Polar and Alpine Community News

The work of the Navigating the New Arctic Community Office (NNA-CO) is guided by two advisory boards—a Research Advisory Board and an Indigenous Advisory Board. We invite nominations and self-nominations for an early career (< 8 years since terminal degree) NNA researcher to serve on our Research Advisory Board. The Research Advisory Board provides overall strategic guidance for the NNA-CO’s plans and activities to support the NNA Community.

Alaska Fellows Program is a fall-to-spring residential fellowship program that nurtures the next generation of Alaska-based leaders by pairing talented young people with strong communities and professional mentors. 

We have two exciting internship opportunities at Arctic Frontiers, located in Tromsø, Norway. We are a non-profit organisation focusing on connecting scientists, businesses, policy makers and local communities in the Arctic. We host an annual conference, as well as science communication and outreach events throughout the year.

The CLIVAR/CliC Northern Oceans Region Panel will organize a CMIP6 Bootcamp focusing on the Arctic processes in October in Helgoland Germany.

An ad hoc group (of mostly Arctic scientists) is considering the desirability and feasibility of planning for an International Polar Year in 2032-2033, 25 years after the last IPY. This timing is much earlier than the past 50-year gap between IPYs. This acceleration in timing is, at least in part, being justified by the rapid change that the polar regions are experiencing today.

To assist with discussions about IPY 2032-2033, SCAR is asking for your opinion about community support for such an activity. While it might seem years away, the formulation of an IPY will take several years of planning to ensure wide participation and success.

Plastic pollution has become a global environmental issue, reaching even the most pristine and remote wildernesses of our planet such as the Southern Ocean (SO). SO biodiversity and ecosystem functions are vulnerable to plastic pollution and detrimental impacts are expected on wildlife. Understanding the sources of plastics entering from within and outside the SO and quantifying the scale of the problem are necessary to minimize any environmental threat to SO biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Registration is open for Polar Educators International’s 5^th International Conference (PEI 2022) from 12–15 April 2022, Nýheimar Knowledge Centre, Höfn, Iceland.

Connect, Learn and Act in Iceland with polar educators and researchers from around the world at PEI’s 5th biennial workshop Stories in Ice which includes 2 days in the field exploring, experiencing and learning about Iceland.

Registration is open for the SCAR Krill Action Group Annual Meeting, to be held online from 7-11 March 2022, 15:00-17:00 UTC.

The meeting will start with updates from MEASO, ICED, CCAMLR, and a new group, the Science and Industry Forum (SIF). The following two days will feature sessions on using new instruments and techniques (e.g. gliders) along with fishing vessels for data collection, and discussions on ways in which the krill community can use these research platforms to close knowledge gaps.