Witness the Arctic - Summer 2021, Volume 25 Number 1

Chronicles of the NSF Arctic Science Section Summer 2021, Volume 25 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 2-6) • University of Arctic (UArctic)—20 Years of Cooperation in Education, Research, and Knowledge Sharing Arctic System Science Program (pg 7) • SIPN2 News Arctic Social Sciences Program (pgs 8-16) • What do US Students Know about the Polar Regions? • The Arctic Council and Gender Equality – A Milestone Report on Gender Equality in the Arctic Published Data Management (pgs 17-21) • Supporting Data Management Early in the Research Cycle: New Directions for the Arctic Data Center Science News (pgs 22-29) • “Proper Engagement” in Arctic Research • Beaufort Gyre Freshwater: Understanding how a Release of the Largest Arctic Ocean Freshwater Reservoir Could Impact the North Atlantic Science Education News (pgs 30-32) • PolarTREC has a Teacher in the Field! National Science Foundation News (pgs 33-34) • NSF Issues Dear Colleague Letter on Efforts to Improve the Inclusion of Local and Indigenous Voices in Arctic Research Interagency News (pgs 35-36) • Department of Defense Announces Establishment of Arctic Regional Center U.S. Arctic Research Commission (pgs 37-39) • Highlights from USARC’s Arctic Sustainable Energy Research Conference International News (pgs 40-43) • The International Arctic Science Committee: Supporting Pan-Arctic Research ARCUS News (pgs 44-49) • Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook 2021: Alaska Native Sea Ice Experts Share their Observations of Spring in the Bering Sea In this Issue ARCUS Member Highlight University of Arctic (UArctic)—20 Years of Cooperation in Education, Research, and Knowledge Sharing The University of the Arctic (UArctic) (https://www.uarctic.org/about-uarctic/) is a network of over 230 universities, colleges, research institutes, and other organizations concerned with education and research in and about the North. UArctic builds and strengthens collective resources and infrastructures that enable member institutions to better serve their constituents and their regions. Through cooperation in education, research, and outreach UArctic enhances human capacity in the North, promotes viable communities and sustainable economies, and forges global partnerships. Figure 1. Introductory slide, "Who We Are," courtesy of the UArctic General Presentation Slideshow. Created by the Arctic Council through the Iqaluit Declaration in 1998 (Download PDF-354 KB) (https://oaarchive.arcticcouncil.org/handle/11374/86), and launched 20 years ago in 2001, UArctic is committed to upholding its principles of sustainable development as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). UArctic is constituted as an international association based in Finland. UArctic works in close partnership with other Arctic organizations such as the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) (https://iasc.info/), the International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) (https://iassa.org/), and the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) (https://www.apecs.is/), and is an observer to the Arctic Council (https://arctic-council.org/en/). 2 Figure 2. UArctic Thematic Networks slide, courtesy of the UArctic General Presentation Slideshow. UArctic supports the cooperation and collaboration among its members via Thematic Networks and UArctic Institutes (https://www.uarctic.org/organization/thematic-networks/). The thematically focused networks address topical Arctic issues and problems, creating joint education and research, and sharing the knowledge. Currently, there are 66 Thematic Networks and UArctic Institutes, with some also led from countries outside the eight Arctic States (https://arcticcouncil.org/en/about/states/). Seven new Thematic Networks were endorsed after an annual call in the last assembly of UArctic meeting in May 2021. The seven new Thematic Networks (https://www.uarctic.org/news/2021/5/uarcticwelcomes-seven-new-thematic-networks) are: Thematic Network on Arctic Indigenous Film, hosted by International Sámi Film Institute ISFI, Norway Thematic Network on Arctic Space Hub, hosted by Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory, University of Oulu, Finland Thematic Network on Arctic Urban Planning and Design, hosted by The Arctic University of Norway, Norway (UiT) Thematic Network on Bioregional Planning for Resilient Rural Communities, hosted by University of New England, United States of America Thematic Network on Circular Economy, hosted by Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Finland Thematic Network on Children in the Arctic, hosted by Ilisimatusarfik / University of Greenland, Greenland Thematic Network on Critical Arctic Studies, hosted by Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland Find out more about UArctic, the Circumpolar North, and current issues facing the region through video interviews with UArctic leaders, Thematic Network Leads, members, and key partners. View Video Interviews (https://www.uarctic.org/about-uarctic/video-interviews) Thematic Networks form a backbone to activities conducted in UArctic and this year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Arctic Yearbook (https://arcticyearbook.com/), an annual Arctic peer-reviewed volume of scholarly articles created and edited by the Thematic Network on Geopolitics and Security. The Arctic Yearbook is one example of many publications, 3 books, and edited volumes co-authored by various Thematic Networks. Thematic Networks and UArctic Institutes are independent and different in many ways, in their size, diversity, geographical region, focus and aims. Some networks focus on Indigenous languages or teacher education, building the resilience and capacity of communities. Some focus on pure physical climate sciences, and some work and do exhibitions on arts and design. Networks also collaborate with each other, participate in Arctic Council working groups and projects, and engage with the whole UArctic community. One great example of engaging with youth and Arctic community is the Thematic Network on Arctic Arts and Design’s UArctic Photo Competition: Arctic Polarities. The first competition was open in 2020 and currently the competition is open for contributions to Arctic Polarities 2022 (https://www.uarctic.org/news/2021/6/the-uarctic-photo-competitionarctic-polarities-2022). Figure 3. The winning photo, "Whale" in the Arctic Polarities 2021 competition in the staff category by Thomas Chung. UArctic promotes and works for equal educational opportunities for everyone in the North. One of the first activities started in the early years of UArctic is the Bachelor level Circumpolar Studies courses aimed to increase the awareness of the Arctic as a whole. Today the courses can still be taken, also as a classroom course in some of the UArctic member organizations. Parallel to Circumpolar Studies, a mobility program north2north (https://www.uarctic.org/news/2006/2/north2north) was initiated, offering exchange to students from one UArctic member university to another. COVID-19 cannot be forgotten in this context as physical mobility has not been possible during the past year. To overcome the related challenges, new ways of mobility have been planned, particularly as virtual mobility. COVID-19 was challenging of course to all networking activities; however, the online meetings and webinars have proved to be an equal and cost-efficient way to meet partners more frequently and to organize online education. 