Witness the Arctic - Summer 2020, Volume 24 Number 1

Chronicles of the NSF Arctic Science Section Summer 2020, Volume 24 Number 1 Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] ARCUS Member Highlight (pgs 2-10) • ARCUS Member Highlight - Kawerak, Inc. Arctic System Science Program (pgs 11-12) • SIPN2 News Arctic Natural Sciences Program (pg 13) • Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) Investigators Meeting Arctic Social Sciences Program (pgs 14-18) • Waking the Bear: Understanding Circumpolar Bear Ceremonialism Science News (pgs 19-23) • The Changing Carbon Cycle of the Arctic Ocean Science Education News (pgs 24-25) • 2020 PolarTREC Expeditions Postponed National Science Foundation News (pgs 26-30) • Panchanathan Sworn in as 15th Director of NSF • NSF’s Office of Polar Programs News Update Interagency News (pgs 31-38) • 2020 APECS Online Conference Marks Sixth Year of Successful Support of Polar Research Community • OAR Strategic Plan 2020–2026 Aims to Deliver NOAA’s Future • AGU Strategic Plan for 2020 A Note From the ARCUS Executive Director (pgs 39-41) • ARCUS Highlights A Note from the ARCUS President (pgs 42-43) • A Note from the Board President From the ARCUS Board (pgs 44-46) • Meet the Board of Directors — Pips Veazey • Meet the Board of Directors – Cheryl Rosa In this Issue ARCUS Member Highlight ARCUS Member Highlight - Kawerak, Inc. Kawerak, Inc. (https://kawerak.org/about-us/whowe-are/) is a regional consortium of federally recognized tribal governments in the Bering Strait. With programs ranging from education to transportation, and natural resource management to economic development, Kawerak seeks to improve the Region's social, economic, educational, cultural, and political conditions. Kawerak is governed by a Board of Directors that is comprised of the Council Presidents or appointed delegates of the 20 federally recognized tribes, two Elder representatives and the chair of the Norton Sound Health Corporation Board. The Kawerak mission statement (https://kawerak.org/about-us/who-we-are/#Mission) is, "Advancing the capacity of our People and Tribes for the benefit of the region." Kawerak works hard to meet the needs of the people of the region through strong collaboration and cooperation with all 20 tribes, our regional medical center, and our Elder's wisdom and expert guidance. The scope of service and work is wide but our mission keeps us united and focused on meeting the identified needs and working together to engage in this mission. Kawerak is truly empowered by the unity of our Tribes to serve our people, and we do this through facilitation and partnership. Lastly, we are guided and sustained by our traditions, values, and Native culture, all of which we hold dear and work to keep alive and integrated in all that we do. The Board of Directors decided when our vision, "Our people and tribes are thriving" was accomplished, we would have strong, healthy, proud, caring, unified, pro-active, self-sufficient Native people, leaders and communities who know where we are going and who will take necessary steps to achieve it. "Our core value is the strength of our traditional culture, Native values, and the unity of our Tribes that empowers us." These are the driving force behind all that Kawerak, Inc. does to accomplish its mission. These values have been our guide since our inception and will continue to guide us in all that we do. Our values, while rooted in history and the ways of our ancestors, are still very much alive and well in us today. 2 Kawerak, Inc. Divisions and Programs The Community Services Division and Programs assists member tribes in becoming self-governing, selfsufficient, and long-term family wellness for all region residents with the following programs: Tribal Affairs program assists tribal councils in exercising self-governance and provides training and technical assistance, for 18 of the 20 federally-recognized tribes in the Bering Strait region. Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) Program provides community public safety and law enforcement, emergency services, probation and parole, and drug abuse prevention programs in 16 communities. Transportation assists member tribes with planning and construction of transportation projects to increase or improve mobility and services within and between communities. Photo 1. Ribbon cutting over newly paved road in Elim, 2019. Photo courtesy of Davis Hovey. Child Advocacy Center operates a child-friendly, culturally respectful place where caring professionals work together in one location, to help children and families cope with sexual abuse, severe physical abuse, and exposure to violence. Children and Family Services Program employs Tribal Family Coordinators within participating villages to assist with Indian Child Welfare Act cases and family preservation. Caseworkers located in Nome work with families to receive services in order to provide a healthy environment for their children. 