News Archive

ARCUS envisions strong and productive connections among U.S. and international Arctic researchers, educators, Indigenous and traditional knowledge holders, Arctic residents and local experts, and other stakeholders to improve understanding of the changing Arctic. We achieve this vision by implementing a set of interconnected goals and objectives, and we invite you to collaborate with us in our efforts! See the the webpage and flyer for all the details!

The Sea Ice Prediction Network–Phase 2 (SIPN2) Project Team announces the Call for Contributions to the 2021 Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) July Report (based on May and June data). The SIO provides an open process for those interested in Arctic sea ice to share ideas. The monthly reports contain a variety of perspectives—from advanced numerical models to qualitative perspectives from citizen scientists. Post-Season reports focus on performance of the Outlooks, analysis and discussion of factors driving sea ice extent, and scientific methods for predicting seasonal conditions.

Submission Deadline: 6:00 p.m. (AKDT) Monday, 12 July 2021 (firm).

This issue includes highlights of a recent NSF Dear Colleague Letter on efforts to improve the inclusion of local and Indigenous voices in Arctic research; news of a new Department of Defense Regional Center, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies; Arctic social science news about US student knowledge of polar regions; news of the Arctic Data Center’s new award and related services; a perspective on best practices between Arctic researchers and Indigenous communities; a research update on investigating freshwater pathways between the Arctic and the subpolar North Atlantic; highlights from a USARC conference on Arctic Sustainable Energy Research; updates from the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC); a summary of the recently published “Pan-Arctic Report: Gender Equality in the Arctic”; news from PolarTREC, the Sea Ice Outlook for Walrus (SIWO), and the Sea Ice Prediction Network; and a highlight of ARCUS member institution, The University of the Arctic (UArctic).

The 2021 June Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) report is now available online. The Sea Ice Outlook, managed by the Sea Ice Prediction Network–Phase 2 (SIPN2), provides an open process for those interested in Arctic sea ice to share predictions and ideas. The monthly reports contain a variety of perspectives—from advanced numerical models to qualitative perspectives from citizen scientists. The Outlook is not an operational forecast.

For the 2021 June report, 38 contributions were received that included pan-Arctic predictions. Of those contributions, eight also included predictions for pan-Antarctic, seven included predictions for the Alaska Region, and 14 submitted September mean sea-ice extent anomalies. This report includes new discussions on Arctic sea-ice extent anomalies, SIO contributor motivations, and the emerging pattern in the Sea Ice Outlooks.

For the pan-Arctic, the median June Outlook value for September 2021 sea-ice extent is 4.37 million square kilometers, with quartiles of 4.07 and 4.61 million square kilometers. The median is close to the 2020 June Outlook, of 4.33 million square kilometers. The observed 2020 September sea-ice extent was 3.92 million square kilometers.

Teacher Mark Goldner is returning to the field with researcher Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette 10 years after his first PolarTREC expedition in 2011. The research, funded through National Geographic, will return to the Svalbard Archipelago and continue to look at ice-ocean interactions and processes at the faces of tidewater glaciers. The team will be mapping bathymetry of the ice margin area to compare with earlier surveys, and recording oceanographic data (including temperature, salinity, and turbidity of the water column) to track the inflow of North Atlantic water at the ice face.

The Sea Ice Prediction Network-Phase 2 (SIPN2) announces an upcoming webinar, entitled "Prospects for Improved Regional Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice" that will be presented by Mitch Bushuk at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL). This webinar will provide an overview of a newly developed dynamical seasonal prediction system and its performance in predicting regional Arctic sea-ice conditions. The one-hour webinar will be held on Tuesday, 13 July 2021, starting at 9:00 a.m. (AKDT).

Register today for the PolarConnect event with PolarTREC teacher Liza Backman! The live event takes place 15 June 2021 and starts at 10:00 am AKDT. Liza is working with researchers studying environmental variability and increased temperature on tundra plant phenology in Alaska as part of the Phenology and Vegetation in the Warming Arctic expedition.

