015 AGU Fall Meeting. With nearly 24,000 attendees, the AGU Fall Meeting is the largest Earth and space science meeting in the world. Now in its 48th year, the AGU Fall Meeting is the best place to present your research, hear about the latest discoveries, trends, and challenges in the field, and network and make connections that can enhance your career.

The AGU Fall Meeting brings together the entire Earth and space sciences community for discussions of emerging trends and the latest research. The technical program includes presentations on new and cutting-edgeAmerican Geophysical Union - Fall Meting 2012 science, much of which has not yet been published, meaning you’ll return to work with knowledge you can’t get anywhere else.

With more than 1700 sessions, the AGU Fall Meeting’s scientific program spans the Earth and space sciences, offering something for everyone no matter their scientific discipline. The meeting offers a unique mix of more than 23,000 oral and poster presentations, a broad range of general sessions, more than 50 formal and informal networking and career advancement opportunities, and an exhibit hall packed with nearly 300 exhibitors showcasing new and relevant research tools and services that could help scientists and researchers streamline their work.

Important Dates

• June 10: Abstract Submission Opening
• August 5: Abstract Submission Deadline
• December 14: Fall Meeting Begins

Please visit the conference website for more information.

Town Hall Announcement
Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC)
Accelerating the Pace of Arctic Research
2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meetings

Date: Monday, 14 December 2015
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: Moscone West, Room 2006
Session Number: TH25G

The Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) will convene a town hall meeting entitled "Accelerating the Pace of Arctic Research" during the 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meetings in San Francisco.

This town hall provides a forum for exchange of information on IARPC, a working group of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), and will include a discussion of IARPC collaborations with the research community. Specifically it will discuss how:

• IARPC is accelerating the pace of Arctic research.
• The Arctic research community can engage in IARPC Collaborations, an innovative partnership between the Federal and non-Federal research communities.
• The Arctic research community can inform the future of IARPC planning.

The town hall will be convened by:

• Simon Stephenson, Senior Advisor, NSF Geosciences
• Martin Jeffries, Program Officer and Arctic Science Advisor, ONR
• Tammy Dickinson, Principal Assistant Director for Environment and Energy, OSTP, EOP
• Sandy Starkweather, Implementation Scientist, IARPC
• Jessica Rohde, Web Manager and Project Coordinator, IARPC.

Members of the Arctic research, education, and policy communities are invited to attend.

For more information, please contact:
Jessica Rohde
Email: jrohde [at] arcus.org

The submission of poster abstracts for the Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) 2016 has been extended until December 15th, 2015, or until capacity is reached. Information on AOS 2016 themes can be found on the Summit website and at the page below. Please follow the link to submit your abstract.

AOS 2016 will be held in conjunction with the Arctic Science Summit Week 2016 in Fairbanks, Alaska, 15-18 March 2016. Please join us!

This town hall with SEARCH (www.arcus.org/search-program) leadership will provide a forum for exchanging information and ideas on SEARCH. SEARCH recently received new funding for a suite of interdisciplinary Arctic science, synthesis, and communication activities. The town hall will provide updates on new SEARCH funding and activities, including those related to the SEARCH 5-year science goals and the Arctic Observing Network; discuss how researchers can participate in SEARCH; gather input from the community; and address questions. Members of the Arctic science, education, and policy communities are invited to attend. We encourage students and early career investigators to participate.

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) will hold an open workshop entitled "Navigating the NSF System" during the 2015 American Geophysical Union Fall Meetings in San Francisco.

This workshop is designed to provide information for creating effective submissions to NSF, learning more about new initiatives as well as early career specific options, connecting directly with NSF program officers, and to address questions including:

• How do you make your proposal as NSF-savvy as possible?
• How do you best describe your broader impacts?
• What is cutting edge in data management?
• How do you identify the best program for an application?
• How do you access available education and outreach funds?
• How are initiatives different than core programs?
• How do you identify new initiatives and apply for these opportunities?
• How can you design effective integrated research?

This workshop is open to all AGU Fall Meeting attendees and will be particularly helpful to early-career and mid-career participants, especially graduate students, post-docs, researchers, and tenure-track faculty thinking about applying for NSF funding for the first time. The workshop is made possible through a partnership of the Earth Science Women’s Network and AGU Education.