3 Wellness Program focus is to restore a culture of wellness within the region through promotion of healthy living and traditional activities, addressing historical trauma through education and community conversations, and supporting cultural programming. Photo 2. Camp Igaliq brought in Nome St. Lawrence Island Drummers and Dancers for drumming and dancing. Photo courtesy of Kawerak, Inc. The Cultural and Regional Development Department is responsible for writing and submitting new grants for Kawerak; developing state and federal priorities; managing the long-range process for Kawerak, and regional development. The co-location of cultural programs under the CRD Department allows for more collaboration between programs with a similar focus of cultural revitalization. Community Planning and Development provides technical assistance to Bering Strait communities with small business start-up/expansion and economic development planning. Staff provides technical assistance to tribal councils in community planning, economic development, energy planning, grant writing and administration, and e-commerce center support. The Eskimo Heritage Program (EHP) was created in 1981. Local Alaska Native fieldworkers were hired in six communities to document and record our Elders. Since the 1980's, the EHP collection has been catalogued, transcribed, and translated. Staff has digitized the entire collection, which will make the collection more accessible for education and public use. 4 Photo 3. Eskimo Heritage Program-hosted Naniq Craft Days, where instructors taught community members beading, fish skin tanning, qupak stitches, and more. Photo courtesy of Kawerak, Inc. Katirvik Cultural Center coordinates traveling exhibits, cares for cultural collections, and hosts activities in the cultural center to preserve, promote and celebrate the cultures of the Bering Strait Region. 5 Photo 4. Installation at Katirvik Cultural center at grand opening in 2018. Photo courtesy of Kawerak, Inc. The Education, Employment, and Supportive Services Division (EESS) is designed to provide support and assistance to tribal members who are looking for employment opportunities or who are continuing their education. Child Care Services provides financial assistance for childcare to Tribal members who are employed, seeking work, attending training, enrolled in educational programs, or participating in treatment programs. CCS also runs the Uiviilat Child Care Center in Nome and provides technical assistance to home care providers in the region. Community Education Program provides basic education services throughout the Bering Strait Region to all adults, Native and non-Native. Services include GED classes, GED testing, English as a second language classes, and tutoring in math, reading, and writing. Staff and facilities are located at the UAF Northwest Campus in Nome. Employment and Training Program services include: job search assistance, subsidized work activities, financial assistance for persons who have obtained or are seeking work, and Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO) advocacy to Bering Strait regional residents and tribal members. Kawerak provides training grants and college scholarships to tribal members. Temporary subsidized work activities are available for youth and adults to provide job skill training. Village6 based training programs are also offered throughout the Bering Strait region as funding permits. Photo 5. Student in Heavy Equipment training class working on virtual equipment utilized in partnership with NACTEC. Photo courtesy of Kawerak, Inc. Vocational Rehabilitation Program provides vocational guidance and services to residents of the Bering Strait region who have disabilities that are barriers to employment. Eligible participants receive specialized training to improve job-related and independent living skills, technological assistance and medical treatment on an individual basis. Tribal Welfare provides temporary assistance to income-eligible individuals and families to meet their basic needs and may include: general assistance, burial assistance, emergency, and disaster assistance. Tribal Welfare also oversees the Kawerak Native Employment Work Services (KNEWS) program; clients receive work experience, supervision, job coaching, opportunities to learn new skills, and assistance in writing resumes, job searching, and preparing for job interviews. Head Start and Early Head Start Program is a preschool program that promotes social competence and structure among children birth to four years old in the Bering Strait region. Services are provided in Nome and ten0 village sites. Strong parental involvement, health and social services are primary components of Head Start's well-rounded program. 7 Photo 6. Head Start students examining traditionally made drum. Photo courtesy of Kawerak, Inc. The Natural Resources Division conducts research projects and provides services that relate to natural resources including land, fish, animal, and birds in the Bering Strait region. Through knowledge and education, they strive to protect tribal members' access to these resources, and assure that future harvests are sustained and promoted. Eskimo Walrus Commission (EWC), created in 1978, represents Alaska's coastal walrus hunting communities. EWC works on resource co-management issues. Walrus is a primary resource of food for Alaska Native People and its ivory, bone, and hide are used to produce handcrafts, artwork, and skin boats. Social Science Program collaborates with region tribes to document local and traditional knowledge on a variety of topics. The Program also provides recommendations and information regarding policy and management of natural resources based on local research and documentation. Land Management Services provides technical assistance to owners and heirs of Native allotment and restricted town site lots. Some of these services include: property sales, title recovery, mortgages, resolving trespass settlements, probating restricted estates, wills, environmental consulting, and more. Reindeer Herders Association provides assistance to its twenty-one members for the development of a viable reindeer industry and to enhance the economic base for rural Alaska and to improve the management of the herds. 