NERC Arctic Office Bulletin – July 2024

19th July 2024

Welcome to the July 2024 NERC Arctic Office Bulletin. If you have an event or news that you would like us to promote and share with the wider community, please let us know. We’re always glad to hear from you. If you haven’t received this Bulletin direct, you can sign up to our mailing list on the website’s home page. For all previous bulletins, please visit the Arctic Office bulletins page.

Bursaries

With thanks to funding received from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) for 2024-2025 and in partnership with colleagues from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) Science and Innovation Teams, we are pleased to announce the full list of awards for the following schemes:

These schemes have been very well received by the community and support over 50 projects from a broad range of disciplines from across the UK, working in partnership with colleagues in Iceland, Japan, Greenland and with the Arctic Council Working Groups. We look forward to reporting on the outcomes in due course.

IASC Working Group Reports from ASSW 2024

The UK’s representatives in the IASC Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social and Human and Terrestrial Working Groups have produced short summaries of the discussions and decisions at this year’s Arctic Science Summit Week which was held in Edinburgh. These short reports are available here. Details of all the UK representatives can be found here.

Representation Opportunity – IASC Marine Working Group

We have the extremely sad but necessary duty to appoint a new representative to the IASC Marine Working Group following Prof. Andy Brierley’s passing earlier this year. The Marine Working Group plays a key role within IASC and each country is able to appoint two representatives who help determine the Group’s priorities, workplan and funding decisions. Terms are usually four years, with a potential extension of another four years where appropriate. Meetings take place several times a year, with the main meeting in-person during the Arctic Science Summit Week. The general expectation is that travel and meeting attendance costs will be met by the representative/employer and you should be based at an institution in the UK. If you are interested in this role please submit your application (two page max. letter and short CV) setting out: what you will bring to the role; your suitability; and how you will use the role to connect to the wider Arctic marine community in the UK, to Henry.Burgess@bas.ac.uk by 15 September 2024. Please contact us if you would like further information or have any questions.

Arctic Science Summit Week 2025

The next Arctic Science Summit Week will be held in Boulder, Colorado (USA) from 20 – 28 March 2025. The theme for ASSW 2025 is “Arctic Research Planning for the Next Decade” as it will include the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) Summit, providing a unique opportunity for participants to contribute toward planning the next decade of Arctic research. The ICARP IV Summit will engage Arctic researchers, Indigenous Peoples, policymakers, and other interested parties from around the world, serving as a crucial milestone for shaping the Fifth International Polar Year in 2032–33.

ASSW 2025 will be hosted as a hybrid event at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Preliminary ASSW 2025 Agenda:

  • 20–24 March 2025:  Business and Community Meetings – call now open here.
  • 25–28 March 2025:  ICARP IV Summit

Important Dates:

Arctic Circle Assembly 2024

The 2024 Arctic Circle Assembly will be held on the 17th to 19th October at the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik Iceland. This is one of the largest annual international gatherings on the Arctic, bringing together key stakeholders from across the Arctic and beyond. Registration is now open and will remain open online until 14th October. After this date, you will only be able to register on site. Please note this is an in person meeting only. There will be UK-led sessions on: UK-Iceland Arctic Science Partnership Scheme; Arctic Council Working Group Scheme; the Canada-Inuit Nunangat United Kingdom Arctic Research Programme and more, together with a UK-focused Arctic marine science booth. Please do let us know if you are planning to be there too.

UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership (UKAAP) – call for new members to join the UKAAP Steering Committee

The United Kingdom Arctic and Antarctic Partnership (UKAAP) was established in 2014 as a community-led initiative to bring together researchers across a full range of disciplines who are interested in the polar regions.  Although not a funding body it is tasked with ensuring that there is a strong and collective voice for polar research and encourages new engagement. This is especially important in the lead up to the 5th International Polar Year 2032-2033. The Partnership is supported by a Steering Committee (SC) which relies on its voluntary membership for all its activity and engagement.  Members generally serve a three-year term, with the option of a second term. There are two meetings a year (either in-person where possible or online using Zoom) and a small number of other ad hoc requests.

A call is now out for applications to appoint new members based in the UK – if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please complete the application form by 30th September 2024. UKAAP SC especially welcome applications from the underrepresented polar research community, including women, people from racial and ethnic minorities in the UK, LGBTQIA+ community and people with a disability. Applications will be reviewed by the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Committee with the aim of informing applicants of the outcome by early October 2024.Applications will be reviewed by the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Committee with the aim of informing applicants of the outcome by early October 2024.

First Arctic science cruise for the SDA – KANG-GLAC Project

On the 19th July, the UK’s RRS Sir David Attenborough began its first science expedition to the Arctic. An interdisciplinary team of 40 scientists and support staff, co-led by Dr Kelly Hogan from BAS and Professor Colm O’Cofaigh from Durham University, will work in south-east Greenland to advance our understanding of the region’s rapidly decaying ice sheet and its impacts on ocean and global climate systems as part of the KANG-GLAC project.  A press release was launched last week with further details about this exciting project and updates will be provided throughout the science cruise which will take six weeks to complete. There will be a science and engagement event with the SDA during a planned port visit to Reykjavik in late August. This will be a fantastic opportunity for invited representatives from Iceland and Greenland to hear first hand about what the SDA has been doing, to think about new partnerships and opportunities.