Past Events

The Workshop on the Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers & the IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology Annual Meeting will host a cross-cutting activity of the Marine and Cryosphere working groups of IASC: “The importance of Arctic glaciers for the Arctic marine ecosystem”.

The purpose of the meeting is:

• Present and discuss new results on observations and modeling of the dynamics and mass budget of Arctic glaciers, including the Greenland ice sheet.
• Provide a forum for glaciologists to present and discuss their work and to stimulate future collaborations.
• Plan and coordinate field work with the aim of using available infrastructure and logistics in the most efficient way.

Participation:
Participation is open to everyone interested in Arctic glaciology and proglacial marine ecosystems. The cross-cutting activity aims at bringing together people from glaciology, marine ecology and oceanography.

You can register and submit your abstracts (maximum length 300 words) by filling this online-form (copy paste the following link into your web browser: https://goo.gl/forms/nhmcMqH14RbHXYkx1

Registration deadline is October 31, 2018. Indicate whether you prefer oral or poster presentation and if your presentation is a contribution to the cross-cutting activity. If you have questions, e-mail Thorben Dunse (Thorben.Dunse [at] hvl.no).

Objectives:
1. To review the main requirements from geo-information in the Atlantic Region from science to information services
2. To review the main activities, projects and initiatives taking place in the region where Earth Observation may contribute
3. To assess the potential of the increasing observation capacity offered by satellites to address the needs for science, applications and future information services
4. To characterise gaps and identify high-level requirements and associated solutions for support ICT infrastructure in the Atlantic region, including the basis for developing an Atlantic Regional Earth Observation Exploitation Platform.

The workshop is organised around oral presentations and discussions. Sessions are designed around dedicated topics related to the workshop’s objectives.

Presentations given at the workshop will be published on the workshop website.

Topics:
- Atlantic Ocean processes – including salinity and sea level dynamics
- Protecting the ocean – eutrophication, pollution, aggregates extraction and ballast water exchange
- Land-sea biogeochemical feedbacks in the Atlantic region
- Protecting biodiversity, sensitive ecosystems and natural capital
- Dealing with the “plastic continents” issue
- Natural hazards and extreme events in the Atlantic region
- Understanding regional variability and common issues with respect to water and energy exchanges
- Regional climate evolution modeling and forecasting
- Natural resources availability and exploitation in the Atlantic region
- Impacts of current and planned economic developments – tourism, cultural heritage and infrastructure deployment
- Spatial planning for the Atlantic region
- Atlantic regional initiatives for data management and exchange

The deadline for abstract submission is 19th November 2018.

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 February 2019 and the remaining 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 in-person at: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks.

Follow the link above to register.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded a project to conceptualize a national Geospatial Software Institute (GSI) as a long-term hub of excellence in software infrastructure for serving diverse research and education communities. To forward the strong momentum gained from two successful workshops, the third workshop will take place in the Washington DC area.

January 27th is intended for an ice-breaking event on the evening so that most participants will be ready for the morning program on January 28th. Dr. Manish Parashar, the Director of the NSF’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) will give the opening keynote on the morning of January 28th. We plan to wrap up the workshop by 1pm, EDT on January 29th.

We are inviting position papers due on October 31, 2018, and look forward to your submissions. If your position paper is selected, you will receive NSF travel support to attend the workshop.

The Alaska Marine Science Symposium (AMSS), Alaska’s premier marine research conference, has been bringing together scientists, educators, resource managers, students, and interested public for over twenty years to discuss the latest marine research being conducted in Alaskan waters. Over 700 people attend this 4-day long conference held annually during the month of January.

Each day of the conference highlights important Alaskan marine ecosystems: Gulf of Alaska (Tuesday), Bering Sea & Aleutian Islands (Wednesday), and the Arctic (Thursday). Research topics discussed range from ocean physics, fishes and invertebrates, seabirds, marine mammals, to local traditional knowledge. Since its inception, NPRB has been a proud sponsor and one of the leading organizers of AMSS.

Abstract submission will close on Friday, October 5, 2018 at 4 pm Alaska time.

ARCUS will be hosting an informational table at Fairweather Science’s annual Arctic Research Planning Night from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Quarterdeck at Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska. This event is held to facilitate collaboration, networking, and knowledge sharing among Arctic researchers.

Attendees are invited to send in advance, or bring a thumb drive, a few slides that outline their research plans for 2019 and beyond. Include research platform (vessel, aircraft, etc.), location of study, duration, objectives, types of data to be collected, available space, and length of contract. Slides can be sent to sheyna.wisdom [at] fairweather.com.

Stop by and enjoy some great conversation, networking, and delicious food!

Organizers invite registration for the 2019 Toolik All Scientists Meeting.