8 Photo 7. Reindeer from local herd in winter. Photo courtesy of Danielle Slingsby. Subsistence Resources: Advocates on behalf of subsistence users to protect customary and traditional harvest of all resources. Subsistence Resources also provides information on subsistence harvest to tribes, state and federal managers, and supports proposals and projects to improve management of subsistence resources. 9 Figure 2. Apprentice Yegor Kinyamin singing at Kinyamino Bear Festival, M. Yugan River, Siberia, March 2016. Photo courtesy of Andrew Wiget. That work led us to meet with Indigenous Khanty and Mansi experts and involve them in the present project in order to help scientists and the public understand the value of bear ceremonialism among Indigenous peoples of northern Eurasia and North America, and how bears are met as other-than-human persons who have social relations, communication, interests, motivations, memories, and histories. Today, stresses such as commercial hunting, land use policies, and other forces that turn the living world into commodities are eroding this way of thinking. These disruptions come at a time when effective policymaking depends upon understanding and accommodating these different ways of seeing and being in the world. 16 Figure 3. Hunting skit, N. Khanty. Photo courtesy of Andrew Wiget. The most public face of our NSF-funded research is a just-opened media-rich website, Waking the Bear: Understanding Circumpolar Bear Ceremonialism (https://eloka-arctic.org/bears) . Developed in close collaboration with Indigenous experts, it features extensive media documentation of bear ceremonialism, community history and lifeways, personal and traditional narratives, and for the first time, trilingual bear song texts (Native language, Russian, and English), transcribed and translated from actual bear festival ceremonies, elements of which appear on the page in video. Annotated with references to scholarly resources, it is organized geographically, beginning with the bear ceremonies of the Khanty and Mansi peoples. The site is fully bilingual, even to the captioning of photos and videos, to support access whether the principal shared language is English or Russian. The website is Produced and hosted by ELOKA and designed to be accessible on platforms ranging from laptops to tablets and smartphones. This work is funded by a grant to New Mexico State University from the National Science Foundation, Award Number 1724508, Office of Polar Programs, under the title, "An Anthropological and Linguistic Investigation of Arctic Ceremonial Traditions," and directed by Andrew Wiget. The NSF team members include Finno-Ugric Studies specialist Olga Balalaeva, Hungarian linguist Marta Csepregi, Northern Khanty experts Tatiana Moldanova and Timofei Moldanov, Northern Mansi expert Svetlana Popova, and Eastern Khanty experts Agrafena Sopochina and Elena Surlomkina. In the next two years of the project, we aim to have conversations with Native American and First Nations communities, to better understand the ways in which they have learned to manage their relationship to bears in this rapidly changing world (such as The Grizzly Bear Treaty, initiated by the Piikani First Nation in Canada). We hope that the project may assist the formation of an international, multidisciplinary, Indigenous-led forum for dialogue on sharing the world with bears. 17 About the Authors Andrew Wiget, Professor Emeritus at New Mexico State University, is a folklorist and ethnographer whose work began with Indian tribes in the Southwest. In 1992, he partnered with Olga Balalaeva to begin joint ethnographic work in Siberia. He can be contacted at andrew[email protected] . Olga Balalaeva, is a specialist in Finno-Ugrian studies. She has been working among the Khanty and Mansi in Western Siberia for the past 30 years. She can be contacted at [email protected] . End Notes 1. Hallowell, A. I., 1926. Bear ceremonialism in the northern hemisphere. American Anthropologist, n.s., 28: 1-175 2. Wiget, A. and O. Balalaeva, 2011. Khanty, People of the Taiga: Surviving the Twentieth Century. Fairbanks: U of Alaska P, 2011. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 18 Science News The Changing Carbon Cycle of the Arctic Ocean By: Michael DeGrandpre, University of Montana-Missoula; Wiley Evans, Hakai Institute; Mary-Louise Timmermans, Yale University; Richard Krishfield, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Bill Williams, Institute of Ocean Sciences; and Michael Steele, University of Washington Anthropogenic emissions have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO ) from ~290 to 410 ppm over the past 100 years leading to levels that are higher on average than the surface ocean. Because of this disequilibrium, the oceans take up a significant fraction (~25%) of the anthropogenic CO , reducing the greenhouse impact of human emissions while simultaneously, in a classic "no free lunch" scenario, being altered by ocean acidification. The Arctic Ocean is unique in that air-sea exchange of CO has been limited in the past because of extensive, perennial ice cover. But recent loss of ice, with seasonal levels as low as 50% ice extent, compared to the beginning of the satellite record (1979), has opened the Arctic Ocean to direct exchange of CO with the atmosphere. Past studies of the Arctic Ocean have found that dissolved CO , reported as the partial pressure of CO ( p CO ), is typically lower