4 Figure 4. Informational slide, "north2north," courtesy of the UArctic General Presentation Slideshow. UArctic Congress 2020 (https://congress.uarctic.org/) had also to be first postponed from October 2020 to May 2021 and later on changed to an online Congress. It still attracted almost 600 registered participants who followed 40 online parallel sessions and plenaries. Connectivity is still an issue in many rural Arctic communities and until internet connections are secured for everyone seeking education, or accessing health care, etc., the Arctic is not an equal place to all. The UArctic Congress 2021 Declaration states: “Online meetings provide more equal access to everyone to attend the meetings and conferences—if broadband internet connectivity is available. Connectivity and accessibility, in the broad sense, have thus become even more important key needs for northern communities. Online connectivity must improve to allow equal participation by northerners in meetings, conferences, and other activities important to livelihoods and sustainability.” The UArctic Thematic Network on Arctic Telecommunications and Networking is looking for solutions to overcome the challenge of connectivity. In collaboration with Thematic Networks, the work towards sustainable futures and resilience for better education and building the future leaders is a high priority. UArctic aims in a joint effort in partnership with other Arctic organizations to build an Arctic as home, which can adapt to challenges faced by climate change and globalization in a sustainable way. 5 Figure 5. To learn more about UArctic slide, courtesy of the UArctic General Presentation Slideshow. The UArctic General Presentation Slideshow is available on the UArctic website (https://www.uarctic.org/about-uarctic). For further information or questions, please contact Kirsi Latola - Vice-President Networks ([email protected]) or the UArctic International Secretary ([email protected]). Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 6 Arctic System Science Program SIPN2 News The Sea Ice Prediction Network–Phase 2 (SIPN2) (https://www.arcus.org/sipn) is a network of US and international members working to advance research on the processes driving sea-ice predictability, prediction products, and the communication of findings to interested stakeholders. SIPN2 is funded by NSFArctic Sciences Section and the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) (https://nerc.ukri.org/), with several collaborators and partners (https://www.arcus.org/sipn/project-team). The Sea Ice Outlook (SIO) (https://www.arcus.org/sipn/sea-ice-outlook) provides an open process for those interested in Arctic sea ice to share ideas and predictions for Arctic ice extent, sea-ice probability, ice-free date, and other variables. In 2021, the SIO will produce monthly reports in June, July, August, and September that contain a variety of perspectives on Arctic sea ice—from observations of current conditions, to advanced numerical models, to qualitative perspectives from citizen scientists. A post-season interim and/or final report will be developed after the sea-ice retreat season has concluded For the 2021 June (https://www.arcus.org/sipn/sea-ice-outlook/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 SIPN2 Project Team (https://www.arcus.org/sipn/project-team) hosted a virtual forum on 21 and 22 January 2021 for SIO Contributors to share information about sea-ice forecast methods, discuss related challenges, and identify activities and products that could advance forecasting skill. Participation was by invitation only and limited to individuals who recently submitted forecasts to the SIO. Sessions were held in the morning (Pacific time) on both days, and in the evening on the first day (Pacific time) to facilitate participation with colleagues in both European and east Asian time zones. The meeting included a mix of pre-recorded presentations, plenary and lightning talks, and breakout group discussions. Participants shared and discussed successes and challenges in Arctic and Antarctic sea-ice prediction, identified future activities to improve seasonal prediction, and recommended future collaboration and networking activities. The SIPN2 Project Team (https://www.arcus.org/sipn/project-team) will host a webinar entitled, "Prospects for Improved Regional Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice," on 13 July 2021. Presented by Mitch Bushuk, this webinar will provide an overview of a newly developed dynamical seasonal prediction system and its performance in predicting regional Arctic sea-ice conditions. For further information and to register, see: Prospects for Improved Regional Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 7 Arctic Social Sciences Program What do US Students Know about the Polar Regions? By: Stephanie Pfirman, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, Arizona State University; Lawrence Hamilton, Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire; Margie Turrin, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University; Craig Narveson, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Kahoot!, Oslo, Norway; Carrie A. Lloyd, Arizona State University The question, "What do US Students Know about the Polar Regions?" is an important one for us to figure out so that we can develop educational priorities to prepare the future workforce. Newly released findings that the Arctic near-surface air temperature is warming at rates of three times that of the global average (AMAP, 2021), further elevate the importance of educating our next generation of decision makers. While we can survey adults, it is harder to develop research protocols to gather a nationwide sample of students. With support from the National Science Foundation and Arizona State University, we developed the novel approach of analyzing student responses to online quizzes posted on the popular Kahoot! platform (Pfirman et al., 2021). Partners in the project include Barnard College, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, the University of New Hampshire, Arizona State University, and Kahoot!. Through the Polar Learning and Responding Climate Change Education Partnership, we had created a polar quiz as part of a series of "Climate Challenges" (https://tinyurl.com/PolarClimateKahoot) for education and engagement. While the questions were not ideally designed for evaluation, the quiz attracted a large number of players (134,000 as of June 2021), across a wide geographic area. We filtered the data for responses from US