Past Events

The European Commission, Finland and Germany will co-host the 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM 2).

The aims of this 2nd ministerial meeting are to promote the results of the deliverables agreed at the 1st Arctic Science Ministerial, increase capacity to respond to major societal challenges in the Arctic, encourage further scientific cooperation among a large number of countries and representatives of indigenous peoples.

The 1st Arctic Science Ministerial, hosted by the White House in 2016, brought together science ministers from 24 governments, EU representatives and delegates from Arctic Indigenous peoples’ organisations. Their discussions centred on collective efforts to step up international scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial is not an Arctic Council event. However, Finland is chairing the Arctic Council from May 2017 to May 2019. This guarantees strong links between the Ministerial and the Arctic Council. All delegations present at the 1st Ministerial and other interested governments are invited - participation of indigenous Arctic communities is a priority.

What will be on the agenda?

On Day 1 an Arctic Science Conference will showcase the latest achievements as regards the deliverables agreed for each thematic area at the 1st Ministerial. The discussion will focus on scientific advances in the deliverables and on the commitment needed in future. It will be open to a wide range of Arctic stakeholders, policymakers and media. The first day of the conference will be followed by an evening networking reception at 7 p.m. These discussions will prepare the ground for Day 2 on which government ministers and delegates will meet to discuss the main scientific issues. The main objectives are to release a Joint Statement, issue a report on initiatives taken over the preceding 2 years and an updated list of deliverables expected to generate results over the next few years. Further details will be published in the run-up to the conference.

The 10th Portuguese Conference on Polar Sciences will be hosted for the first time by the University of Aveiro, Portugal. This meeting has been boosted by the Portuguese polar programme (PROPOLAR) yearly as forum where researchers working both in the Arctic and the Antarctica share their newest results. It has traditionally been an advanced venue for the discussion and triggering of fruitful national and international cooperation towards improved research in polar regions.

The organizing committee welcomes all members of the Portuguese polar community to the Conference, as well as researchers, students and stakeholders interested in polar regions and their global importance. The meeting will include platform and poster sessions covering a wide range of topics within e.g. atmospheric sciences, biology, environmental sciences, geochemistry, geology, geography, social sciences, space sciences, all linked to polar research. Internationally renowned invited speakers will honor the event with plenary sessions that should be of great interest of all attendees.

We would like to announce an Elmer/Ice advanced users workshop will provisionally take place at the CSC-IT Center for Science in Espoo, Finland.

This workshop is intended for advanced Elmer/Ice users that want to exchange between each other and get information on latest developments within the package. The advantage this time is, that Elmer specialists from CSC will be present and available to discuss problems and possibilities that link to the code-base of Elmer.

An excellent and exciting opportunity awaits university students interested in the Arctic and Arctic affairs. University of Lapland and University of Oulu (Finland), in cooperation with the Model Arctic Council Thematic Network, will host a Model Arctic Council 2018.

The Model Arctic Council (MAC) is an experiential learning exercise, in which graduate and advanced undergraduate students from different disciplines and universities all over the Arctic region come together to simulate the work of the Arctic Council. The Council is the primary forum for international cooperation and environmental protection in the Arctic; its working groups contribute to knowledge creation on the Arctic and its fragile ecosystem.

The MAC will engage graduate and advanced undergraduate students from universities in the Arctic states, and possibly from some Arctic Council observer countries, to simulate the work and processes of the Arctic Council and its working groups. In the simulation each student will represent her/his assigned Arctic Council role – representing either one of Member States, or Permanent Participants or Observer countries – together with 1-2 other students as a delegation.

Organizers invite abstract submissions and registration for the 10th Circumpolar Agriculture Conference. This conference will convene 13-15 March 2019 at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland.

The conference is the tenth in line of international conferences organized within the framework of CAA (Circumpolar Agriculture Association), aimed at people involved in northern agriculture such as researchers, practitioners, administrators, managers, policy-makers and students. The conference will address a bottom-up approach and new thinking of local agriculture, food production and rural development in the northern areas. The goal is to open up and discuss versatile meanings of circumpolar agriculture and call for new thinking to address its topical challenges and opportunities. In accordance with the theme of Finland’s Chairmanship period of the Arctic Council, UN Sustainable Development Goals will be highlighted in the program. The sessions will examine among others best practices and resilient solutions in the utilization of animal and plant resources, local breeds, reindeer herding, small-scale farming and non-timber forest products. The conference will address the high quality of arctic foods, their local profitability and business opportunities. The importance of food security and sustainability in different regions and countries will also be discussed.

