News Archive

Call for Sea Ice Outlook Contributions

24 May 2023
Call for Sea Ice Outlook Contributions

Sea Ice Prediction Network (SIPN) team members announce the call for contributions for the 2023 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) June report (based on May data). The SIO provides an open process for those interested in Arctic sea ice to share ideas. Monthly reports will include a variety of contributions—from advanced numerical models to qualitative perspectives from citizen scientists—as well as brief related discussions. Plans for a brief Post-Season Report will be developed at the end of the retreat season. The 2023 SIO effort is supported with funds from NSF award #1331083.

All past contributors and new participants are encouraged to submit Outlooks for 2023. Please distribute this announcement to others who might be interested in participating in the SIO.

Submission Deadline: 6:00 p.m. (AKDT) Monday, 12 June 2023 (Firm)

Arctic Research Seminar with Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq and Corina Qaaġraq Kramer

24 May 2023
Arctic Research Seminar with Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq and Corina Qaaġraq Kramer

ARCUS invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Cana Uluak Itchuaqiyaq (Iñupiaq scholar, Virginia Tech) and Corina Qaaġraq Kramer (Director of Operations at Aqqaluk Trust). Cana and Corina’s presentation, titled “Getting Started with Equitable Arctic Research at Any Stage of Your Project: Tips from Inuit Arctic Researchers,” will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, 6 June 2023 at 9:00 a.m. AKDT (1:00 p.m. EDT). Registration is required for this event.

Witness Community Highlights

22 May 2023
Example of stream disturbance by beaver lodge and dam. Photo courtesy of Ken Tape.

The May 2023 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes three articles: Reflections on the Displacement of Yupik in Chukotka, a first-person account of the impacts of displacement on cultural survival; New Partnership Between IARPC and UIC Science, an announcement that IARPC's Secretariat is now supported by a subsidiary of the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation; and Arctic Beaver Observation Network—Tracking a New Disturbance Regime, an overview of research and observations related to beaver colonization of the Arctic and the impacts it is having on ecosystems and people.

For questions, or to suggest topics for future articles, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

Witness Community Highlights

25 April 2023
Witness Community Highlights

The April 2023 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes two articles: Sediment, Ice, and Learning on the Tanana (SILT) River, an overview of the SILT project’s effort to better capture full sediment fluxes in the ice covered Tanana River and the related outreach activities with K–12 students in Alaska; and Doing Ethnography and Engaging with Indigenous Alaskan Communities Based on Ethnographers’ Identities an example of how the diversity of a research team, in terms of ethnic and national identity, and gender enables a more multifaceted approach to sociocultural studies.

For questions, or to suggest topics for future articles, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

SIPN Journal Article

5 April 2023
Forecast Skill of the Arctic Sea Ice Outlook 2008–2022

We are excited to share a recent publication by Sea Ice Prediction Network-Phase 2 (SIPN2) team members on the forecast skill of the Sea Ice Outlook: Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, E., Bushuk, M., Massonnet, F., Hamilton, L. C., Bitz, C. M., Meier, W. N., & Bhatt, U. S. (2023). Forecast skill of the Arctic Sea Ice Outlook 2008–2022. Geophysical Research Letters.

Witness Community Highlights

24 March 2023
Witness Community Highlights

The March 2023 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes three articles: Greenland's Largest Ice Stream Likely to Lose Ice Six Times Faster than Thought, an overview of new findings leading an interdisciplinary team to revise the assessment of the future mass loss of this sector; Improving the Arctic Observing Network in a Changing Environment: A Report Summary, highlights from a report to Congress on 13 December 2022 describing the need for a sustained Arctic Observing Network; and Reflections on a Recent Conference Session: Alaskan and Arctic Anthropology Since Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, a discussion of the rapid societal changes in Ukraine and in Chukotka as a result of the war, the related loss of hundreds of Indigenous hunters, reindeer herders, culture, language, and knowledge bearers, and the direct relevance for Arctic social sciences.

