The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) is organized annually by the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) to provide opportunities for coordination, cooperation and collaboration between the various scientific organizations involved in Arctic research. It was initiated by the IASC in 1999 and has evolved into the most important annual gathering of the Arctic research organization.

The 7th biennial AOS as part of Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2024. The AOS draws a wide range of participants from across the spectrum of Arctic observing – Indigenous experts, operational agency representatives, scientists, and others – from around the world. Much of the summit is organized around discussions led by working groups on particular themes (Regional to global observing, Data sharing, System implementation/SAON ROADS, Observing System Benefits). In addition to plenary and working group sessions, this year we will include additional breakout sessions. 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) a.k.a. “Bird Flu” is an emergent wildlife disease affecting birds, bears, and foxes in Alaska. Andy Ramey and Christina Ahlstrom, research scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center (Anchorage), will present updates on HPAI in Alaska and across the globe. This is party of the Strait Science Series.

For many service members stationed in cold weather climates, it’s their first time exposed to Arctic conditions. For non-rated officers, arctic survival training isn’t necessarily a required course — which is why the 11th Air Force on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson implemented a new curriculum available to Alaska’s airmen. The new Arctic Resiliency Training is a free two-day class held at the installation’s Camp Mad Bull that teaches active-duty personnel how to navigate situations while exposed to freezing temperatures.

In the new Sea-Quester project, the university is investigating shallow water and tidal systems dominated by large algae in Svalbard and Greenland. It is an EU project with ten partners led by the Technical University of Denmark, which the EU is funding with 5.5 million euros for four years. SEA-Quester investigates the carbon cycle in novel polar marine ecosystems that will emerge as a result of climate change. Melting sea ice, changing currents and a warmer ocean are already changing the distribution of species, their behavior and their metabolism.

Earlier this month, a sudden atmospheric warming event caused the Arctic's polar vortex to reverse its trajectory. The swirling ring of cold air is now spinning in the wrong direction, which has triggered a record-breaking "ozone spike" and could impact global weather patterns.

Climate change is messing with time itself. The melting of polar ice due to global warming is affecting Earth’s rotation and could have an impact on precision timekeeping, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

A team from the University of Colorado Boulder won recognition from The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Thursday for their research in the Arctic and collaboration with its Indigenous people. Amid rapid climate and social changes, many Arctic residents are collecting and safeguarding data of critical importance to their communities, including observations of environmental change, Indigenous place names and oral histories and cultural knowledge of elders, according to a release.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and NordForsk, the science funding body of the Nordic Council of Ministers, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Research Cooperation. The MOU provides an overarching framework to encourage collaboration among U.S., Nordic, and Canadian research communities and sets out the principles by which jointly supported activities might be developed.

AWRA's mission is to advance multidisciplinary water resources education, management, and research. The annual conference is an opportunity for collaboration among physical, biological, and social scientists, engineers, and students concerned with water resource research, planning, development, management, and education. The intention is that this will be a hybrid conference. We highly encourage all who can to attend in person.

This event is hosted by Alaska Sea Grant and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus, University of Alaska Fairbanks. The 16th Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference (WAISC) brings together people invested in sharing information important to rural communities in Western Alaska. We do this through Western Alaska knowledge and science. The 2024 conference will highlight needs to maintain strength, health, and subsistence lifestyles while moving forward during rapid transitions within the environment, ecology, and industries of Western Alaska. A conference priority is the continued sharing of knowledge across cultural boundaries.

As the largest Arctic policy and business conference in North America, with partners and convenings worldwide, the Arctic Encounter continues to gather leading voices from around the world. The Arctic Encounter is eager to welcome 1,000+ participants to Alaska for a world-class arts and cultural experience, including policy debates, dialogue with international leaders, business executives, Indigenous peoples, scientists, students, defense leaders, diplomats, policymakers, and more.

Presented by the U.S. Commercial Service Canada, CanArctic Industry Days is set to bring together U.S. exporters from strategic sectors with Canadian Arctic Indigenous groups. The program is designed to foster a bilateral dialogue centered on knowledge sharing, the expansion of economic development opportunities in Canada's Arctic, and the exploration of potential bilateral partnerships within this dynamically evolving and geo-strategic region. Taking place in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and Iqaluit, Nunavut—two strategically chosen locations—this event promises a unique and impactful experience for all U.S. company presenters.

The European Commission and the European External Action Service jointly host the EU Arctic Forum and Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue. The EU Arctic Forum will provide an opportunity to assess recent developments in the Arctic and to discuss challenges ahead. It will look at some of the achievements of the EU Arctic policy in recent years and will continue to provide a strategic outlook for the years to come. The Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue will offer a platform for discussion on Arctic matters affecting Indigenous Peoples.

Launch Alaska hosts this event to celebrate Launch Alaska Portfolio companies and build new connections between the people and projects accelerating the energy transition in Alaska. This event is held the day before the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference and is part of that program. 

Guided by the theme “Transforming Energy Now for the Next 50 Years,” the 2024 Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference will focus on real world examples in Alaska and around the globe demonstrating progress in the energy transition including established renewable sources, advancements in energy storage, and emerging technologies such as green fuels and advanced nuclear power. World-renowned speakers and experts will highlight the agenda, along with breakout tracks, panel discussions, and multiple networking opportunities.

Nordland Research Institute and NORD University host this event. The congress includes high-level plenary sessions, several parallel sessions, network activities, and social and cultural events. Researchers, policymakers, businesses, and students exchange knowledge and connect across the Arctic. IASSA and UArctic will also hold their General Assemblies.

The 12^th International Conference on Permafrost will consider “Integrating Perspectives of Permafrost Thaw, Change, and Adaptation.” The conference will address the most recent developments and stimulate engaging technical and scientific discussions among academics, professionals, contractors, suppliers, and students. The impacts of climate change and economic development have significantly changed the Arctic, in recent decades, resulting in a wealth of research initiatives and challenging engineering projects. Event partners include the Canadian Permafrost Association, IPA, and Yukon University.

In lead up to its 35th anniversary in 2025, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is coordinating a multi-year planning process for the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) that will engage Arctic researchers, policymakers, residents, and stakeholders from around the world to collegially discuss the state of Arctic science, the place the Arctic occupies in global affairs and systems, to consider the most urgent knowledge gaps and research priorities that lie before us and to explore avenues to address these research needs. This event is hosted by a consortium of US institutions, including the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Northern Iowa, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska Pacific University. ICARP I, II, and III focused the attention of the world’s researchers toward the value of strategic international coordination in accelerating progress in addressing critical challenges. ICARP IV will build upon this concept by striving to achieve consensus and build collaborations among the leading scientific, academic, environmental, Indigenous and political organizations currently concerned with Arctic issues.