The third Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)’s Shipping Expert Group (SEG) meeting (co-led by USA and Canada) was held online on 4-5 November 2024. In each of three meetings, over 60 participants joined. The third meeting was to review current activity of eleven projects, discuss the project plan for 2025-2027 including four new projects and summary report to the up-coming PAME plenary meeting on 14-15 November 2024. The current project is as follows:

1) Arctic Shipping Status Reports (ASSR)
2) Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum
3) Arctic Port Reception Facilities Inventory
4) Collaboration with the Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission (ARHC)
5) Interpretation of the Polar Code
6) New Low Sulphur Fuels, Fate, and Behaviour in Cold Water Conditions
7) Systematically Strengthening Observer Engagement in PAME’s Shipping Work
8) Arctic Arrangement for Regional Reception Facilities
9) Underwater Noise in the Arctic: Understanding Impacts and Defining Management Solutions – Phase II
10) Wastewater Discharges from Vessels in the Arctic – A Survey of Current Practices
11) Raising awareness in the Arctic Council of the provisions of the 2012 Cape Town Agreement

Of the above projects, 3), 5), 7), 11) were completed and four new project plans were decided to be proposed to the PAME Plenary Meeting as follows:

1) Arctic Marine Tourism: Mapping Whale Watching in the Arctic
2) The Development of a Regional Reception Facilities Plan
3) Potential Places of Refuge for Vessels in Need of Assistance in the Arctic: An Inventory
4) POLARIS

The post Report on Arctic Council PAME Shipping Expert Group (SEG) Meeting first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

The 2024 Arctic Assembly was held from October 17 to 19 at the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center in Reykjavik, Iceland, and was attended by more than 2,500 participants from 75 countries, with more than 700 speakers making presentations and taking part in panel discussions in more than 250 sessions.

In addition to the traditional plenary and breakout sessions of the Assembly, the Polar Dialogue and Business Forum were planned this year, with a separate venue. The Polar Dialogue also included a session in which government officials from each country were interviewed one by one. Now in its eleventh year, the number of participants and sessions has increased, as has the number of parallel sessions. Furthermore, since multiple buildings were used this year and the Assembly was held in person, participants could only participate in a limited number of sessions. Some panels are expected to deliver recorded video, however this will only be a small part of the total.

I spoke in the following three sessions, of which about five marine researchers from Japan also participated in the Synoptic Arctic Survey session. Also, Japanese speakers attended several panels with ambassadors in charge of the Arctic as well as the science and foreign policy discussion sessions.
1. Responding to Arctic Climatic Changes Impacting Asia: Society and Collaborations
2. Achievements of Japan’s Arctic Cooperation
3. Polar Dialogue, Status of Antarctic
*Session 1 was organized by ArCS II.

In the session 1, the topic of Arctic environmental changes and their impact on Asia, as promoted by ArCS II, was raised. Representatives of polar research institutes in Asia introduced related activities. While answering questions from the audience, the opportunity to discuss issues and future directions was provided. This session was held in response to a proposal from Japan with the understanding and cooperation of the directors of the polar research institutes from China, Korea, and India.

The background of the session was that the rapid warming of the Arctic is affecting the weather and environment of the region and is also having a dramatic impact on Asia (the Far East). In addition, the national science investment and implementation, the results, and future plans were introduced. Japan and Korea introduced the results of research on the outflow of cold air from the Arctic to Asia. Japan introduced the movement in which the results of research on cutoff lows are being used in society through weather forecasting. China reported on the installation of observatory stations and research activities in the Arctic Ocean and land, and India reported that climate change will have an impact on India, where a large population is concentrated, and mentioned that scientific understanding, prediction, and social response are urgent issues. There were questions from the audience about the relationship with the Arctic Council, human resource development, and data sharing. In response to these, the initiatives of the respective countries were introduced. Japan introduced its efforts in the Arctic Council Working Group, human resource development, followed by the state of young participants and the system for data disclosure.

At the end of the Assembly, a summary panel of the Polar Dialogue, which started this time, was held. It was impressive that Miyuki Qiajunnguaq Daorana, who also interacts with Japanese researchers in Greenland, participated in the panel discussion in the plenary as a youth representative and played an active role.