than atmospheric levels; therefore, loss of sea ice has likely increased the global uptake of atmospheric CO . It is hypothesized that this beneficial side-effect could come at the cost of increasing sea surface p CO levels, resulting in reduced air-sea uptake over time, while also accelerating ocean acidification in the region. The response of the carbon cycle to the changing physical conditions of the Arctic Ocean is complex and not readily predicted, however. Sea surface p CO variability in the Arctic Ocean is intertwined with biological production, ice formation, and melting (where CO is concentrated or diluted, respectively), heating and other processes, all of which are no longer in steady state. Sparse long-term data have limited our ability to assess variability of sea surface p CO that is related to these changes. We have been measuring p CO in the Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean since 2012 to help address this shortcoming. Cruises have taken place on the Canadian icebreaker, the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent as part of the Beaufort Gyre Observing System and Joint Ocean Ice Study (BGOS/JOIS) programs through Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Woods Hole, Massachusetts) and the Institute of Ocean Sciences (Sidney, British Columbia), respectively. These cruises, conducted since 2002 with support from NSF, have focused on the hydrography and biogeochemistry of the western Arctic Ocean. The cruises offer a golden opportunity to help understand the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle by repeatedly visiting one of the Arctic's deep ocean basins, following roughly the same cruise track from year to year (Figure 1). Our role, in addition to deploying CO and pH sensors on moorings and Ice-Tethered Profilers (Islam et al. 2017; DeGrandpre et al. 2019), has been to measure sea surface p CO using an infrared-equilibrator based system connected to the ship's seawater line (Figure 3). 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 19 Figure 1: The Beaufort Gyre Observing System and Joint Ocean Ice Study cruise track (left) in the Beaufort Sea and Canada Basin north of Alaska and Nunavut. Figure courtesy of Michael DeGrandpre. 20 Figure 2. The cruise took place on the icebreaker, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent in 2017. Sea surface partial pressure of carbon dioxide has been measured on the ship since 2012 using an automated, underway system (see Figure 3). Photo courtesy of Gary Morgan (CCGS). Figure 3: The automated underway sea surface partial pressure of carbon dioxide; system (SUPERcarbon dioxide partial pressure Sunburst Sensors) in the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. An infrared analyzer contained in the white box (center left) is used to analyze air equilibrated with seawater in a gas exchanger (left, white cylinder attached to the green hose). Seawater is taken from the ship's seawater line (green hose at right). Photo courtesy of Michael DeGrandpre. The data that we have collected, spanning 2012 to 2017, show that sea surface p CO in the Canada Basin is significantly higher during years when ice cover is low (DeGrandpre et al. 2020). Based on simple model estimates, the higher levels are driven by uptake of atmospheric CO and heating with only a small counteracting offset from biological production. These processes vary significantly from year to year due to variable periods of open water and winds that regulate gas exchange rates and, to some extent, mixed layer depths. This interannual variability hides any net increase in sea surface p CO that could occur from year to year. However, our data combined with historical data in the same region shows that p CO in the Canada Basin has increased at twice the rate of atmospheric CO (Ouyang et al. 2020). Based on these observations, we can expect that while the Arctic Ocean has been a significant sink for atmospheric CO (up to ~10% of the annual global uptake, Yasunaka et al. 2018), this will diminish in the coming years if ice loss continues. Although ocean acidification was not a focus of this analysis, the loss of ice has rapidly accelerated its pace, which could have important ecological consequences for marine organisms. The NSF Arctic Observing Network program is supporting continuation of our project through 2023 making it possible to observe these expected changes in the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle in the coming years. 2 2 2 2 2 2 21 References DeGrandpre, M., Evans, W., Timmermans, M.-L., Krishfield, R., Williams, B., and M. Steele. 2020. Changes in the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle with diminishing ice cover. Geophys. Res. Letters, 47, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088051 . DeGrandpre, M. D., Lai, C.-Z., Timmermans, M.-L., Krishfield, R. A., Proshutinsky, A., and Torres, D. 2019. Inorganic carbon and p CO variability during ice formation in the Beaufort Gyre of the Canada Basin. J. Geophys. Res. – Oceans. 124: 4017–4028, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015109 . Islam, F., DeGrandpre, M., Beatty, C., Timmermans, M.-L., Krishfield, R., Toole, J. and S. Laney. 2017. Sea surface p CO and O dynamics in the partially ice-covered Arctic Ocean. J. Geophys. Res. – Oceans. 122. doi:10.1002/2016JC012162. Ouyang, Z., Qi, D., Chen L., Zhong, W., Takahashi, T., DeGrandpre, M.D., Chen, B., Gao, Z., Nishino, S., Murata, A., Sun, H., Robbins, L.L., Jin, M., and W.