For questions, or to suggest topics for future articles, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

PolarTREC Alumnus Returns to the Arctic

15 March 2023
PolarTREC alumnus returns to the Arctic. Photo courtesy of Sarah Johnson.

PolarTREC alumnus Sarah Johnson is returning to the Arctic in late March to assist with the University of Washington's International Arctic Buoy Programme. Sarah will travel to Utqiagvik to continue outreach started through her PolarTREC expedition in 2022. Researcher, Dr. Ignatius Rigor, will be returning to Utqiagvik to collect data and to continue work on a community science project called Float Your Boat, which helps community members and students learn about the Arctic Ocean. You can read more about Sarah's original expedition in the PolarTREC Virtual Base Camp.

ARCUS 2022 Annual Meeting Report

3 March 2023
ARCUS 2022 Annual Meeting Report

A report of the ARCUS 2022 Annual Meeting is now available for download. The report provides an overview of the meeting, a synthesis of the event’s small group discussions, links to shared resources, as well as a number of ideas and recommendations to inform future Arctic research community collaboration activities. We hope other organizations and individuals will join us in using the ARCUS Annual Meeting discussions to inform the development of their own partnerships and strategies to address the needs of the Arctic research community.

Witness Community Highlights

17 February 2023
Caribou from the Western Arctic Herd crossing the Kobuk River, within Kobuk Valley National Park, northwest Alaska, on their southward fall migration. Image courtesy of Kyle Joly, National Park Service.

The February 2023 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes three articles: USARC Releases Report on the Goals and Objectives for Arctic Research 2023–2024, highlighting the research goals and cross-cutting themes that will inform decision-makers and advance efforts outlined in the United States' Arctic policies, strategies, and plans; Caribou Migrations in a Changing Arctic, an overview from the National Park Service on how climate change impacts caribou migratory routes; and Celebrating 75 Years of Arctic Research in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, a summary of the five-day event focused on science and engineering in the North Slope region over the last 75 years and envisioning a framework for Arctic science, engineering, and education in the future.

For questions, or to suggest topics for future articles, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

Call for 2023 Membership Committee Nominations

1 February 2023
ARCUS Logo

ARCUS invites nominations for committee members to serve on the consortium’s Membership Committee charged with planning and supporting ARCUS member engagement activities, including planning and hosting the ARCUS Annual Meeting. Nominations are due by 15 February.

Witness Community Highlights

30 January 2023
Witness Community Highlights

The January 2023 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes two articles: New Observatory Supports Broader Understanding of Climate-Change and Infrastructure Impacts to Ice-Rich Permafrost Systems, highlighting research efforts at the new Natural Ice-Rich Permafrost Observatory near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska that seek to understand what has happened in areas of the oilfield that are mainly affected by climate change in the absence of infrastructure; and The 2022 Arctic Report Card, a summary of the annual view into the state of the Arctic highlighting an Arctic in transition.

For questions, or to suggest topics for future articles, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

Position Open: ARCUS Seeking Accountant

26 January 2023
ARCUS Seeking Accountant

We are hiring! ARCUS is seeking a full-time Accountant to join our team. This will be an Alaska-based position, primarily work-from home, with a generous benefits package. Application review has been extended to 24 February 2023.

ARCUS Welcomes New Board Members

20 January 2023
ARCUS Welcomes New Board Members

In December 2022, ARCUS Member Representatives elected four individuals to the ARCUS Board of Directors. Congratulations to Heather Sauyaq Jean Gordon (Child Trends), Alexis Will (World Wildlife Fund), Cheryl Rosa (US Arctic Research Commission), and Victoria Herrmann (the Arctic Institute)! The newly elected cohort will serve three-year terms from 2022-2025. Dr. Rosa was re-elected to the Board, having completed her first term. Members of the Board of Directors are elected by designated representatives from ARCUS member institutions. ARCUS is grateful for the leadership, service, and varied perspectives they bring to Arctic research!