teacher-hosted games, and analyzed the aggregate data. Over the nine-month period analyzed (September 2018 through June 2019), there were more than 1,000 unique US teacher hosts (based on the number of unique IP addresses) of the polar Kahoot!. At least three teachers hosted the quiz in each of the 50 US states and Washington, DC. This shows that US teachers are interested in including polar content in their classrooms. Furthermore, more than 25,000 of the respondents to the first question were US middle and high school students. Because the first three quiz questions were adapted from questions asked of adults in a 2016 survey (Hamilton 2016, 2018; Hamilton et al. 2017), we could assess relative student knowledge. The average score of US students on these questions was 30% (SD = 06), much lower the 49% average accuracy found in the US adult survey (SD = .18). Each of the questions had four multiple choice answers, so random choice would give a score of 25%, indicating that many of the US student Kahoot! players were guessing in their responses to the polar questions. The Kahoot! game-based player response system records which state each response comes from, so we can get a glimpse of regional variations in student polar knowledge. We say a glimpse, because only thirteen states had enough responses to analyze. Rhode Island, Oregon, Arizona, and Washington demonstrated the highest levels of student polar knowledge, with average accuracies ranging from 53-50% (Rhode Island to Washington), SD 0.13-0.09. New York, Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, Texas, and Indiana had intermediate accuracies ranging from 45-41%, SD 0.12-0.05. California had an average accuracy of 35%, but the pattern was highly variable with the largest standard deviation of the 13 states analyzed at 0.16. The average accuracies of student responses in Ohio and Illinois were the lowest at 27% and 28%, SD 0.01 and 0.02, respectively, reflecting a high degree of guessing. Because this was an exploratory analysis, we do not yet know the reasons for these regional differences. 8 Now that we have this suite of questions along with benchmark scores, they can be used to understand the impact of polar educational interventions by offering them preand/or post-activity. The Kahoot! platform is free for educators to use and develop their own Kahoot!s to support both live learning sessions and asynchronous challenges with students. It would be terrific if others would create additional Kahoot! quizzes tag them within the Kahoot! description area with #polar to build out a searchable community inventory of polar questions. Figure 1. Screenshot of the first four questions in the polar Kahoot! of the Climate Challenge (Turrin et al., 2019). Each question has an accompanying image. Sometimes the image provides information relevant to answering the question. Answers are hidden in this image. Editor's note: Screen shot above is from the Kahoot! website (https://create.kahoot.it/details/how-does-climate-changeimpact-the-arctic-antarctic/a15b0685-fdec-4405-9caa-1503dcadd022?deviceId=a4147ba0-58ff-4780-a09858e964707a57R&sessionId=1605568343584&deviceId=a4147ba0-58ff-4780-a09858e964707a57R&sessionId=1605568343584&_ga=2.165746430.1313820529.16055448091326155410.1516384635&deviceId=a4147ba0-58ff-4780-a098-58e964707a57R&sessionId=1605568343584). 9 undergraduate studies on socioeconomic development at the University of Akureyri and interdisciplinary studies at the University of Northern British Columbia in Canada. Additionally, Embla has completed Diploma level courses in Polar Law at the University of Akureyri. Hjalti Ómar Ágústsson is the project manager for the Gender Equality in the Arctic Project, Phase III and a Special Advisor at the Directorate for Equality in Iceland. He has an ML degree in law and a diploma in Polar Law from the University of Akureyri. Hjalti has been working on human rights issues since graduation in 2014 through teaching, as project manager and board member for Aflið – Counseling Centre for Sexual and Domestic abuse Survivors in Akureyri, and as a Child Protective Services Committee member before joining the Gender Equality in the Arctic Project and the Directorate for Equality. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 16 Data Management Supporting Data Management Early in the Research Cycle: New Directions for the Arctic Data Center By: Jasmine Lai, Projects Data Coordinator, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS); Amber E. Budden, Director of Learning and Outreach, (NCEAS); Matthew B. Jones, Principal Investigator, NCEAS Since 2016, the Arctic Data Center (https://arcticdata.io/) has been supporting Arctic researchers in the discovery, access, curation, and preservation of research data, in addition to providing support, guidance, and training on data management and reproducible research practices. In those first five years of operations, the Arctic Data Center has preserved the work of over 2900 researchers in over 6400 individual datasets totaling 56 terabytes, and has become one of only 27 repositories in the US to be CoreTrustSeal (https://www.coretrustseal.org/) certified. Through engagement with researchers at national and international Arctic and domain-focused events, and through discussions at our reproducible research training events and Arctic conferences, we have developed an increased understanding of the data management and reuse needs of Arctic researchers that informs our focus for the next five years of operations. As of 1 May 2021, the National Science Foundation (NSF) reaffirmed its commitment to data archiving and sharing in the Arctic by investing $ 6 million to continue funding (https://arcticdata.io/news/2021/05/understanding-the-arctic/) of the Arctic Data Center through 2026. This continued investment will allow the Center to increase capabilities in a number of critical areas, in addition to maintaining and enhancing the current services valued across the community. We will scale our repository to support preservation of much larger, terabyte-scale datasets, which are increasingly being produced by researchers using, for example, remotely operated aircraft and automated sensor networks. In addition, we will increase the features available within our customizable data portals. The data portals (https://arcticdata.io/data-portals/) service, which was launched during the first award, enables researchers to create a custom, branded portal for their research topic or lab group that spans datasets in the Arctic Data Center. 