-J. Cai. 2020. Sea-ice loss amplifies summer-time decadal CO increase in the western Arctic Ocean, Nature Climate Change, https://doi.org/10.1038 /s41558-020-0784-2 . Yasunaka, S., Siswanto, E., Olsen, A., Hoppema, M., Watanabe, E., Fransson, A., et al. 2018. Arctic Ocean CO uptake: An improved multiyear estimate of the air–sea CO flux incorporating chlorophyll a concentrations. Biogeosciences 15: 1643–1661. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1643-2018 . About the Authors Mike DeGrandpre is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Montana. His interests are focused on the development and application of autonomous sensors for studying the carbon cycle in ocean and freshwater ecosystems. He is a relative newcomer to Arctic research having only been studying the Arctic for the past nine years. 2 2 2 2 2 2 22 Wiley Evans is a research scientist at the Hakai Institute in British Columbia, Canada. His research focuses on net exchanges of carbon dioxide between surface waters and the atmosphere, manifestations of ocean and estuarine acidification, and the drivers of variability in marine carbonate chemistry. Mary-Louise Timmermans is the Damon Wells Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Yale University. She is a physical oceanographer who explores the relationship between Arctic Ocean circulation and climate, and a Co-PI of the NSF Arctic Observing Network program, the Beaufort Gyre Observing System. Rick Krishfield is a Senior Research Specialist in the Department of Physical Oceanography at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His research interests include polar oceanography and biogeochemistry; air-ice-ocean interactions; underice submesoscale coherent vortices; and ice floe dynamics, kinematics, and thermodynamics. Bill Williams is a research scientist and physical oceanographer at the Institute of Ocean Sciences who has led multidisciplinary programs in the Beaufort Sea. He is the principal investigator of the Canada Basin JOIS program and chief scientist aboard the Louis S. St-Laurent during the BGOS/JOIS cruises. Among his interests are the study of shelf-break processes. Mike Steele is a Senior Principal Oceanographer in the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington. He is interested in the large-scale circulation of sea ice and water in the Arctic Ocean. He uses observations collected by in situ sensors and by satellites, as well as numerical model simulations to investigate time and space variations in sea ice and ocean properties. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 23 Science Education News 2020 PolarTREC Expeditions Postponed By: Janet Warburton, Education Project Manager, Arctic Research Consortium of the US (ARCUS); and Judy Fahnestock, PolarTREC Project Coordinator, ARCUS COVID-19 has had far-reaching impacts, and in April 2020 the decision was made to postpone the deployment of all the 2020 PolarTREC educators to both the Arctic and Antarctica until 2021. Despite the postponed deployments, ARCUS staff have continued working with all the teams with the intent on keeping the cohort engaged, expanding their outreach, and preparing for future deployments. In late March and April, ARCUS staff quickly adapted a face-to-face program orientation to an online version that was delivered over a two-week period. Subsequently, we have hosted a few science talks and we are preparing for additional science and educator virtual presentations in the upcoming months. In the meantime, we have been highlighting past expeditions on the website and sharing newly created resources from the 2019–2020 program participants. These resources include STEM Experience Reports, photos from the expeditions, videos, and lesson plans that integrate Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the Polar Literacy Principals, and data related to the expedition research. Access to these resources is free here (https://www.polartrec.com/resources) . The ARCUS team is also posting current events and opportunities on the website, the listserves, and social media platforms. About the Authors Janet Warburton is a Project Manager for the PolarTREC program at the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS). Ms. Warburton has managed the education programs at ARCUS since 2000 and in that time has helped over 180 teachers on research expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic. Ms. Warburton has lived and worked across the state of Alaska and now lives in Anchorage, Alaska. 24 Judy Fahnestock joined ARCUS in 2008 and is a Project Coordinator for the PolarTREC program. She holds an MSc in entomology from the University of Maryland, and natural resource degrees from the University of Massachusetts and Paul Smith's College. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 25 2018 APECS World Summit The 2020 Conference comprised five sessions, with three keynote addresses and 50 presentations that occurred around the clock, which allowed people in every time zone to attend a live session. The conference was attended live by over 400 people from 46 countries. The keynote speakers inspired ECRs with their addresses; Dr. Jose Xavier emphasized on the need and power of linking scientific research with education and policy making; Dr. Renuka Badhe explored career paths outside academia; and Mia Otokiak highlighted the importance of incorporating traditional knowledge into decision-making. The conference presentations also showcased the importance of engaging the general public in decision-making, and how collaborative approaches are paramount for building consensus in