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The Forum for Arctic Ocean Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) is an international effort to focus on enhancing collaboration and coordination among arctic marine and sea ice modelers, theoreticians, and observationalists. This collaboration is based on a set of activities starting from generating hypotheses, to planning research including both observations and modeling, and to finalizing analyses synthesizing major results from the field studies and coordinated numerical experiments.

The major themes of this year's workshop include, but are not limited by studies focused on:

• Sea ice conditions (drift, thickness and concentration)
• Atmospheric conditions and circulation regimes
• Circulation of surface, Pacific and Atlantic water layers
• State and future of freshwater and heat content
• Horizontal and vertical mixing
• Process studies and parameterizations
• Model validation and calibration
• Numerical improvements and algorithms
• Ecosystems, biological issues, and geochemistry

This is an open and informal meeting of glaciologists from the "Pacific Northwest" studying snow and ice around the world. This is an informal gathering with no abstracts, no pre-registration, and a strong history of student participation. All are welcome.

NEW for 2013: In addition to regular (15 minute) talks, we are now encouraging (5 minute) 'microtalks' for those wishing to share new data or ideas in a short format.

Registration is on-site. For planning purposes, please email Flavien Beaud (fbeaud [at] sfu.ca) if you intend to come to the meeting. Let us know if you'd like to give a talk and attend the Friday social.

Organizers of the 19th International Symposium on Polar Sciences announce an extended call for abstracts. The conference will convene 16-18 October 2013 at the Korea Polar Research Institute in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

The International Symposium on Polar Sciences is held annually and is intended to build better understanding and consensus on the progress and future of polar research programs. The theme of the 2013 symposium is "Toward Better Understanding of Climate Changes in the Arctic." The main objectives of this symposium are to examine the causes and impacts of rapid warming in the Arctic and to understand the potential feedback processes observed in the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial ecosystems.

To submit an abstract, go to: http://symposium.kopri.re.kr/registration.html.

Extended abstract submission deadline: Saturday, 31 August 2013.

For further information, including registration and abstract submission instructions, the tentative schedule, links to accommodations and transportation information, and to download the second circular, go to: http://symposium.kopri.re.kr/overview.html.

As we attempt to model the Earth System it is important that the impact of forest fires on the Earth System is fully understood and quantified. These impacts can be on climate, the biosphere, ecosystem functioning, society and livelihood. Fire disturbance has been identified by climate modellers as an Essential Climate Variable. Forest disturbance and the associated carbon flux needs to be measured and reported under the United Nations REDD+ programme. Furthermore, we have been very good at understanding the short term impacts of fire on forests, but less good at understanding the response of vegetation under different fire frequency and severity scenarios. The workshop will draw out the state of the art research being undertaken to identify and quantify these impacts.

Abstracts are invited on the following topics:

• Characterizing the impact of fire severity and fire frequency across vegetation types
• Validation methods for burned area mapping
• Monitoring and modeling vegetation recovery after fire disturbance
• Scaling from regional to global burned area maps
• Mapping forest fires for REDD+ MRV
• Using active fire mapping and fire radiative energy to inform on fire severity and impact

To manage the considerable data legacy of the International Polar Year (IPY), the National Antarctic Data Centres under SCAR initiated several dedicated data-services. To construct an effective framework for long-term stewardship, data must be made available promptly, and adequate technologies should be employed (e.g., a repository service, such as the Polar Information Commons (PIC)). In addition to activities conducted within the communities of SCAR and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), stronger links must be established in the post-IPY era with other crosscutting scientific data-management bodies under the umbrella of the International Council for science (ICSU), namely, the Committee on Data for Science and Technology and the World Data System (ICSU-WDS). To this end, SCAR's Standing Committee on Antarctic Data Management (SCADM), the WDS Scientific Committee, and IASC are planning a Joint International Forum on "Polar Data Activities in Global Data Systems".

The Forum will address effective polar data management, including submission of metadata and data, sharing of data to facilitate new interdisciplinary science, and long-term preservation and stewardship of data at the international level. To ensure the IPY data legacy, presentations on the successes and challenges encountered during IPY will highlight not only the best practices but also the shortcomings. This event is open to all scientific disciplines, and interdisciplinary data management topics are especially encouraged. A significant outcome of the Forum will be the development of a new strategy and structure for the Arctic Data Network under the auspices of SAON, IASC, and the Arctic Council. Discussions involving the different communities will provide a strong foundation to forge interdisciplinary connections and explore new horizons for polar data management. In particular, an updated plan for polar data archives, including as the PIC cloud system, will be discussed.

Important Dates:

Registration opening: 1 July 2013

Abstract submission deadline: 30 July 2013

Hotel reservation deadline: 15 Sept 2013

Registration close: 30 Sept 2013

The inaugural Arctic Circle will be held October 12-14, 2013. The mission of the Arctic Circle is to facilitate dialogue and build relationships to confront the Arctic's greatest challenges. We aim to strengthen the decision-making process by bringing together as many Arctic and international partners as possible under one large "open tent."

By facilitating circumpolar meetings of leaders across disciplines, we will identify truly sustainable development practices for the Arctic, the world's last pristine environment.