17 Figure 1. A custom data portal for the Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) project focused on building the Permafrost Discovery Gateway, showing an interactive global map with permafrost temperature values from Obu et al. (2019). Future versions of the portal system will support additional custom visualizations, embedded interactive maps, and embedded analysis applications. These branded portals provide users a convenient, readily customized way to communicate their research to the broader community. Since the service launched, over 20 portals have been created and this new award will enable us to increase the capability for customization with the addition of user-created custom search queries, groups and filters to aid discovery, and the ability to embed interactive data visualizations such as shiny apps. We will also introduce new group collaboration features that enable research projects to collaborate more effectively early in their project, long before data are ready to be archived. These early life cycle features will include team-focused data sharing, streamlined data management, and new data quality assessment services. Data reuse will drive additional new functionality for building derived data products that are useful for multiple user communities. The Arctic Data Center preserves data from a myriad of disciplines with multitudes of formats, models, and protocols of varying compatibility. While the research community downloads and uses these datasets frequently, we also recognize the need to integrate these heterogeneous data into more uniform derived products that span spatial, temporal, and project boundaries. We plan a new derived data workflow service that will enable researchers from diverse disciplines to contribute new data products that assemble existing data in useful ways for various research, community, and management uses, among others. We will then be able to maintain and extend these derived products as new data of that type are archived over time. 18 Katie Harrold and Adrianna Trusiak prepare for field work. Toolik Field Station, Alaska. Photo by Regina Brinker (PolarTREC 2014), Courtesy of ARCUS. Providing first-class support for data management challenges that face the Arctic research community remains a focus, and future work will increase our emphasis on supporting data management issues for social science disciplines. Planned work includes continuing discussions with social science researchers initiated in during the first award, designing targeted social scientific resources and learning opportunities, increased representation at social science meetings, applying the custom portal infrastructure to specific collections of social science data, modifying our data submission and curation systems to better address requirements of social science data management, and—to be announced shortly—recruiting a Fellow focused on understanding and supporting the needs of social science researchers and data. The Arctic Data Center broadly engages the Arctic research community, and will contribute to the important dialogue surrounding Indigenous data sovereignty through ongoing collaborations with projects such as ELOKA (https://eloka-arctic.org/) and the NNA Community Office (https://nna-co.org/) that work directly with Indigenous groups. In doing so, we seek to increase awareness and appropriate adoption of open research and data archiving across various social science disciplines, and maintain and promote the FAIR (https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/) (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and CARE (https://www.gida-global.org/care) (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) principles. In support of open science and capacity for good data management practices in the Arctic community, we are excited to be able to double the number of training offerings across the next 5 years. Our investment in training Arctic researchers includes not only increased delivery of training events, but also an expanded curriculum with materials planned for development that focus on managing sensitive data, qualitative data, Indigenous Knowledge, co-production, and CARE principles (among others). We welcome community input on these topics and will be reaching out repeatedly during the course of the award as we develop new curricula. 19 Community input is critical to the strategic direction of the Arctic Data Center and ensuring that we continue to meet the needs of the community. Through engagement at conferences, feedback from researchers using our services, community workshops, and training activities we stay connected with the challenges and opportunities encountered by Arctic researchers. In addition, the Arctic Data Center Science Advisory Board provides advice and leadership on goals and strategic priorities, and supports evaluation of the Center's deliverables and services. The current board brings together expertise in atmospheric, social, terrestrial, oceanographic, earth, and environmental sciences and as part of a planned rotation, we have an open call for nominations to the Science Advisory Board (https://arcticdata.io/science-advisoryboard/). We value your role in facilitating the success of the Arctic Data Center as a community resource and encourage you to nominate yourself or a colleague to serve on the advisory board. Full details about the NSF Arctic Data Center partners, leadership, and scientific advisory board can be found on the Arctic Data Center's website (https://arcticdata.io/) Acknowledgements This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2042102 for the Arctic Data Center and 1927720 for the Permafrost Discovery Gateway. References Cited J. Obu et al., 2019. Northern Hemisphere permafrost map based on TTOP modelling for 2000–2016 at 1 km2 scale. EarthScience Reviews 193:299–316, doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.04.023. About the Authors Jasmine Lai is a Projects Data Coordinator at the Arctic Data Center. She has a bachelor of science from the University of British Columbia. At the Arctic Data Center, Jasmine helps archive research data and contributes to open source software. Through her work, she hopes to make science open, inclusive and accessible to a wide audience. Amber E Budden is Director of Learning and Outreach at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and co-PI of the Arctic Data Center. Amber leads data science training activities within the NCEAS Learning Hub and supports users of data infrastructure through community building, training, and user-focused design. Amber holds a PhD in Behavioral Ecology and a joint BSc in Psychology and Zoology. 20 Matthew B. Jones iis Director of Research and Development at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, and PI of the Arctic Data Center. Matt’s work focuses on both supporting efficient synthesis through scientific computing and on building new advanced infrastructure to support data sharing, preservation, analysis, and modeling. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 21 Science News “Proper Engagement” in Arctic Research By: Kaare Sikuaq Erickson, Principal of Ikaaġun Engagement What does “proper engagement” between Arctic researchers and Indigenous communities mean in 2021? The context of the situation is extremely important. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought Arctic research, and its heavy reliance on domestic and international travel, to its knees. This is an opportunity for reflection and hopefully a turn towards utilizing more local community resources in the Arctic (Petrov et al. 2020). With all the uncertainties surrounding Arctic research in the past year, it is vital that we remember some obvious, but particularly important, guidelines that many in our field are obligated to follow. I know, I am preaching to the choir; you have heard this many times already. However, we cannot overstate how important it is for everyone involved in US federally funded Arctic research (e.g., researchers, supporting contractors, funders, all of us!) to stop and look in the mirror and ask ourselves how our research and operations are guided by the following five core values: 1. Be Accountable 2. Establish Effective Communication 3. Respect Indigenous Knowledge and Cultures 4. Build and Sustain Relationships 5. Pursue Responsible Environmental Stewardship These core values were written in 2018 by the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) (https://www.iarpccollaborations.org/), an aggregation of the 14 US federal agencies who fund research operations in the Arctic. Barriers such as wide geographical and cultural gaps, the temporality of project funding, uncertainty due to travel restraints, and other logistical issues can make it exceedingly difficult for scientists and supporting contractors in Arctic research to fully demonstrate and convert these values into practice. However, a genuine effort to embody the core values, regardless the situation, is needed. It is crucial for all of us to understand what the funding agencies and local communities in the Arctic are expecting of Arctic research. If you need additional guidance on the principles and core values, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and IARPC provide accessible elaboration (https://www.iarpccollaborations.org/principles.html). 22 Northern lights over the community of Shishmaref in spring 2021. Image courtesy of Kaare Sikuaq Erickson. To further appreciate the context of Arctic research in 2021, we need to also recognize that pandemics have had devastating impacts on most of our families and communities in the Arctic. For instance, nine out of 24 villages in the Bering Straits region lost ½ or more of their populations during the 1918–1919 influenza epidemic (Mamelund et al. 2013). This history, locally referred to as “the Great Death,” (Napolean 1991) set the stage for the way Arctic communities reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. This context will continue to impact how Arctic researchers and residents engage with each other. We all need to prepare for permanently elevated travel, health, and safety protocols. Proper engagement is no longer an issue of good will, it is an issue of extreme importance and it might be the answer to the future viability of Arctic research. 23 Sikuaq's family gathered on the beach. Image courtesy of Kaare Sikuaq Erickson. Within Arctic research, there is also a “capacity building” dilemma that negatively affects engagement between researchers and residents in two main areas. First, due to funding constraints, a majority of Arctic research funding is prohibited from investing in physical infrastructure in Arctic communities. Coincidentally, this infrastructure is exactly what locals need to build the capacity to support and fully engage with Arctic research projects. Quickly building up infrastructure in the Arctic is nothing new. For example, the relatively immediate construction of the former 63 DEW Line sites in the 1950s by the US and Canada required the importation of 918 million pounds of materials to build the infrastructure (Lackenbauer et al. 2005). The second area of concern in reference to capacity building is that increased funding opportunities, in addition to calls for interdisciplinary projects, have resulted in the development of a large cohort of newcomers within Arctic research (both researchers and contractors) who need additional required orientation to help prepare and educate them on how to properly engage with Arctic communities. These types of relevant resources can be extremely hard to find. So, what does “proper engagement” between Arctic residents and Arctic researchers mean in 2021 and beyond? The answers are many. The polysemous nature of “proper engagement” is due to the extreme natural, geographical, social, and economic variability in the Arctic and in Arctic research. This requires each research project, initiative, program, and endeavor that plans to work in, near, or with local and Indigenous communities to tailor their projects—not just travel plans—to serve the mutual expectations and needs of the funders and the Indigenous communities. One can start by reflecting on how their projects and operations value and demonstrate the guidelines mentioned at the beginning of this text. 24 Has everyone in Arctic research always followed the IARPC guidelines? No. Will all people in Arctic research follow the guidelines in the future? No. However, in 2021 we all need to be accountable to the Arctic communities we work in and near. We need to establish effective communication. We need to do everything we can to build and sustain relationships with local communities. We need to pursue responsible environmental stewardship. Last and certainly not least, every one of us needs to make an honest effort to respect Indigenous Knowledge and Arctic cultures. All of us in Arctic research should stop and take serious consideration of what “proper engagement” with Indigenous communities means to each of us. The reflection is necessary, and the time is pivotal. For further information, please go to: Ikaagun.com References Lackenbauer, P.W., Farish, M.J. and Arthur-Lackenbauer, J. 2005. The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line: A Bibliography and Documentary Resource List. The Arctic Institute of North America. Mamelund, S., Sattenspiel, L., and Dimka, J. 2013. Influenza-Associated Mortality During the 1918–1919 Influenza Pandemic in Alaska and Labrador: A Comparison. Social Science History 37:177-229. 10.1215/01455532-2074420. Napolean, H. Yuuyaraq: The Way of the Human Being. University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, 1991. Petrov, A.N., Hinzman, L.D., Kullerud, L. et al. 2020. Building Resilient Arctic Science Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nature Communications 11:6278. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19923-2 About the Author Kaare Ray Sikuaq Erickson is the Principal and team lead for Ikaaġun Engagement, based in Unalakleet and Anchorage, Alaska. Sikuaq was raised on the Bering Sea coast and has family scattered across northern Alaska from Unalakleet to Shishmaref to Utqiaġvik. Sikuaq was taught to provide for his communities through subsistence and leadership; to be aware of problems facing Arctic communities; and to find creative, realistic, and effective ways to alleviate or solve those issues. Sikuaq spent nearly two decades immersed in cultural studies and has most recently spent several years developing and implementing creative, effective, and efficient outreach, engagement and K-12 education programs for high profile Arctic research projects. Sikuaq's unique upbringing and specialized training allows him to successfully fulfill his role as cultural broker connecting Arctic communities and Arctic research entities. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 25 Finally, in September we anticipate PolarTREC teacher, Jon Pazol, heading to Norway to board a ship-based expedition as part of the Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System program (https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/nansenand-amundsen-basins-observational-system). More details about this expedition are emerging as the season progresses. For the rest of the PolarTREC educators, their expeditions to both the Arctic and Antarctica continue to be postponed until 2022. To stay informed on new developments, please visit the website and join the Polar Education List (https://www.arcus.org/education/educationlist/subscribe) to learn about new resources, lesson plans (including virtual lessons), and the latest news on our program. 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. 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] 32 National Science Foundation News NSF Issues Dear Colleague Letter on Efforts to Improve the Inclusion of Local and Indigenous Voices in Arctic Research Announcement Summarized By: Sara Eckert, NSF Office of Polar Programs Communications Specialist National Science Foundation (NSF) programs supporting Arctic research greatly appreciate the formal and informal feedback recently provided by local and Indigenous communities and Arctic researchers on how NSF can improve inclusion of local and Indigenous voices, as well as Indigenous Knowledge (IK), in Arctic research. In a recent Dear Colleague Letter (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21077/nsf21077.jsp), NSF has outlined immediate actions being taken to support indigenous individuals and organizations. Immediate Clarifications, Revisions, and Improvements to Arctic Programs NSF has revised and clarified the Arctic Research Opportunities (NSF 21-526) (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2021/nsf21526/nsf21526.htm) and Navigating the New Arctic (NNA; NSF 21-524) (https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/arctic/nna/index.jsp) solicitations to highlight ethical conduct of research in the Arctic. The updated solicitations also provide guidance on how to build true collaborations with local and Indigenous peoples in NSFfunded research and education. NSF has also recently funded a Community Office for the Navigating the New Arctic Program (https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/announcements/020121.jsp), which is supporting the continued collaboration of Arctic scientists with local and Indigenous organizations and individuals. Ongoing Outreach and Communication NSF representatives continue to communicate frequently with local and Indigenous individuals and organizations to better understand their specific needs and potential ways to support more inclusive NSF-funded activities in the Arctic. These conversations have taken place with individual PIs, as well as larger audiences, including dedicated sessions at Arcticfocused and international science conferences. NSF-wide Efforts NSF's commitment to improvement in work with Indigenous individuals and organizations is aligned with one of the three pillars of Director Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan's vision for NSF (https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp? cntn_id=300793), 'ensuring inclusivity.' In addition, the Office of Polar Programs has created a new subcommittee of its Advisory Committee dedicated to Diversity and Inclusion, which is engaged with the NSF Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE). The goal of these activities is to better understand the ongoing opportunities, challenges, and needs to continue to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion for NSF programs. 33 Resources for PIs and Arctic Communities To increase the visibility and accessibility of these opportunities to a broader community, NSF has launched a landing page on Arctic Community Engagement (ACE) (https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/arctic/ace/). This page highlights solicitations and resources encouraging the inclusion of local Arctic communities and Indigenous Knowledge in NSFfunded projects. NSF recognizes that these efforts are not the endpoint, but rather part of growing momentum toward increasing inclusion and equitable participation in research. NSF plans to continue to evolve procedures to ensure broadened support for equitable local and Indigenous participation in Arctic research projects. Please reach out to [email protected] to submit feedback or provide input. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 34 Interagency News Department of Defense Announces Establishment of Arctic Regional Center Editor's note: content for this article is excerpted from the U.S. Department of Defense News Release (https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2651852/the-department-of-defense-announcesestablishment-of-arctic-regional-center/) on 9 June 2021 Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, has announced the establishment of a new Department of Defense Regional Center, the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. The center will bring increased cooperation on the unique challenges and security concerns related to the Arctic region. Defense Department Regional Centers (https://www.dsca.mil/dod-regionalcenters-rc) are international academic venues for bilateral and multilateral research, communication, and training with the goal of building strong, sustainable international networks of security leaders. The Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies will develop collaborative insights with allies and partners. "The center will support the US Interim National Security Strategic Guidance direction to work with like-minded partners and across the interagency to pool our collective strength and advance shared interests," Secretary Austin said. "It will address the need for US engagement and international cooperation to strengthen the rules-based order in the region and tackle shared challenges such as climate change." The Ted Stevens Center will provide a new venue to collaborate with our allies and partners to advance shared interests for a peaceful and prosperous Arctic. The Department is currently determining the appropriate location for the center. End of excerpted text. Perspective from Marisol Maddox, Arctic Analyst at the Wilson Center's Polar Institute: Marisol Maddox, an Arctic analyst at the Wilson Center's Polar Institute, observes that the inclusion of climate change in the establishment of the center is significant. She notes that climate change has a tremendous potential to be destabilizing —from thawing permafrost that damages military installations to growing food insecurity to the