polar matters. A memorable moment was the final presentation by Louise Owen, a visual artist who took the audience on a virtual tour of her painting studio to illustrate the impact that arts can have on society and how it can assist to change perspectives on difficult topics. The success of the Online Conference is owed to the work of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers and presenters. The APECS Online Conference Organizing Committee, composed by members of the APECS Council and Executive Committee, worked for over eight months to plan this event and were joined by 80 community members who volunteered their time to chair sessions, provide technical support to presenters, and judge presentations. This event also provided the opportunity for ECR career development, including training in the organization and delivery of an international conference using digital platforms. Since its inception, the APECS Online Conference has grown in the number of volunteers, speakers, and 32 public attending the event, as well as in the quality and multifaceted topics of the presentations. The conference's growing success is reflected in the support received from polar organizations to award prizes intended to support ECRs in future professional development. We continue to fine-tune our program to meet the needs and interests of the wider polar and alpine science community. For instance, in 2015 we introduced a 5-minute flash presentation in addition to traditional oral presentations. In the future, we hope to enhance the networking and community-building that occurs in an in-person conference by exploring the extent of the communication platform, such as supporting parallel discussions to the conference, breakout chat rooms, and others. Please visit the APECS webpage (https://www.apecs.is/) to stay up to date with polar and alpine educational and professional news and events. We invite you to join APECS and be part of this international and multidisciplinary community of polar and alpine early career scientists. The entire 6th Annual APECS Online International Conference was recorded and is available on the APECS Vimeo Channel (https://vimeo.com/432693779) . A list of abstracts from the 6th APECS International Conference is available here (https://www.apecs.is /events) . About the Authors Jan-Lukas Menzel (mailto:[email protected]) is a marine biogeochemist working as a postdoctoral researcher at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Jan-Lukas has worked from polar to tropical oceans and is specialized in marine biogeochemical cycles. He is an APECS International Council member, the General Secretary of the Spanish Association of Researchers in South Africa, and chair of the 6th APECS International Online Conference Organizing Committee. Gabriela Roldan (mailto:[email protected]) is a social scientist working as a specialist researcher at Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Gabriela's research interests include Antarctic governance, geopolitics, and polar tourism. She is a dedicated polar educator, developing education programs for schools in her native Argentina and New Zealand. Gabriela has been involved with the APECS leadership since 2016, and represents the association in the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research's Capacity Building, Education and Training Committee (SCAR CBET). Every summer, Gabriela works as a tour guide in Antarctica. 33 Carolynn Harris (mailto:[email protected]) is a PhD student at Dartmouth College in the USA, where she studies geobiology. Carolynn has studied polar regions since 2011 and has contributed to field research in the Arctic and Antarctica. Carolynn is a Vice President of APECS and an Outreach Coordinator for the MOSAiC Expedition—a year-long expedition in the Central Arctic Ocean to study linked climate systems. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 34 Interagency News OAR Strategic Plan 2020–2026 Aims to Deliver NOAA's Future Excerpted from NOAA's OAR Strategy 2020–2026 Plan Document The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) provides the research foundation for understanding the complex systems that support the planet. Working in partnership with other organizational units of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a bureau of the Department of Commerce, OAR enables better forecasts, earlier warnings for natural disasters, and greater understanding of the Earth system. In response to OAR's changing operating landscape and the specific factors influencing the environmental science community, OAR has developed five strategies that will help deliver NOAA's future. These strategies support the delivery of OAR's goals and objectives, as well as the advancement of NOAA's four science and technology focus areas: unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, omics, and cloud computing. Established to position OAR for future success, the following five strategies will enable the continued delivery of world-class science and the fulfillment of NOAA's mission. 1. Deliver world-class science together OAR will operate as an integrated, connected, and aligned organization with a shared vision to deliver world-class products. Leadership will prioritize mission-driven research agendas to drive the delivery of NOAA's future. Recognizing that OAR cannot succeed alone, OAR will collaborate with other NOAA Line Offices, government, academia, nonprofit, industry, and international partners. 