The Arctic Circle is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Organizations, forums, think tanks, corporations and public associations around the world are invited to hold meetings within the Arctic Circle platform without surrendering their institu­tional independence. The agenda for the first Arctic Circle gathering will include plenary sessions with international leaders on emerging topics of interest, such as:

• Sea ice melt and extreme weather;
• Security in the Arctic;
• Fisheries and ecosystem management;
• Shipping and transportation infrastructure;
• Arctic Resources;
• Tourism

Subsequent Arctic Circle gatherings will be held in a different Arctic location each year, so that participants can become familiar with the challenges, needs and opportunities presented by these unique environments.

The DISsertations initiative for the advancement of Climate Change ReSearch (DISCCRS, pronounced discourse) hosts symposia for early-career climate change researchers. Our goal is to catalyze international, interdisciplinary collegial networks and foster collaborative interdisciplinary research and dynamic interactions between science and society to enable us to better understand and respond to the myriad challenges posed by climate change.

During the week-long symposium, 30 competitively selected recent Ph.D. graduates will share their research, engage in discussions with peers, mentors, and funding agency representatives, and hone their team-building and communication skills. Most importantly, scholars will depart from the symposium with a collegial peer network that extends across the full range of climate science.

Symposium Eligibility: Ph.D. requirements completed between September 1, 2010 - February 28, 2013 in any field. Applicants should be conducting research relevant to the study of climate change, its impacts, or its societal implications. We encourage applicants from the biological, physical, and social sciences, mathematics, engineering, and other fields. While U.S. citizens and residents have preference, some funds are available for non-U.S. participants.

An interdisciplinary conference of the humanities and social sciences entitled 'Heritage and Change in the Arctic' announces a call for papers. The conference will be convened 11-14 October 2013 at the University of Greenland in Nuuk, Greenland.

Making a new and unique contribution to arctic research and policy by bringing together social and human sciences scholars from northern Canada, Greenland, and the Nordic countries, this two-day conference relates the historical origins of key socio-environmental challenges facing arctic communities to both contemporary responses and potential future alternatives. A key focus will be the political, economic, and cultural investments of arctic states and peoples in ecological and cultural sustainability. The conference will be a rare opportunity to discuss northern issues as they cross the Atlantic. Subthemes include:

• Natural resources and sustainable development
• National identities and centre-periphery relations
• Indigenous identity and heritage landscapes
• Youth, tradition, and community responses to change

Proposals on any relevant topic are welcome, and should be submitted via email (contact-circla [at] cgs.aau.dk). Submissions should include a 200-word abstract and a brief statement of the author's academic affiliation.

The 2013 Arctic Energy Summit is a multi-disciplinary event expected to draw several hundred industry officials, scientists, academics, policy makers, energy professionals and community leaders together to collaborate and share leading approaches on Arctic energy issues. The meeting will be convened 8-10 October 2013 in Akureyri, Iceland.

The Summit will be an interdisciplinary forum for scholars, energy industry officials, scientists, academics, policymakers, energy professionals, and community leaders who share an interest in, and concern for, sustainable development of the Arctic and its energy resources. Building on the work done at the highly successful 2007 Arctic Energy Summit and Technology Conference, the 2013 Summit will address energy extraction, production, and transmission in the Arctic as it relates to three thematic areas: richness, resilience, and responsibility.

For questions, contact:
Geoffrey R. Cooper
Email: gcooper [at] institutenorth.org
Phone: 907-786-4663

I would like to draw your attention to an advanced workshop in the micromorphology of sediment deformation which will be held at the Centre for Micromorphology at Queen Mary, University of London from 7-11th October 2013. This workshop is led by Dr Simon Carr and Professor Jaap van der Meer (QMUL) and Dr Emrys Phillips (BGS Edinburgh). This workshop is particularly aimed at researchers who have prior experience in the micro-scale analysis of glacial sediments, or who have attended previous International Workshops on Micromorphology of Glacial Sediments. However, please contact the organisers if you would like to establish whether this course is appropriate for you.

The workshop will comprise lectures examining the application of micromorphology to (glacial) sediments that preserve evidence of deformation, a review of current thinking on processes and mechanisms of sediment deformation, but mainly focuses on practical updates and training on recent developments in collection, manipulation and analysis of micro-scale properties of deforming sediments.

We anticipate the workshop to result in a co-authored paper with all participants to be published in an international, peer-reviewed journal.

Key themes explored will include:

• Describing and understanding polyphase deformation and strain signatures;
• Microstructural mapping and microfabric analysis;
• Quantification and digital mapping of plasmic fabrics (Metripol analysis);
• Application of 3D X-ray computed tomography; This includes the scanning and reconstruction of samples brought to the workshop by delegates.
• Provenancing using thin sections.

In order for every participant to have continuous access to key equipment the maximum number is set at 12 delegates. Delegates are invited to bring thin sections of particular interest along to the workshop, and also a sediment sample to be scanned and reconstructed using 3D x-ray computed tomography

Registration for the workshop (not including accommodation) will be £500 per delegate. You can access more information on the workshop website.