Upcoming Live Event from McMurdo Station, Antarctica

19 January 2023
The Soil Team in Beacon Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Photo by Bill Henske.

Join PolarTREC Tuesday, 24 January at 9:00 am Alaska time, for a live PolarConnect event with educator Bill Henske and the Dry Valleys Ecosystem Study team. Bill will be joined by members of "Team Wormherder" to discuss the research and fieldwork involved in the project, and what it's like to live and work in Antarctica. As part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research (MCM LTER) Program, Bill's presentation will focus on research being carried out in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. The Dry Valleys represent a region where life approaches its environmental limits. The overarching goal of this long-term research project is to document and understand how ecosystems respond to environmental changes.

You must register to attend this free event.

Upcoming Live Event from the South Pole

14 January 2023
Photo by Elaine Krebs

Join PolarTREC this Wednesday, 18 January at 9:00 am Alaska time, for a live PolarConnect event with educator Elaine Krebs and the IceCube and Askaryan Radio Array team. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is located at the South Pole and records the interactions of a nearly massless sub-atomic messenger particle called the neutrino. IceCube searches for neutrinos from the most violent astrophysical sources: events like exploding stars, gamma ray bursts, and cataclysmic phenomena involving black holes and neutron stars. The observatory is a powerful tool to search for dark matter, and could reveal the new physical processes associated with the enigmatic origin of the highest energy particles in nature.

You must register to attend this free event.

ARCUS 2022 Annual Report

31 December 2022
ARCUS 2022 Annual Report

As we wrap up the year, we invite you to learn more about ARCUS activities and achievements by exploring the 2022 ARCUS Annual Report. We are grateful for everyone in the ARCUS community and look forward to working with you in 2023!

Happy Holidays from ARCUS!

21 December 2022
Happy Holidays from ARCUS!

On behalf of all of us here at the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S., Happy Holidays! As we near the end of the year, we want to thank everyone in our community for your work, collaboration, support, and friendship!

Witness Community Highlights

20 December 2022
Witness Community Highlights

The December 2022 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes three articles: International Arctic Coastal Networks Connecting in Connecticut, a brief report on the retreat focused on climate and land use change issues impacting Arctic coasts and communities; IARPC Releases Arctic Research Biennial Implementation Plan 2022—2024, a summary of the new implementation plan deliverables centered around supporting research, creating products, and coordinating information sharing; and Permafrost Pathways Project: Advancing Just Strategies to Address Arctic Warming, an overview of the project efforts to inform and develop adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the hazards of permafrost thaw.

For questions, or to suggest topics for future articles, please contact Betsy Turner-Bogren, ARCUS (betsy [at] arcus.org).

Sea Ice Outlook: 2022 Post-Season Report

2 December 2022
Sea Ice Outlook: 2022 Post-Season Report

The 2022 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) Post-Season Report is now available online. The (SIO) is a community network activity led by the Sea Ice Prediction Network-Phase 2 (SIPN2) Project Team with contributions from key partners. This report includes discussions of the 2022 observed Arctic sea-ice, atmospheric, and ocean heat conditions during the sea-ice retreat season; a review of the 2022 contributed forecasts for the pan-Arctic sea-ice extent and extent anomalies, pan-Arctic sea-ice probability, and sea-ice extent forecasts for Alaska regional seas and the Antarctic; a summary from the 2022 Sea Ice Drift Forecast Experiment (SIDFEx); and brief discussion of next steps for the SIO and SIPN project.

Celebrate Antarctica Day on December 1st

23 November 2022
Photo by Timothy R. Dwyer

Antarctica Day is an international holiday recognizing the anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959. It is celebrated on December 1st each year. Along with Midwinter Day, it is one of Antarctica's two principal holidays. Celebrate Antarctica Day with PolarTREC! Join PolarTREC for a live event from the Dry Valleys of Antarctica with PolarTREC teacher Lucy Coleman. The presentation will focus on the history of the Antarctica Treaty and how it relates to science conducted in Antarctica, in particular with the project Lucy is part of Microbial Interactions in Antarctic Lakes.

This event is free to attend but registration is required.