melting of land-based ice that weakens the Gulf Stream and contributes to sea level rise. "The establishment of the center is an important step toward coordinating the different partners that we need to be engaging for both traditional and non-traditional security threats, such as climate change." Maddox noted further that it will take time to get the center up and running. "In the meantime, leaders can leverage existing forums, such as the Arctic security roundtable at the Munich Security Conference and the idea for an Arctic Ocean Naval Symposium to increase dialogue and further regional cooperation on shared concerns. We definitely need to have better communication with Russia, because the military risk level has become unacceptably high." For more information or questions about the Wilson Center and the Polar Institute, please contact Marisol Maddox ([email protected]) 35 About the Contributor Marisol Maddox is an Arctic analyst at the Polar Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a non-resident research fellow at the Center for Climate and Security. Her research interests include the security and geopolitical implications of actorless threats such as climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as international collaboration opportunities, with a regional focus on the Arctic. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 36 U.S. Arctic Research Commission Highlights from USARC's Arctic Sustainable Energy Research Conference By: Cheryl Rosa, US Arctic Research Commission Deputy Director On 20–22 April 2021, the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) hosted the ARCTIC SUSTAINABLE ENERGY RESEARCH CONFERENCE: Research and community needs in the context of a global energy transition, a free, threeday, virtual conference focused on sustainable energy and energy efficiency research featuring guest speakers and panelists from Alaska and around the world. Figure 1. Arctic Sustainable Energy Research Conference logo. Image courtesy of USARC. Objectives of the conference included: Investigating links between renewable energy research and climate and energy equity; Discussing changes in policy needed to meet climate goals and community needs; Providing a forum to share the latest information on sustainable energy research in remote, cold climate communities; and Determining sustainable energy research gaps in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. These objectives were met via three days of presentations and panel discussions, including Climate, Energy and Community Needs, Buildings and Infrastructure (Efficiency and Distributed Energy Resources), and Sustainability (Technologies and Integration). 37 Figure 2. A slide from Chris Deschene's presentation: "Native American and Alaska Native community roles in energy development: What is needed to ensure an equitable energy transition?" Chris Deschene, Board Member, National InterTribal Energy Council. Image courtesy of USARC. There was a strong emphasis on "energy equity" and approaches to expand the inclusion and participation of individuals in underserved communities in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and decision making. The first day included several keynote addresses from Indigenous representatives working in the energy sector in both Alaska and the lower-48 states. Key takeaways included: Inequities (social/economic) facing tribes affect how they can respond to climate change and energy crises; Having Indigenous peoples have active and decisive roles in governance/leadership/ownership when it comes to implementing new/renewable energy systems is important to balance energy inequities; Meeting people where they are language-wise is important. Language (like legalese, etc.) can be a barrier to communities making informed decisions, having their voices heard, and decisions being made as they intend them to be made; Many remote areas of Alaska rely heavily on diesel currently, which contributes heavily to energy insecurity; Alaskan energy groups are working to standardize switching to renewable energy in villages to make the process easier and more streamlined. They are also prioritizing creating microgrids and creating and implementing training programs related to renewable energy for those coming from these villages to further minimize costs and involve the communities; and Focusing on community-focused/involved solutions is key to lasting and useful implementation. The two days that followed these keynotes included numerous technical presentations focused on sustainable energy in the Arctic. These presentations are archived for public viewing on the USARC website. Cosponsors of the conference include the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and the Alaska Center for Energy and Power. For more information and to view conference materials and recordings, please visit the conference website at: www.arctic.gov/arctic-sustainable-energy-research-conference (http://www.arctic.gov/arctic-sustainable-energy-researchconference) 38 About the Author Dr. Cheryl Rosa, Deputy Director and Anchorage-based Alaska Director of the United States Arctic Research Commission (USARC), is trained as a wildlife veterinarian and wildlife biologist and has worked with subsistence communities on the North Slope and in the Russian Far East on a wide range of studies involving wildlife health and zoonotic disease, marine mammal stranding response, subsistence food safety, and oil spill/offshore discharge research. She is a member of the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee, as well as numerous other federal and non-federal boards and steering committees. Presently, she is involved in running USARC's Alaska Rural Water and Sanitation Working Group, the Arctic Renewable Energy Working Group, and the Arctic Mental Health Working Group. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 39 International News The International Arctic Science Committee: Supporting Pan-Arctic Research By: Federica Scarpa, IASC Secretariat Communications Manager The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) (https://iasc.info/) is a nongovernmental, international scientific organization, founded in 1990 with a mission of encouraging and facilitating cooperation in all aspects of Arctic research, in all countries engaged in Arctic research, and in all areas of the Arctic region. IASC is a connector—connecting scientists across international, disciplinary, and cultural boundaries and connecting those who do research with those who seek the outcomes of that research. IASC achieves its mission by convening the International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP) (https://icarp.iasc.info/icarp), by organizing annually the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) (https://iasc.info/our-work/assw) by initiating and supporting research initiatives and workshops via its Working Groups (https://iasc.info/ourwork/working-groups), and via its day-to-day work at the Secretariat. IASC has been an Arctic Council Observer since 1998, and it