2. Develop the next-generation workforce OAR will grow the leaders of tomorrow. With a focus on diversity and inclusion, OAR will broaden its talent pool to reflect multidisciplinary skill sets. OAR will develop leadership and management skill sets across the workforce to prepare for succession planning and the demands of the future. 3. Prioritize mission-relevant research OAR will continue to contribute to fulfilling NOAA's vision of resilient ecosystems, communities, and economies. OAR will anticipate future scientific and operational needs, while delivering on current 35 expectations. To strengthen and scale the relationship between OAR and the other NOAA Line Offices, OAR will leverage communication and process improvement experts, social scientists, and other relevant subject matter experts. 4. Strengthen internal and external collaboration OAR will leverage the breadth of expertise across OAR, NOAA Line Offices, and external domestic and international communities to improve mission effectiveness. OAR will identify and improve processes and structures that facilitate stronger and more consistent collaboration across the organization, expanding the use of existing tools and forums. OAR will establish a standard approach for partnerships to maximize the value of each relationship, promote a unified message, and accelerate shared objectives. 5. Leverage new technology and advance computing capability OAR will engage the external community to maintain awareness of new technology and explore innovative ways to acquire and use it. OAR will work across NOAA to develop a requirements-based approach to computing, accelerating its adoption and investing in its infrastructure to advance environmental modeling and achieve next-generation research. For further details, including goals and objectives of the plan, download the OAR Strategic Plan 2020–2026 (https://research.noaa.gov/Portals/0/Files/OAR%20Strategy%202020-2026.pdf) . For more information about OAR, please visit NOAA Research (https://research.noaa.gov/) . Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 36 Interagency News AGU Strategic Plan for 2020 Excerpted from the AGU Strategic Plan Document This 2020 strategic plan sets the direction for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) (https://www.agu.org/) and will frame the work of the board, council, staff, and members in the coming years. The plan was developed by members through the leadership of the board and council and approved in 2020. AGU's strategic plan includes a definition, mission, vision, core values, and three strategic goals. The AGU staff, board, council, and broader community will work together to develop an implementation plan over the coming year. Strategic Goals Catalyze discovery and solutions to scientific and societal challenges Discovery science will remain central to AGU's mission while we move more decisively into the realm of solution-based science that addresses emerging global issues. To meet this goal, we will build on our traditional strengths in convening, vetting, and sharing science. We will use our time-tested affiliation models and organizational frameworks to support and reward both discovery and solution-based science. In addition, we will leverage collaborations between the Earth and space science community and a diverse range of groups to move our science from "usable" to "used." Promote and exemplify an inclusive scientific culture An inclusive scientific culture is essential for addressing the scientific and societal challenges that face our planet and humanity. Welcoming the participation of underrepresented groups is not just an issue of ethics—it produces better research. In the next decade, AGU will continue to support and exemplify a scientific culture where individuals from all backgrounds are equitably included. We will assure that diversity, inclusion, equity, ethics, and cultural awareness are sewn into the fabric of all our activities. 37 Partner broadly with other organizations and sectors to address scientific and societal challenges The scientific and societal challenges facing our planet, humanity, and the environment cannot be addressed solely by the scientific community. Connecting and partnering broadly is essential to achieving our vision of a thriving, sustainable, and equitable future. In the coming decade, we aim to make our partnerships broader, more collaborative, sustainable, and consequential. Toward this end, we commit to cultivating a culture of trust in evidence-based science, to co-creating knowledge with communities that use that knowledge, and to helping AGU members effectively address societal challenges through solution-based science, science policy, communication, and outreach. For further details, please download the 2020 AGU Strategic Plan (https://news.agu.org/files/2020/05 /Final_AGU_Strategic_Plan_2020_Final.pdf) Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 38 A Note From the ARCUS Executive Director ARCUS Highlights By Helen Wiggins, Executive Director, ARCUS As we all settle into the "new abnormal" of the COVID-19 world, ARCUS staff, Board, members, and collaborators have been working hard to advance Arctic research and education. As Dave Cairns, ARCUS Board President (https://www.arcus.org/witness-the-arctic /2020/1/article/30959) wrote, our role at ARCUS is fundamentally about community. We've been putting into practice our skills and longterm experience with (virtual) community-building in many ways. Here are a few highlights: Polar Technology Conference (PTC) – The PTC was held in March (our last event held in-person this year) and was live-streamed. The goal of the PTC was to link experts in polar science and technology development to address problems unique to the polar region. Meeting products, including abstracts, recorded presentations, and posters are available on the conference webpage (https://www.arcus.org /logistics/2020-polar-technology) . Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) Investigators Virtual Meeting – The first Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) Investigators Meeting was held virtually in April. The goals of the meeting were to accelerate the rate of dissemination of ideas among researchers, build an intellectual research core to address NNA challenges, and enable enhanced research collaborations. Meeting resources, including lighting talk videos from the NNA projects and meeting notes, are available on the meeting webpage (https://www.arcus.org /nna/meetings/2020) . Sea Ice Prediction Network – SIPN2 activities (https://www.arcus.org/sipn) have continued uninterrupted; we are in the midst of the 2020 season of the Sea Ice Outlook, which provides an open process for the research community to share sea ice predictions and ideas. We have just released the July Outlook report (https://www.arcus.org/sipn/sea-ice-outlook/2020/july) , and are planning upcoming webinars (https://www.arcus.org/sipn/meetings/webinars/july-2020) . PolarTREC – Teachers will not be going into the field this year, but other work is ongoing, including publishing a rich collection of new polar learning resources (https://www.polartrec.com/resources/search) on topics from Weddell seal pups to the impact of increasing ocean temperatures on marine life. Engaging Rural and Alaska Native Undergraduates & Youth in Arctic STEM Several "Listen and Learn" sessions (https://www.arcus.org/meetings/2020/arctic-youth-stem) earlier this 39 year were held to discuss the gaps, challenges, and opportunities to support the representation of rural and Alaska Native youth, undergraduates, and/or graduates in STEM education and career pathways. Additional input to these topics will be gathered via virtual means or through an in-person workshop in 2021. Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook (SIWO): SIWO provides weekly reports (https://www.arcus.org/siwo) with weather and wind forecasts, ice conditions, and expert local observations for Alaska Native subsistence hunters, coastal communities, and others interested in sea ice and walrus. The 2020 season wrapped up in June, with participation from observers in seven villages: Shishmaref, Wales, Nome, Brevig Mission/Port Clarence, Gambell, Savoonga, and Diomede. In addition to the above, we've also been holding our Arctic Research Seminars (https://www.arcus.org /research-seminar-series/archive) (and we are always looking for new speakers and topics!); the Arctic Indigenous Scholar program (https://www.arcus.org/indigenous-scholars/2020) ; gearing up for the AGU Fall Meeting (where we'll offer virtual meeting support for Arctic research and education groups—more announced soon); planning for a virtual citizen science conference for 2021; finishing up a process to update ARCUS' strategic goals and objectives, and a lot more. You can find updates on all our activities through the ARCUS website (https://www.arcus.org/) or by contacting me at [email protected]g . You can join the ARCUS community by becoming an individual or organizational member here (https://www.arcus.org/arcus/member-information) . Follow and engage with us on twitter: @ArcticResearch. 40 Welcome New and Renewing ARCUS Member Organizations (Since September 2019) ABR, Inc. (http://www.abrinc.com/) Arizona State University (https://www.asu.edu/) Cold Climate Housing Research Center (https://www.arcus.org/witness-the-arctic/2020/1 /www.cchrc.org) Kawerak, Inc. (https://kawerak.org/) Norwegian Polar Institute (https://kawerak.org/) Russian State Hydrometeorological University (http://www.rshu.ru/eng/) ; Rutgers University (https://www.rutgers.edu/) Sitka Sound Science Center (https://sitkascience.org/) Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/anthropology/programs /arctic-studies-center) The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (Tufts University) (https://fletcher.tufts.edu/) The George Washington University (https://www.gwu.edu/) University of Northern British Columbia (https://www.unbc.ca/) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (https://www.whoi.edu/) Welcome New and Renewing ARCUS Individual Members (Since September 2019) Levi Appel, Elizabeth Boyer, Howard Burrows, David Cairns, Guangqing Chi, Jim Costopulos, Peppi Croft, Carolin Curtis, Craig Dorman, Helena Edelson, Howard Epstein, Kaare Erickson, Celso Ferreira, Craig Fleener, Ayumi Fujisaki-Manome, Adrian Gall, Mary Gibbons, Karen Grosskreutz, Liu Hailong, Joyanne Hamilton, Jasper Hardesty, Matt Heavner, Victoria Herrmann, Karl Heummrich, Diane Hirshberg, Robert Holister, Larry Hurst, Suresh Immaneni, Mark Ivey, Christopher Ivins, Randy Kee, Madison Kluge, Timo Koivurova, Millie Lambert, Lorene Lynn, Gisele M.Arruda, Bruce Main, Ann McElvein, Tyler Miesse, Ryan Naylor, Karl Newyear, Daniel Otto, Prasad Padalkar, Kimberly Rand, Julie Raymond-Yakoubian, Cheryl Rosa, Savanna Schaffer, Jennifer Schmidt, Asma Shethwala Yu, Temenuzhka Spasova, Yvette Spitz, Talor Stone, Evelyn Strombom, Audrey Taylor, Steven Vavrus, Pips Veazey, Danielle Verna, Austen Whitney, Juliana Wilczynski, Erik Wilkman, MIng Xiao, Nadya Yanakieva, Leonid Yurganov, Laura Zanotti, and Jason Zottola. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 41