The post Report on The 2024 Arctic Circle Assembly first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

I attended the Executive Committee Meeting of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and discussed IASC activities in 2024 and future IASC activity plans. The members of Executive Committee meeting are:
Henry Burgess, President
João Canario, Vice-President
Matthew Druckenmiller, Vice President
Hiroyuki Enomoto, Vice President
Paula Kankaanpää, Vice President (online)
Gerlis Fugmann, Executive Secretary
Kolbrún Reynisdóttir, Executive Officer
Federica Scarpa, Communications Manager

The agenda is as follows:
– Report from the United States on the preparation status of ICARP IV, the long-term Arctic research plan to be considered at ASSW (Arctic Science Summit Week) in March 2025, and confirmation by the committee
– Update of the concept note for the International Polar Year (IPY) scheduled for 2023-33, and report and exchange of opinions on the preparation status of the steering group
– Confirmation of the schedule for future ASSW. Report on the preparation status for the ASSW hosted by Japan in 2027, and exchange of opinions on candidate locations for hosting the ASSW after 2028
– Report on the selection of Korea as the host city for the Joint IASC-SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research) Conference 2030 scheduled for 2030
– IASC financial report, reports from each IASC WG
– Preparation for future IASC Strategic Planning and activity review
– IASC Communication, including the website and public relations, and consideration of IASC Medal candidates
– Sharing information on activities related to the Arctic Observing Summit (AOS) and the Sustaining Arctic Observing Network (SAON)

The post Report on The IASC Executive Committee first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Board Meeting was held three days from September 25th to September 27th, 2024. It was the first meeting in three years, and Denmark was the chair country. Until now, the meeting has been held in areas where indigenous peoples of the Arctic live, but this time it was held online. The number of participants varied depending on the day, but it was about 55 people.

The topic that took up the most time at this meeting was AAB: Actions for Arctic Biodiversity. AAB had an activity plan formulated for 2013 – 2023, but since CAFF had stopped its activities after 2022, it has not been formulated on an ongoing basis. The actions to be formulated in the future (2025-2035) will take into account the global targets of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework (GBF), a new global goal for biodiversity adopted in December 2022.

The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) gave reports from four groups: terrestrial, marine, freshwater, and coastal. After introducing their activities and results to date and an overview of their current organization, they reported on the delay in activities due to COVID-19. As for plans, they reported that they are working on initiatives to directly collaborate with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and The Group on Earth Observations Network (GEO BON).

As for the joint project with AMAP, “Impacts of Climate Change on Arctic Ecosystems and the Associated Feedbacks,” which began preparations in 2019 and launched a steering committee in 2021, and other ongoing programs and projects, the main focus was on introducing activities to date, and to restart in the future, they confirmed the active members and reported on their policy of revising and proceeding with future activity plans in light of the scientific, political, and social changes that occurred during the suspension of activities.

The post Report on CAFF Board Meeting first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

The Social and Human Working Group (SHWG) of the International Arctic Science Committee meeting (IASC) was held on March 22, 2024 in a hybrid format, including both on-site and online participation. The meeting consisted of an open session (10:30 am to 3:30 pm, open to participants other than SHWG members) and a closed session (4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, open to SHWG members only). The Chair was Catherine Chambers from Iceland, and the Vice-Chairs were Barbora Halašková from the Czech Republic and Ingrid Medby from the UK. I was elected as a member of the SHWG this year and participated from Japan.

In the open discussion, SHWG Fellows introduced their research, SHWG-supported research projects introduced their activities, and SHWG members reported on their activities (volunteer). In the area of SHWG-supported research projects, U.S. elected member Lawrence Hamilton reported on demographic changes in several Alaskan towns and villages from 1990 to 2020, and Dutch elected member Annette Scheepstra described her longtime involvement in research and observation of indigenous peoples, Olga Povoroznyuk from Austria introduced social science research related to the Arctic at the University of Vienna. Hyonkyo Seo from Korea reported on the efforts of the Korea Polar Research Institute in the area of microbiological risk assessment.

In addition, the progress of cooperation with the IASC Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples’ Participation, the progress of ICARP IV (The Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning), and the process leading to the 5th IPY (International Polar Year: 2032-33) were reported. An audience member asked about the input of ICARP IV into the planning process for the 5th IPY, to which the reporter responded that he had little information and that there were still many uncertainties.

In closed session, most of the time was spent on the review of SHWG-supported research projects for 2024. In addition, the Vice-Chair was elected due to the expiration of Barbora Halašková’s term of office. As a result, Monika Szkarłat, a member of the Polish delegation, was elected as the new Vice-Chair.

Finally, I would like to make some brief comments. This was the first time for me to participate in the SHWG meeting, and I was able to understand the basic protocols of the meeting through actual on-site participation. In the review of SHWG-supported research projects, there were many cross-cutting proposals, and only a few proposals in the humanities and social sciences, the main field of the SHWG, were submitted. However, there were various opinions on the extent to which the SHWG should support cross-cutting research, and we felt that this was a difficult issue. While the increase in crosscutting research reflects the recent trend of Arctic research, it is also important for the SHWG to promote research in the humanities and social sciences within the IASC, which is mainly dominated by natural science research, and how to allocate the limited support is an important theme related to the SHWG’s policy. Many committee members agreed that the overall participation of researchers in the humanities and social sciences in the IASC has not been enough. I felt that this would be an issue that needs to be further addressed in the future in terms of what kind of constructive role the SHWG can play as a working group in the current ICARP IV process, the IASC’s 10-year research plan. In the current IASC, where natural science fields predominate, I believe that the SHWG has a big mission to explain the significance of the humanities and social sciences in Arctic research in an easy-to-understand manner to other working groups.