The goal of the meeting is to share scientific findings, promote collaboration, and gather future science support requirements for services and facilities needed among Toolik researchers and others working in the Arctic.

The first day of the meeting will be devoted to scientific talks and posters. All attendees are invited to present a research poster during the poster session. The second day will include a discussion of ideas for future facilities and research support.

Limited funding is available to support travel to the meeting for those who do not have travel funding. Supported participants must present a research poster. A request for travel support must be indicated in the registration form.

Registration deadline: 31 January 2019.

The International Glaciological Society will hold an International Symposium on ‘Glacial Erosion and Sedimentation’ in 2019. The symposium will be held at the Pyle Center in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, USA on 12–17 May 2019.

THEME:

Since the last IGS symposium on glacial erosion and sedimentation in Reykjavik in 1995, techniques for characterizing these processes and their associated landscapes and sediments have improved markedly. Diverse remote-sensing techniques measure subaerial and submarine landforms at extraordinarily high resolution, and geophysical methods reveal evolving subglacial landscapes and processes. New and refined geochronological techniques better constrain rates of erosion and deposition. Increased computer power allows models that address coupled processes of glacier flow, bedrock erosion, sediment transport and tectonic change over long time and length scales. New field and laboratory methods provide insight into the mechanics and kinematics of sediment-transport processes and their manifestations in glacial sediments.

Interesting and stubbornly enduring questions accompany these advances. How can glacial sediments and landforms inform us about glacier dynamics and how are glacier dynamics modulated by sediment-transport processes? How can large-scale models of glacial landscape evolution better approximate the small-scale processes that drive erosion and sediment transport? How can past climate variability be inferred from glacial sediments and landforms? How have rates of glacial erosion and sedimentation changed through time? How are drumlins and other subglacial bedforms sculpted, and what data can provide definitive hypothesis tests?

SUGGESTED TOPICS:

We seek papers and presentations on processes and products of glacial erosion and sedimentation and their relationships to glacier dynamics. Key focus areas include (but are not limited to):

1. Processes and patterns of glacial erosion, sediment transport and deposition
2. Glacial history and dynamics, as inferred from sediments and landforms
3. Sediment transport feedbacks on glacier dynamics
4. Models of glacial landscape evolution
5. Rates of glacial erosion and sedimentation
6. Origins of glacial landforms
7. Geophysical studies of glacial landforms and subglacial processes
8. Climate signals of glacial sediments
9. Hazards associated with glacial sedimentation and erosion.

Participants who wish to present a paper (oral or poster) at the Symposium will be required to submit an abstract by 5 February 2019 (deadline has been extended).

For more information, please see the link above.

The Alaska Forum on the Environment (AFE) is a statewide gathering of environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit and for-profit businesses, community leaders, Alaskan youth, conservationists, biologists, and community elders.

We received over 90 suggestions in our Call for Presentations, Films, and Posters. Our Agenda is now complete and packed with informative sessions, great keynote speeches, and live music!

Follow the link above for more information and to register.

Confirmed Key note speaker: professor Joanna Bullard, UK, the first-author of "High‐latitude dust in the Earth system".

High latitude dust (HLD), originating from cold high latitudes (≥ 50 °N and ≥ 40 °S) affects the cryosphere, oceans, air quality and safety, and in Europe both the High Arctic and the European mainland. Extreme HLD events include events with exceptional magnitude, duration, severity, or extent, such as most severe wind erosion events, storms, dust storms, snow-dust storms, heat waves, cold weather, and extreme snowfalls.

Registration deadline is 11 Jan 2019.
Submissions for talks deadline is 30 Nov 2018.
Poster presentations deadline is 11 Jan 2019.

The preliminary program will appear as soon as possible after 30 Nov 2018. Early career scientists (registered PhD students or PhD degree gained within 5 years) are encouraged to apply for the IASC travel support when submitting a presentation.

Evaluating the responses of mountains to climate and other changes, and their resilience as social-ecological systems, requires the consideration of multiple and mutually interacting stressors. The IMC 2019 aims to encourage in-depth cross-disciplinary discussions towards a new understanding of mountain systems, their responses and resiliencies.

The IMC 2019 will take place 08 - 12 September 2019 in Innsbruck, Austria. It aims to build upon the three previous mountain conferences that took place in Perth, Scotland, continuing this special scientific conference series with a focus on mountain-specific topics. Hosted in the Alps, the IMC 2019 will provide an excellent opportunity for experts from different disciplines to come together and discuss mountain-related issues.

Climate change is an ongoing global phenomenon. The topography of mountain regions means that the processes and impacts of climate change are typically more complex in these regions than in the lowlands, and therefore more challenging to understand and predict. At the same time, mountain systems affected by climate change also provide many services, not only to local residents but also to people living in the lowlands. In total, around one quarter of the Earth's population lives in the mountains and their forelands.