ARCUS invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Don Anderson, a Senior Scientist in the Biology Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Dr. Anderson’s presentation, titled “Evidence for Massive and Recurrent Toxic Blooms of Alexandrium catenella in the Alaskan Arctic,” will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, 22 June 2021 at 9:00 a.m. AKDT (1:00 p.m. EDT). Registration is required for this event.

The May 2021 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue features two articles: Studying the Potential for Changing Global Seaborne Trade Flows as a Consequence of a Thawing Arctic Ocean, an overview of efforts to forecast conditions along Arctic passageways to understand related risks to vessels, infrastructure, and communities; and Circumpolar Collaboration: An Arctic Youth Perspective, which includes news about a recent Arctic youth symposium and a perspective on the cultural shifts needed to address systemic problems like climate change and racism.

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

The Sea Ice Prediction Network–Phase 2 (SIPN2) Project Team announces the Call for Contributions to the 2021 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. The monthly reports contain a variety of perspectives—from advanced numerical models to qualitative perspectives from citizen scientists. Post-Season reports focus on performance of the Outlooks, analysis and discussion of factors driving sea ice extent, and scientific methods for predicting seasonal conditions.

Submission Deadline: 6:00 p.m. (AKDT) Friday, 11 June 2021 (firm).

ARCUS invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Kaare Sikuaq Erickson. Sikuaq’s presentation, titled “Ingenious Indigenous Technology and Inuit History,” will be held via Zoom on Thursday, 27 May 2021 at 9:00 a.m. AKDT (1:00 p.m. EDT). Registration is required for this event.

ARCUS and the Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska (ICC AK) are partnering on the creation of an Information Archivist and Data Advisor position to serve the needs of both organizations. This will be a year-long ARCUS staff position detailed to ICC AK and based in Anchorage, AK, or as a home-based position elsewhere in Alaska.

This position will support ICC in fulfilling its objectives by understanding and addressing the information needs of ICC and those for whom we advocate. Primary focus of this work will include: (1) developing a culturally appropriate archiving system; (2) developing and implementing a program of diverse platforms to enhance networking capabilities among the ICC offices; and (3) sharing new techniques developed, as appropriate and under direction of ICC AK.

Applications will be reviewed beginning Monday, 7 June 2021, but the position will remain open until filled.

The April 2021 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue features two companion articles about the Fresh Eyes on Ice project: Observing the Cycle of Ice through Fresh Eyes provides an overview of activities documenting changes in river- and lake-ice dynamics in response to climate change, and Broadening Participation in Freshwater Ice Science and Education with Fresh Eyes on Ice provides details about the community science dimension of the project.

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

ARCUS is pleased to announce another cycle of our Early Career Conference Funding Award to support attendance of virtual conferences. This award program aims to increase accessibility of Arctic research for early career researchers and students, especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The application period is open until 23 May 2021 for conferences occurring between 1 June – 31 December 2021.

ARCUS, IARPC Collaborations, and UC Irvine invite registration for a virtual Arctic Research Funders Meet and Greet networking event on Friday, 7 May 2021 from 9-11am AK/10-12pm PT/11-1pm MT/12-2pm CT/1-3pm ET. The event will provide an informal opportunity for Arctic researchers to connect with multiple agency program officers and gain insight into each organization’s Arctic research interests. 


Representatives from the following U.S. funding agencies will be in attendance:

• U.S. National Science Foundation
• NOAA's Arctic Research Program
• NASA's Cryosphere Program
• U.S. Department of Energy
• U.S. Arctic Research Commission
• North Pacific Research Board
• U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Teacher Liza Backman from Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy in Brooklyn, New York, will be traveling to Fairbanks, Alaska in mid-May to prepare for field work before heading to Toolik Field Station, north of the Brooks Range. She’ll be joining researchers Dr. Steve Oberbauer and Dr. Jeremy May as part of the Phenology and Vegetation in the Warming Arctic 2021 expedition. The team will study environmental variability and increased temperature on tundra plant phenology, growth, species composition and ecosystem function. Follow Liza's expedition to the Arctic by learning more about the expedition and following her journals!

ARCUS invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Emily Choy, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Dr. Choy’s presentation, titled “Marine Predators as Sentinels of Environmental Change in Arctic Ecosystems,” will be held via Zoom on Friday, 23 April 2021 at 9:00 a.m. AKDT (1:00 p.m. EDT). Registration is required for this event.