The conference is hosted by the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland together with the Natural Resources Institute Finland; other co-organisers are ProAgria Lapland, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Regional Council of Lapland and Reindeer Herders’ Association.

Sessions will examine best practices and solutions in the utilization of animal and plant resources, local breeds, reindeer herding, small-scale farming, and non-timber forest products.

Abstract submission deadline extended to: 29 October 2018
Early-bird registration deadline: 30 November 2018
Registration deadline: 15 February 2019

There is no fee for the registration but registration is mandatory as the number of participants is limited to 150. We also have a few travel support grants for Early Stage Researchers (up to PhD plus 6 years). Application is done during the abstract submission and the selection will be done by the scientific committee.

Important dates:

7 September 2018: abstract submission deadline. Abstract submission form is now available here
21 September 2018: acceptance for oral/poster
21 September 2018: registration without abstract open
15 October 2018: registration deadline (or up to 150 participants)

Sessions:

Each session will have posters and 3-5 talks (15 min incl. discussion) depending on submissions.

1. Intercomparison of measurement methods , remote sensing product and assessment of their errors
2. Recommendations on measurement methods and instrumentation
3. Snow observation reporting and dissemination
4. Snow data assimilation methods in NWP, hydrology, and other disciplines
5. Representation of errors in NWP, hydrological and climate models
6. Intercomparison of snow models and future of snow modeling across disciplines
7. Actions and methods for training snow scientists and observers
8. Harmonization strategies across international organizations and other activities

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) announces the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Karin Buhmann, Professor of Business and Human Rights at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). The event will be held in the ARCUS D.C. office at 1201 New York Avenue, NW Washington D.C.

This seminar will also be available as a webinar live-stream for those unable to attend in person. Registration is required for this event.

This seminar, titled Responsible Investments in Arctic Mining: Implications of Chinese Policies, will be presented by Karin Buhmann, Copenhagen Business School. Karin’s Arctic-related research interests focus on potential beneficial and adverse social impacts of natural resource exploration and extraction, and on citizen involvement in impact assessment processes. Karin is the deputy representative at the University of the Arctic (UArctic) for CBS, a founding member and lead of the UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Sustainable Resources and Social Responsibility, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

An International Symposium on Mitigation Measures against Snow Avalanches and Other Rapid Gravity Mass Flows will be held in Siglufjörður, N-Iceland, from April 3rd to April 5th, 2019, by the Association of Chartered Engineers in Iceland (VFI).

Abstract submission deadline: 31st October 2018.
Registration deadline: 15th December 2018

Rapid gravity mass flows pose a threat to settlements and infrastructure and limit the use of land on all continents of the world. The symposium seeks to bring together scientists, engineers, architects and representatives of local and central authorities to discuss the state-of-the art of mitigation measures against snow avalanches and other rapid gravity mass flows and the challenges that lie ahead in the management of those natural hazards.

Presentations at the symposum are centered around four topical areas:

1. Risk management
2. Planning, design, construction and management of protection measures
3. Observations and simulations of avalanches
4. Society and environment

See the symposium website and the 1st circular for further programme details.

The symposium will be held in Siglufjörður, N-Iceland, an ideal location for a symposium about avalanche mitigation measures. Siglufjörður and the surrounding rural area has a long history of avalanches and avalanche catastrophes and the area offers great opportunities for a symposium field excursion. An extensive programme for the construction of avalanche protection measurements for the town has been ongoing for more than two decades.

The ACUNS Student Conference was established in 2003 in order to increase awareness of northern research in Canada and elsewhere and to provide the opportunity for emerging northern scholars to gather from around the world. It is a regular event with a thematic focus and it is largely organized by a committee of graduate students from the host institution.

​ACUNS 2018 is organized by students for students from around the world. Our planning committee encompasses a wide range of backgrounds and Canadian Universities. The conference provides a unique opportunity for young researchers to meet and exchange ideas with others who share similar academic interests in the north, be they in science, social science or the humanities. Organizing the ACUNS Conference provides students with an invaluable opportunity to develop skills that will carry them through their academic careers, to forge links with government, private sector and community stakeholders, and make new national and international connections that ultimately lead to new partnerships for knowledge creation, both within academe and beyond.

The ACUNS Student Conference will be held at the University of Alberta. We are now accepting abstracts until September 1st. Abstracts should be no longer than 350 words long.

More information is available at the link above.

