Date

Multiple Resources Available

  1. 2011 Arctic Report Card Update Now Available
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

  2. Call for Contributions
    Northern Notes, Winter 2011
    International Arctic Social Sciences Association

  3. Meeting Report Available
    International Collaboration and Cooperation in Arctic Environmental
    Change Programs
    International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC)


  1. 2011 Arctic Report Card Update Now Available
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

The 2011 update of the web-based Arctic Report Card is now available at:
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/.

The Arctic Report Card is updated annually in October and tracks the
arctic atmosphere, sea ice, biology, ocean, land, and Greenland. It is a
timely source for clear, reliable, and concise environmental information
on the state of the Arctic, relative to historical time series records.

A major conclusion of the 2011 Report is that there are now a sufficient
number of years of observational data to indicate a shift in the Arctic
Ocean system since 2006. Persistent warming and record-setting changes
are occurring throughout the arctic environment with resultant impacts
on arctic ecosystems. Given the projections of continued warming, it is
very likely that these changes will continue in years to come, with
increasing climatic, physical, biological and socio-economic impacts.

The 2011 Arctic Report Card update has a new look and increased scope.
There are 23 essays that describe key environmental indicators
encompassing the arctic atmosphere, sea ice, ocean and land, and the
marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Main points are highlighted on the
Home Page, which includes a video that summarizes the report card.

This year's Arctic Report Card reflects the combined efforts of a record
121 authors from 14 different countries, and the scientific content was
independently peer-reviewed by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment
Programme of the Arctic Council. The intended audience for the report
card is wide, including scientists, students, teachers, decision makers,
and the general public interested in the arctic environment.

To view the 2011 Arctic Report Card update, please go to:
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/.


  1. Call for Contributions
    Northern Notes, Winter 2011
    International Arctic Social Sciences Association

The International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) invites
contributions for the next issue of the Northern Notes newsletter.
Contributions are invited from both members and non-members of the
association on issues of interest to arctic social scientists.
Contributions must be submitted no later than Wednesday, 7 December 2011
to IASSA secretary Cher Mazo (mazo [at] unbc.ca) or to IASSA President, Gail
Fondahl (fondahlg [at] unbc.ca).

Northern Notes is published on the web by the IASSA secretariat twice a
year with a Spring/Summer and a Fall/Winter issue, and is available to
all web users. To view past issues of Northern Notes please go to:
http://iassa.org/news-letter.

Contributions to Northern Notes may include special features on issues
and topics of interest to arctic social scientists; announcements of
meetings, workshops, or conferences; news about upcoming activities;
information about new publications; and announcements of new websites
and links of interest. IASSA invites contributions for the following
standard categories of the Northern Notes newsletter:

- Features: Contributions on issues and research activities of
interest to the     arctic social science community, including new
research, current and   upcoming research activities, and events.
- Departments:
 - Conferences, Workshops, and Meetings
 - Announcements
 - New Publications
 - On the Web
 - Exhibitions
 - News from Members
 - Funding Opportunities

Please send the following details with your article or announcement:

- Name and affiliation of the author
- Book announcements: Complete title, publishing details,
distributor, and ISBN/ISSN number
- Film: Distributor or link, and all release details
- Photos, logos, etc., if applicable

Submission deadline: Wednesday, 7 December 2011.

For further information, please contact:
Cher Mazo
Email: mazo [at] unbc.ca

Gail Fondahl
Email: fondahlg [at] unbc.ca


  1. Meeting Report Available
    International Collaboration and Cooperation in Arctic Environmental
    Change Programs
    International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC)

In spring 2011, the International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) in
partnership with the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH),
ArcticNet, and the International Arctic Research Center, held a meeting
at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that brought together
representatives of diverse arctic organizations from 11 different
nations to discuss the future of collaboration and cooperation in arctic
environmental change research. The final report of that meeting is now
available at http://www.arcticchange.org.

Meeting goals were to:

- Identify mechanisms for improving international cooperation in
arctic environmental change research programs;
- Begin planning for an Arctic Observing Summit; and
- Implementation of the Responding to Change component of the ISAC
Science Program.

Major outcomes from the meeting included:

- A detailed overview of many existing programs and collaborative
agreements among nations and institutions;
- Expansion of the scientific planning process to include new
scientific communities;
- Agreement on the need to continue to pursue and expand
collaborations, avoid duplication of effort and improve coverage of
observation programs;
- Itemization of key questions and issues that need to be addressed
to expand and improve international collaboration in arctic
research;
- Identification of specific actions by ISAC to facilitate
information flow and collection;
- Development of recommendations for activities leading to an Arctic
Observing Summit;
- Agreement on next steps in Arctic Observing Summit planning;
- Identification of diverse stakeholder communities in different
nations; and
- Recommendation for the scope and structure of the first ISAC
Responding to Change workshop.

To download the full report, please go to:
http://www.arcticchange.org.