In light of this, the IMC 2019 will focus on:

• The investigation of processes and the detection of changes in climate and other factors more or less influenced by climate (e.g., social, environmental, or infrastructural changes).
• The consequences of the changes with respect to the vulnerabilities of socio-ecological systems
  Strategies for adaptation and transformation.

Abstract submission deadline has been extended to 14 February 2019.

Registration: End of February 2019 - 15 May 2019.

Under the leadership of the Sentinel North program at Université Laval (Quebec City, Canada), the International PhD School (IPS) is a unique transdisciplinary training program aiming to understand the key role of microbiomes in shaping the structure and functioning of the Arctic, including their impacts on food webs, ecosystem services, and human health.

Taking place at the Centre for Northern Studies (CEN) research station in Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik (Nunavik, Canada) on the eastern shore of the Hudson Bay (55°16’N, 77° 45’ W), the school will provide participants with an integrative, hands-on experience spanning a wide range of disciplines such as Arctic microbiology and molecular ecology, biogeochemistry, complex system networks, environmental optics/photonics, remote sensing and human health. It will take place 2-12 July , 2019.

Applications are accepted until February 15, 2019.

Who Should Apply:

Up to 20 international graduate students with various backgrounds will be selected. The target audience are PhD students, but in some cases, postdoctoral fellows or M.Sc. students (or equivalent) with relevant professional qualifications may also apply.

Note: Due to the practical and hands-on approach of fieldwork in northern environment, all applicants should be in reasonably good physical condition, and be equipped/dressed accordingly. Details will be provided to selected participants.

For more information please follow the link above.

We are happy to announce the fourth Ocean Worlds meeting scheduled for May 21–22, 2019 at Universities Space Research Association Headquarters at 7178 Columbia Gateway Dr., Columbia, Maryland.

Purpose and Scope:

Many of the icy moons and dwarf planets in the outer solar system are known or hypothesized to host subterranean liquid-water oceans. These worlds may also have liquid trapped within their icy lithospheres. In the larger bodies, fluids are also suspected within and between lithospheric layers of high-pressure ice. The geodynamics of these ice lithospheres may be influenced by the freezing and melting of water and associated impurities (e.g., salts and organic compounds), and interactions at ocean-ice interfaces may influence circulation in the oceans on local or global scales.

In this, the fourth meeting in the Ocean Worlds series, we focus on the ice-water interactions occurring within ocean worlds beyond Earth, from a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary perspective. Considering them in detail should lead to new hypotheses testable by future spacecraft missions. As with past Ocean Worlds meetings, a primary motivation is to engender a cross-fertilization of ideas and expertise by soliciting contributions from both the Ocean Sciences and Planetary Sciences communities. Consequently, contributions are invited that address any aspects of this broad ice-water interaction theme, across the Planetary and Ocean Science fields, including geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, and microbiology.

Abstract deadline: February 15, 2019.
Early registration deadline: April 22, 2019.
Standard registration deadline: May 10, 2019.

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.

Synopsis:

Arctic sciences are at the forefront of discovery resulting from research that engages indigenous knowledge and connects to policy decisions about the region. This session will bring together speakers from various disciplines representing multiple organizations to discuss recent achievements in Arctic sciences with respect to fundamental and policy-focused interdisciplinary and international research. Topics to be addressed include examples of Arctic-based research that crosses regional and disciplinary boundaries, and the key methodological strengths of this research, as well as how Arctic-based research could contribute to disciplines and research in other regions, and the role of funding agencies in advancing this exchange.

Organizers:

Andrey Petrov
International Arctic Social Sciences Association, Cedar Falls, IA

Jack Kaye
NASA, Washington, DC

Moderator:

Jessica Graybill
Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

Discussant:

John Farrell
United States Arctic Research Commission, Arlington, VA

Speakers:

Indigenous Knowledge and Interdisciplinary Science in the Arctic
Willie Goodwin, Alaska Waterways Safety Committee, Anchorage, AK

Towards Knowledge Co-production in the Arctic
Dmitry Streletskiy, United States Permafrost Association, Washington, DC

Adaptation Actions to a Changing Arctic in the Bering - Chukchi - Beaufort Region
Larry Hinzman, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK and International Arctic Science Committee

Annual meeting registration and one day registration can be found at the link above.

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 March 2019 and the remaining winter/spring 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: Room 407 in the Akasofu Building on the UAF Campus in Fairbanks.

We strongly encourage pre-registration for webinars. The audio portion of the call is through a toll-free phone line and the slide presentation is streamed via computer. Follow the link above to register.

Organizers invite session abstracts for the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2019 Aquatic Sciences Meeting.

ASLO is offering two sessions that will highlight Arctic research. These sessions include SS16: Changing Biogeochemistry and Ecology across Arctic Aquatic Systems in the 21st Century and CS36: Arctic Ecosystems.