Organizers invite applications for the Emerging Leaders program that will consist of a combination of technical, social, and cultural events. This program takes place 16-22 January 2019 in the Norwegian Arctic, starting in the city of Bodø, continuing onboard a coastal cruise to Lofoten, and ending in Tromsø, Norway.

Emerging Leaders is an Arctic early carrier and mentoring program in the High North for young scientists and professionals. If you are under 35 years and want to learn more about Arctic security, Arctic economy and Arctic environment, you are welcome to apply.

Emerging Leaders invite 30 selected candidates from different countries to participate in a blend of technical, social and cultural events accompanied by mentors from business, politics and academia. The program takes place in the Norwegian Arctic and starts in the city of Bodø, then continues onboard the coastal cruise M/S Hurtigruten to Lofoten and ends in Tromsø, “the gateway to the Arctic”.

The Emerging Leaders will explore topics and adventures that are specific to the Arctic mindset and engage in crucial and contemporary discussions on environment, resource management, security, the development of business and technology in the Arctic.

The Mentors will challenge the Emerging Leaders to present at the Arctic Frontiers Policy conference in Tromsø a professional view on the Arctic. What are the suggestions and solutions to Arctic opportunities and challenges? How should we best define Arctic sustainability, potentials and vulnerabilities?

Be prepared to make close friends across a variety of pan-Arctic regions and professions.

Participation fee is 35.000 NOK.

Apply before 1 November 2018.

Graduate students associated with University of Washington’s Program on Climate Change are pleased to announce the 12th Annual Graduate Climate Conference (GCC), which will be held at the University of Washington Pack Forest Conference Center.

The GCC is an interdisciplinary conference run by graduate students, for graduate students. The organizers of GCC strive to feature a diverse representation of students and research topics to create a broader, more inclusive community for emerging leaders in climate-related fields.

We encourage students from all backgrounds and stages of their graduate careers to apply. GCC highlights climate research from a variety of disciplines from the physical, natural, and social sciences and humanities, including anthropology, atmospheric sciences, biology, communication, environmental sciences, economics, engineering, ethics, geography, geology, law, oceanography, public policy, resource management, and more.

We highly encourage abstracts from students with traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

Applications for GCC 2018 are now open. The deadline for abstract submission is June 1. Lodging and meals are covered for all participants. Limited travel funding will also be awarded on an as-needed basis to as many participants as possible.

For more information and access to the application, please see the website above.

Please contact the organizing committee with any questions at gradclimateconference [at] gmail.com

The 5th Snow Science Winter School will take place 17-23 February 2019 in Haliuoto, Finland.

Objectives:

The cryosphere forms an integral part of the climate system of the Earth. Measuring the properties of the seasonal and perennial snow cover properties is therefore essential in understanding interactions and feedback mechanisms related to the cryosphere.

Snow is a extremely complex and highly variable medium, and all essential properties of seasonal snow cover are challenging to measure. Diverse fields such as hydrology, climatology, avalanche forecasting and Earth Observation from space benefit from improved quantification of snow cover properties, in particular related to the snow microstructure.

The past 10 years snow science has seen a rapid change from a semi-quantitative to a quantitative science. Understanding physical and chemical processes in the snowpack requires detailed measurements of the microstructure.

The 5th Snow Science Winter School will teach these advanced techniques, as micro-tomography, measurement of specific surface area by reflection and spectroscopy, near-infrared photography and high-resolution penetrometry. You will learn:

• State-of-the-art snow measurement techniques especially on sea ice
• Understanding the physical processes responsible for the evolution of the snowpack
• Understanding snow - sea ice interactions and modeling

Target audience:

Any graduate student or post-doc working on snow or in some snow related field, this year especially in sea ice measurements and modeling, is welcome to participate. Those fields include everybody interested in cryospheric sciences.

Course structure:

The focus of this workshop lies on snow on sea ice and arctic snow, field measurements and snowpack models combined with theoretical lessons in the classroom.

Field and laboratory measurements will be done in small groups of 3-4 students. Each group of students will have to prepare a report describing the methods, results and interpretation, and a comparison between field measurements and snow modelling results.

The course corresponds to 3 ETCS-Points. The winter school is listed in the coursebook of the doctoral school at EPFL Lausanne. To receive full credit, a report taking 40 hours of homework must be written, based on the measurements during the course.

Applications will close on November 6, 2018, 24:00 UCT.