The March 2021 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes three articles: President Biden Changes Leadership of US Arctic Research Commission, providing background information on David Kennedy, recently appointed Chair of the USARC; Appointment of Dr. Jennifer Mercer as Acting Section Head for NSF Office of Polar Programs Arctic Sciences Section, a summary of her broad scientific background and related field experience; and Request for Public Comment on the Draft Arctic Research Plan 2022–2026, an overview of the IARPC draft plan and guidelines for providing input.

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

The 2020 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 in-depth discussions and analysis of factors impacting sea ice this past summer, the SIO contributions, regional observation, predicted spatial fields, Antarctic contributions, seasonal sea ice forecasting for the Alaska marine shipping industry, and a summary from the Sea Ice Drift Forecast Experiment (SIDFEx). This report also includes a discussion of lessons learned from the SIO Contributors Forum, and discussions regarding probabilistic assessment of the 2008-2020 Outlooks and an evaluation of SIO forecast skill relative to control forecasts.

The 2021 Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO) season will begin this Friday, 23 March. SIWO is a resource for Alaska Native subsistence hunters, coastal communities, and others interested in sea ice and walrus in the Bering Strait region. The SIWO provides weekly reports during the spring sea ice season with information from the National Weather Service, local observers, and other sources on weather and sea ice conditions. Outlooks are available on our webpage and on Facebook.

Save the date! This online event is scheduled for October 5-7, 2021.

This virtual conference, integrated with social media, will focus on sharing best practices and challenges of conducting citizen science research in the Arctic. This conference is in response to a growing community of Arctic researchers, Arctic communities, and Arctic visitors that are becoming more engaged in citizen science research. Although there are many resources regarding citizen science available online, they are not specific to the Arctic. A virtual conference will enable participants from across the Arctic to participate. A post-conference white paper, as well as archived presentations, will contribute to the overall citizen science community’s shared knowledge base, long-term goals, and a growing community of practice.

We would like to invite Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2021 participants to join our sessions on 25 March on “Experiences in Sustaining Collaborative Arctic Research Teams.” There will be two sessions on 25 March (11:30–13:30 GMT and 15:30–17:30 GMT). Each session will include oral presentations and lightning talks from poster presenters followed by an interactive discussion to share successes, failures and challenges faced when building and sustaining collaborative research teams. Additional resources shared by participants will also be made available on the ARCUS website after the meeting.

The February 2021 issue of Witness Community Highlights is now available online. This issue includes two articles: NSF Arctic Sciences Section Head, Simon Stephenson, to Retire, a tribute to Stephenson’s extraordinary decades-long career at NSF and DOE’s Arctic Innovator Fellowship Promotes Technology Projects in Alaska, an overview of two projects initiated in the Alaskan ecosystem that have potential for broad global impacts.

Announcing an upcoming workshop: Engaging Rural and Alaska Native Undergraduates and Youth in Arctic STEM, to be held online April 13-15, 2021.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together rural and Alaska Native undergraduates and youth, federal agency representatives, researchers on Arctic STEM projects, Indigenous faculty, and community members to discuss the gaps, challenges, opportunities, and successful practices to increase and support the representation of rural and Alaska Native undergraduates and youth in STEM education and career pathways. To ensure this process of learning doesn't replicate the top-down, outside-in model that can be extractive, our virtual workshop will include a collaborative process with all participants and interested organizations. This effort will produce recommendations for systemic change focused on increasing rural and Alaska Native and undergraduates and youth to consider entering STEM fields in Arctic Alaska.

Submit your interest form no later than Monday, March 8, 2021, by 5 PM AKST, if you'd like to participate in this online workshop.

ARCUS invites registration for the next Arctic Research Seminar featuring Dr. Gil Bohrer, Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering at the Ohio State University. Dr. Bohrer’s presentation, titled "Ecological Insights from the New Arctic Animal Movement Archive - Tracking Three Decades of Animal Movement across a Changing Arctic" will be held via Zoom on Friday, 12 March 2021 at 9:00 a.m. AKST (1:00 p.m. EST). Registration is required for this event.