The post Report on IASC SHWG at ASSW 2024 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

IASC Marine Working Group (MWG) Meeting was held on March 22, 2024 during ASSW 2024 in Edinburgh and online.

During the open session, there were reports on the progress of activities supported by the MWG, a self-introduction of Daniela Walch (Canada), a new IASC Fellow for MWG. The Strategic Plan for the future of the MWG activities was also discussed in relation to ICARP IV (The Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning), which will be presented at the next ASSW 2025 in Boulder, Colorado, United States. The following five themes were identified for the MWG’s Strategic Plan: Marine Life, Sea Ice and Stratification, Disturbances, Biogeochemical Cycles, Connectivity and Borealization. Discussion of these themes will be continued.

Of special note is the travel support by MWG for young researchers aboard R/V Mirai 2023 Arctic cruise. During the meeting, co-proposers Drs. Lee Cooper (US) and Takashi Kikuchi, gave an overview of this activity, followed by a presentation by Ms. Eva Lopes, a graduate student from Portugal, on her experience aboard R/V Mirai cruise. Many IASC MWG members welcomed the call for research proposals from young overseas researchers for the R/V Mirai Arctic cruise, and expressed hope for the program’s continuation.

In the closed session, it was decided to hold online meetings on May 15 to develop each research priority for the four Strategic Plan topics discussed in the open session (Sea ice and Stratification, Disturbances, Biogeochemical Cycles, and Connectivity and Borealization), except for Marine Life for which a workshop has already been held and a draft document written. Following these will be the IASC-FOX meeting (early June, UK) and a meeting on the MWG’s Strategic Plan and contribution to ICARP IV (mid-June, Italy). The closed session also included discussions and decisions on the 2024 budget. Additionally, a new Chair and Vice-Chairs were elected, with Anna Heiða Ólafsdóttir (Iceland) appointed as Chair and Laura Ghigliotti (Italy) and Jinyoung Jung (Korea) as Vice-Chairs, replacing Heidi Kassens (Germany, Chair), Takashi Kikuchi (Japan, Vice-chair), and Karen Frey (US, Vice Chair).

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The IASC Terrestrial Working Group meeting was held on March 22, 2024, at the University of Edinburgh, UK. It was a hybrid online and on-site event, with around 40 participants in the open session.

After reviewing the minutes and agenda, there were activity reports from each country. The USA has allocated over USD 100 million in grants to Navigating the New Arctic (NNA), one of the big ideas emphasized by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NNA Community Office mentioned to facilitate interaction between researchers and members of the Arctic community. It is led by the University of Colorado, with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Pacific University as partners. They also mentioned that a recent review of the Arctic Observing Network program would be released soon. It was informed that the Arctic and Taiga (Bonanza Creek) long-term ecological research sites are continuing. The Next Generation Ecosystems Experiment in the Arctic, led by the Department of Energy (DOE), had initiated Phase IV focusing on international collaboration and ‘running the model’ on diverse Arctic ecosystems. The UK is advancing research on the mycorrhizosphere, aiming to understand the effects of warming-induced changes in the mycorrhizosphere on soil carbon stocks. Other reports include research on the impact of Greenland ice sheet melting on water temperatures in surrounding lakes. They also introduced developments to promote research, including the UK-Japan Arctic Research Bursary Scheme, the UK-Greenland Arctic Bursary Scheme, and research schemes in the UK Arctic Council Working Groups.

Next, in anticipation of the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV) and the International Polar Year (IPY), there was a discussion on the research that should be pursued by the Terrestrial Working Group. In previous meetings, the Terrestrial Working Group has listed research topics of importance and made recommendations, but this time it was envisaged that the members of the Terrestrial Working Group would be substantively involved in the research. Therefore, after introducing the research being conducted by the working group members, four research items were identified, and specific topics were discussed for each of them. This discussion is expected to continue in the future, as the meeting was only able to cover presentations from each item.

The post Report on IASC TWG at ASSW 2024 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

Annual meeting of the Cryosphere Working Group (CWG) of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) was held on 22 March 2024 during the Arctic Science Summit Week 2024 (ASSW 2024). The ASSW 2024 was held in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, with hybrid online access (Zoom). At the beginning, a total of about 40 participants including the CWG young fellows and group members from each country were introduced. Dr. Hiroyuki Enomoto (NIPR) attended in person, and Drs. Teruo Aoki (NIPR) and Nozomu Takeuchi (Chiba Univ) attended the meeting by online as the CWG representatives from Japan. Dr. Masahiro Minowa (Hokkaido Univ) was introduced as a new CWG representative of Japan.