The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) announces a call for nominations for our 2018 Board of Directors election. There are a possible four seats up for election in a vote by the ARCUS membership expected to take place in December 2018.

We seek nominations of candidates with enthusiasm and time to dedicate to ARCUS, who are willing and able to help ARCUS fulfill its vision and mission and achieve its strategic goals. We particularly invite nominations of individuals with experience in and connections to industry, foundations, or Arctic Indigenous groups.

The primary job responsibilities of the Board are to:

• Hold fiduciary responsibility for the corporation;
• Create and serve on committees of the Board;
• Actively work to develop broader program, membership, and funding support for ARCUS activities;
• Promote the interests of its member institutions and the larger Arctic research community by taking positions on and promulgating position statements about important issues related to Arctic science;
• Identify opportunities for new initiatives and collaborations in the Arctic community in research, dissemination, and education;
• Advocate for funding to support community initiatives;
• Assist the research community in liaison with indigenous communities in the North; and
• Promote, articulate, and advocate a vision of Arctic research and its contribution to society.

Nominations should include the person's name, affiliation, contact information, area of expertise, short (two-page) curriculum vitae, and a brief statement on why the person would be an asset to the ARCUS Board of Directors. We request that prior to submitting a nomination, you first obtain the consent of the nominee. Self-nominations are welcome.

For questions or to submit a nomination, please contact:
Audrey Taylor, President of the Board
Email: artaylor [at] alaska.edu

The Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI) is one of the most fundamental metrics defining the status of global climate change and expectations for continued global warming. WCRP Core Projects work together for a new WCRP-wide initiative to identify research goals and opportunities for Earth’s Energy Imbalance and to strengthen future international scientific collaboration with experts for EEI assessments.

Save the dates for this opportunity for international scientific collaborations. Further details can be found at the link above.

This presentation will review the current and forecast state of the oceans and atmosphere and provide several scenarios for the winter and spring with an emphasis on sea ice.

The winter of 2017-18 brought record late freeze-up and extremely low sea ice cover to the southern Chukchi and Bering Seas with dramatic impacts to the ecosystem this past summer. Naturally, inquiring minds want a heads-up on the upcoming season. This presentation will review the current and forecast state of the oceans and atmosphere and provide several scenarios for the winter and spring with an emphasis on sea ice.

The World Ocean Council convenes the Global Ocean Business Community to the 6th edition of its Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS), with the theme of “Ocean Sustainable Development – Connecting Asia and the World.”

SOS provides a global platform for leadership companies and organizations to advance the development and implementation of industry-driven solutions to ocean sustainability challenges.

The SOS is uniquely designed to bring together leadership companies from the diverse Ocean Business Community: shipping, oil and gas, fisheries, aquaculture, seabed mining, tourism, renewable energy, ports, dredging, mining, submarine cables, marine science, engineering and technology, the maritime legal, financial and insurance communities, and others – as well as ocean stakeholders from the government, inter-governmental, academic and environment communities.

This talk will provide a summary of important ideas from the field of climate change communication, with a focus on practical recommendations for weather and climate professionals.

There is a growing body of social science related to communicating climate change and related weather hazards. This research offers several insights on how different audiences perceive and understand climate change and what communication approaches to adopt with each, whether you are trying to raise awareness, discuss risks, or encourage people to adopt a new behavior. This talk will provide a summary of important ideas from the field of climate change communication, with a focus on practical recommendations for weather and climate professionals. Additionally, it will describe several high quality, evidence-based resources that are now freely available to help climate communicators.

Now in its sixth year, MASS has gained an international reputation as a must-attend event to gain a wide perspective on challenges, opportunities and policies related to the Arctic and North Atlantic maritime environments. The aim of this Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador supported international conference is to promote stakeholder collaboration, technological innovation, harsh environment research & development, and world-class education efforts that are contributing to both Maritime and Arctic issues. This two day conference will draw a diverse group of speakers and attendees representing government, military, Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard, industry, academic leaders, Northern Leaders, research and other key stakeholders. We hope you can join us to be a part of this important dialogue

The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) is engaging past, present, and future members of its community in a broad conversation about how SEARCH might advance synthesis and engagement in the coming decades? What coordination of research and communication is needed? Input from the broader community through this meeting and other venues will inform SEARCH’s planning efforts.

For more information, contact Brendan Kelly, SEARCH Executive Director, bpkelly [at] alaska.edu

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 December and the winter season.

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

Available online or in-person at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 407 IARC/Akasofu building, 12:00pm AKDT, 4:00pm EDT.