will continue its close scientific cooperation especially via the Arctic Council Working Groups. Figure 1. Research scientists in the field on Svalbard, Norway. Photo courtesy of K. Greń. 40 Arctic Science Summit Week/International Conference on Arctic Research Planning IASC organizes annually the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) to provide opportunities for international coordination, collaboration, and cooperation in all areas of Arctic science. ASSWs are hosted among IASC member countries. In 2021, IASC launched its new ASSW website (https://assw.info/), a unique website for all upcoming ASSWs, with information on past summits and all relevant news. The latest ASSW, hosted by Portugal and held online due to the ongoing pandemic, was an incredible success. There was a total of 1,224 participants, 82 scientific sessions, five invited keynote lectures, and the 2020 and 2021 IASC Medal (https://iasc.info/capacity-building/medal) lectures by Sue Moore and Atsumu Ohmura. The next ASSW will be held in a hybrid format in Tromsø, Norway, from 26 March–1 April 2022, in conjunction with the Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) (https://arcticobservingsummit.org/). The call for ASSW2022 Business and Community Meetings is open now, via the ASSW2022 Community Meeting Application form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFVLFj8MsmKjzBZy7Hs2_F448bGesQG1mahC_18eXEdxaUA/viewform). The deadline for application is 30 September 2021. The International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP) (https://icarp.iasc.info/icarp) is organized every ten years to identify Arctic science priorities for the next decade and identify key scientific questions. As this is a crucial event for Arctic Science, the work on ICARP IV—planned in 2025—has already started. The outcomes of the previous ICARPs have demonstrated that drawing the attention of the world's researchers to critical problems can result in accelerated progress and far greater achievements than would be possible through uncoordinated efforts. IASC is seeking strong engagement by the Arctic Research Community as a whole in planning and executing ICARP. ICARP IV will be a prime vehicle to initiate planning for the next International Polar Year in 2032–33. IASC Working Groups: The Core of IASC Scientific Work The strength of IASC's scientific work is through its five Working Groups (https://iasc.info/our-work/working-groups): Atmosphere (AWG), Cryosphere (CWG), Marine (MWG), Social & Human (SHWG), and Terrestrial (TWG). IASC places great emphasis upon interdisciplinary research, allocating funds for cross-cutting activities (i.e., research projects that involve at least two WGs). Recent examples of a cross-cutting activity involving all WGs are: Indigenous Methodologies in Collaborative Arctic Science (https://iasc.info/our-work/working-groups/cross-cutting-activities/crosscutting-funded-projects/730-indigenous-methodologies-in-collaborative-arctic-science), aimed at discussing Indigenous methodologies in the environmental and social sciences; the Race and Systemic Bias Crosscutting Workshop (https://iasc.info/our-work/working-groups/cross-cutting-activities/cross-cutting-funded-projects/697-race-and-systemicbias-crosscutting-workshop); and AGORA (https://iasc.info/our-work/working-groups/cross-cutting-activities/crosscutting-funded-projects/698-agora-a-collaborative-arctic-research-community-assessment-of-interactions-between-globalchange-drivers-societies-and-subsystems-through-space-and-time), a collaborative Arctic research community assessment of interactions between global change drivers, societies and subsystems through space and time. Discover all IASC activites on the IASC website (https://iasc.info/) or in the IASC Bulletins (https://iasc.info/about/publicationsdocuments/bulletin). 41 Friday, 11 June 2021 – Marcus Barr During late summer/early fall 2021, a formal evaluation of the SIWO, funded by Alaska Sea Grant, will be led by Dr. Nathan Kettle and Amy Hendricks of University of Alaska Fairbanks. The goal of this evaluation is to examine how well SIWO—now in its twelfth season—has served both Bering Strait coastal communities and others who use SIWO information, and where there might be areas for improvement in future seasons. Results of the evaluation will be shared publicly when available. The next SIWO season is anticipated to begin in March or April 2022. Follow SIWO on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/seaiceforwalrus) for more discussion of Bering Strait sea ice, weather, and marine mammals year-round. Thank you to the 2021 SIWO Observers for sharing their observations: Marcus Barr, Native Village of Brevig Mission; Clarence Irrigoo, Jr., Native Village of Gambell; Frank (Boogles) Johnson, Nome Eskimo Community; Curtis Nayokpuk, Native Village of Shishmaref; Marty Eeleengayouq Ozenna, Native Village of Diomede; Robert Tokeinna, Jr., Native Village of Wales; and Aqef Waghiyi, Native Village of Savoonga. Funding for SIWO is provided to ARCUS by the National Science Foundation's Division of Arctic Sciences (PLR1928794). 48 About the Author Lisa is a Project Manager for the Arctic Research Consortium of the US (ARCUS) since 2015. Lisa works on a variety of programs at ARCUS, including the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook, the Arctic Indigenous Scholars Program, The Arctic in the Classroom, and others. Lisa earned BS and MS degrees in Wildlife Science at Oregon State University where she studied seabirds as indicators of climate change on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Her professional interests include the impact of changing climate on ecosystems and communities, equitable inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in science, science communication, and marine ecology. Published by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States • 3535 College Road - Suite 101 • Fairbanks, AK 99709 • [email protected] 49 Arctic Research Consortium of the United States 3535 College Road Suite 101 Fairbanks, AK 99709 USA Phone: 907-474-1600 Fax: 907-474-1604 [email protected]g Editors: Betsy Turner-Bogren and Lisa Sheffield Guy Contributors: H. Ó. Ágústsson, A. E. Budden, W. Cheng, S. Eckert, K. S. Erickson, J. Fahnestock, L. Hamilton, M. B. Jones, J. Lai, K. Latola, C. A. Lloyd, M. Maddox, C. Narveson, E. Eir Oddsdóttir, S. Pfirman, C. Rosa, F. Scarpa, L. Sheffield Guy, M. Steele, B. Turner-Bogren, M. Turrin, J. Warburton, W. Weijer, J. Zhang ARCUS is a nonprofit organization consisting of institutions organized and operated for educational, professional, or scientific purposes. Established by its member institutions in 1988 with the primary mission of strengthening arctic research, ARCUS activities are funded through member dues and contracts and grants with federal and private entities. Witness the Arctic is published periodically by ARCUS. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF. Archived issues of Witness the Arctic are available at: https://www.arcus.org/witness-the-arctic