Each nation reported major Arctic science research in the past year, which appeared to become significantly active after the COVID-19 pandemic. Updates of ICARP IV preparations were reported by a member. We discussed new CWG science foci and work plans, following to the IASC Strategic Plan 2023-2026. As the revised science foci, past, current, future states of the Arctic cryosphere, Cryosphere hazards and extremes, Cryosphere-biosphere processes, Human impact of the changing cryosphere are proposed and will continue to be discussed. In the meeting, we shared and discussed the annual activities and budgets of CWG in 2023 and 2024, and made decisions of financial supports to the total of 13 proposals of cross-cutting activities and 2 of CWG activities of the IASC. Finally, the new chair and co-chairs of CWG for the next two years were elected in the meeting.

The post Report on IASC CWG at ASSW 2024 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Atmosphere Working Group (AWG) meeting (composed of open and closed sessions) was held both in person (University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK) and online on 22 March 2024. As for participants of the in-person meeting from Japan, Yutaka Tobo (National Institute of Polar Research/AWG Member) and Masakazu Yoshimori (University of Tokyo/AWG Member) attended both the open and closed sessions, and Jun Inoue (National Institute of Polar Research) joined the open session, respectively.

In the open session, each participant gave a self-introduction first, and Gijs de Boer (USA, the IASC AWG Chair) led the meeting and introduced the AWG fellows in 2023 (Rémy Lapere (France)) and 2024 (Patrik Winiger (Switzerland)). The AWG fellows gave presentations for their research interests and described how they would like to contribute to the AWG activities. Then, the PIs of the AWG-related projects in 2023/2024 (12 activities in total) reported their activities. For example, Julia Schmale (Switzerland) reported the activities of the GreenFjord project that has been performed in the Southern Greenland and introduced the participation of international collaborators including the Japan team (Tobo and his colleagues) in the last summer’s field campaign. In the final part of the open session, the Chair and participants discussed the AWG engagement with the Fourth International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP IV). In this part, we reported that Yoshimori and Tobo were involved in the ICARP IV process as members of “Research Priority Team 1: The Role of the Arctic in the Global System” and “Research Priority Team 7: Technology, Infrastructure, Logistics, and Services”, respectively.

In the closed session, the AWG members evaluated the allocation of the AWG-related funding in 2024-2025 (an AWG-Only Proposal and Cross-Cutting Proposals).

The post Report on IASC AWG at ASSW 2024 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

The Albert II Foundation, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) organized the second scientific symposium on polar change “From the Arctic to the Antarctic” on February 22 and 23, 2024 in Monaco. The polar activities were based on the “Polar Initiative” of Prince Albert II of Monaco inheriting the ideas of Albert I of Monaco, who devoted his efforts to ocean research and education and traveled to the oceans around the world, including the polar regions.

The symposium was held with the aim of better understanding the phenomena common to both the North and South Poles, identifying their impact on the entire planet, and proposing appropriate responses.

At the Oceanography Museum, Prince Albert II, former H.E. President of Iceland Grímson, Vice President Jefferson Cardia Simoes from SCAR, President Henry Burgess and other secretariat members from IASC, and Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), British Antarctic Survey (BAS), France, the US, etc. approximately 120 people were participated, including people involved in polar research, WWF, NPOs, the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Sami Council, and journalists.

In his opening speech, Prince Albert II of Monaco emphasized the importance of the polar regions as a precursor to climate change and also spoke about issues that should be addressed jointly internationally, environmental conservation and economic activities. Additionally, a panel discussion and group discussions were held.

The symposium had two themes: developing and collaborating on bipolar initiatives for the next decade and adaptation and mitigation strategies for emerging polar challenges related to the impacts of human activities such as fishing, tourism, and mining. The theme focus possible increased synchronized international efforts over the next decade, the importance of continuing and developing cross-border cooperation, and action-oriented communication on polar research results and their global implications. These themes also lead to the IPY2032/33 and ICARP IV.

In terms of society, economy, and tourism, the interests and issues of the Antarctic and the Arctic are different. In the Arctic, tourism leads to an understanding of local culture and the effectiveness of local economic activities, visits, and contacts were mentioned.

There is a perspective of understanding the culture and issues of indigenous peoples. Meanwhile, the Antarctic group’s discussion brought up overtourism and the need for education and outreach to prevent it.

At the meeting, opinions were exchanged about WEF and AEF (Arctic Economic Council)’s economic activities and involvement in polar regions, as well as the research and educational support activities of multiple foundations.

Early Career Scientists (ECSs) from Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) were invited to the conference, and an award ceremony for the fellowship program for young people’s activities was also held during the meeting.

The post Report on The Polar Symposium 2024 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).