Session SS16: Changing Biogeochemistry and Ecology across Arctic Aquatic Systems in the 21st Century, will emphasize changes in the biogeochemistry and ecology of Arctic waters. Potential topic areas for this session may include nutrient, carbon, and toxin dynamics, including the release, transport, and transformation of biogeochemical constituents across the Arctic aquatic continuum, changing food web dynamics, and ecosystem function, as well as changing physical processes related to altered temperature and ice cover regimes. Studies across gradients and land-water interfaces are encouraged. Reviews, secondary analyses, and meta-analyses taking a comparative approach across Arctic systems are also welcome.

Session CS36: Arctic Ecosystems will provide a platform for sharing results from a wider range of physical, chemical, and biological studies of aquatic systems at high northern latitudes.

These sessions are being jointly organized and chaired to create a diverse lineup of presentations from the Arctic research community, and will form the seed of a 2021 special Arctic-oriented issue in Limnology & Oceanography.

Abstract submission deadline: 22 October 2018.

The workshop will take place 21st-23rd July 2019 at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland (just prior to the INQUA Congress).

The first meeting of the new phase (2019-2021) of the PAGES and INQUA working group PALeo constraints on SEA level rise (PALSEA) will focus on refining proxy-based reconstructions of past sea level. Sea-level rise due to polar ice sheet decay in a warming world is one of the most important, and most uncertain aspects associated with climate change. Because the instrumental record is short and changes to date have been modest, observations from the recent past provide at best a limited vantage point from which to gauge the future. The geologic record, in contrast, features major, and sometimes rapid, changes in ice sheets and sea level that remain to be fully explored and explained. Recent methodological improvements bear the potential to reduce uncertainties in local sea-level reconstructions, which will be crucial for reconciling sea level-based estimates of past ice sheet volumes.

The meeting will run over 3 days:

• Day 1 (July 21st) will be dedicated to the ecological and environmental interpretation of proxy-based datasets.
• Day 2 (July 22nd) will focus on cutting-edge chronological attribution techniques, which is critical to link sea level data to climate archives in order to better understand the drivers of change.
• During day 3 (July 23rd) the participants will be split in two separate groups, each working on one specific time period, to refine reconstructions and database protocols based upon the discussions from the previous days. One group will focus on the Holocene, coordinated by the HOLSEA (an INQUA working group) leader Nicole Khan, while the second group led by Alessio Rovere will work towards the inception of the World Atlas of Last Interglacial Shorelines.

We welcome abstracts that fit with the themes of the first two days of the meeting on state-of-the-art approaches which aim to improve proxy-based reconstruction of past sea level. We particularly welcome submissions from disciplines beyond traditional paleo sea level research that may broaden community expertise. Abstract submission closes at 23:59 GMT on the 27th February 2019. Attendance will be capped to help promote discussion. Acceptance of abstracts will be confirmed by 15th March 2019 following review by the organizing committee for fit with the meeting (irrespective of career stage). Registration will close on the 18th April 2019.

This event is open to all and will provide a platform for exciting discussions on our present and future climate. On the first day's afternoon and evening, scientists, decision-makers and experts from other fields will join for presentations and panel discussions, and we would welcome your participation. The second day will focus on science and ECRA's Collaborative Programmes.

The ECRA General Assembly 2019 will discuss current issues of a forum to discuss climate research priorities, vulnerable regions, impacts and potential adaptation strategies, along with advancing integrative and collaborative research. More than 110 climate scientists, policy makers and representatives from relevant climate initiatives made it a successful conference!

Registration between 03 Dec 2018 and 27 Feb 2019.

Polar Educators International is having a webinar about Ice Core Science. We will hear from an educator, Louise Huffman and researcher Dr. Mary Albert. Registration is free.

Mary R. Albert, PhD, is the Executive Director of the U.S. Ice Drilling Program, and Professor of Engineering at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. At Dartmouth she teaches classes on climate change and engineering on both the undergraduate and graduate level. The current research that Dr. Albert and her graduate students are addressing involves climate change in two ways: understanding evidence of past climate from polar ice cores, and also developing adaptation strategies and frameworks needed for communities under current climate change.

Louise T. Huffman, is the Director of Education and Public Outreach (EPO) for the US Ice Drilling Program (IDP), a National Science Foundation funded program at Dartmouth College. One of the highlighted EPO programs for IDP is the School of Ice held each summer for faculty teaching at Minority Serving Institutions. Huffman found her love for polar science in the 2002-03 Antarctic research season as a TEA (Teacher Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic) on the “Stream Team” in the Dry Valleys. She also spent the 2007 Antarctic research season at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, coordinating the ANDRILL ARISE (ANDRILL Research Immersion for Science Educators) program.