The IASC Marine Working Group (MWG) meeting was held on February 19, 2023 (Sun) during ASSW 2023 in a hybrid format at the University of Vienna and online. From Japan, Takashi Kikuchi (JAMSTEC; Vice-chair of the MWG) participated onsite and Michiyo Yamamoto-Kawai (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology) participated online. In addition, Mariko Hatta and Yuanxin Zhang (both JAMSTEC) participated onsite as observers. The number of participants was about 40 onsite and 10 online.

As in previous years, we had reports of the progress of MWG activities and discussed the future plan. Of special note this year was a discussion on the linkage and implementation in the Arctic with the global ocean initiatives, such as the UN Decade for Ocean Science (UNDOS), and the proposal for an Arctic GOOS Regional Alliance (GRA). There are many issues that require coordination with existing activities and funding, and these will continue to be discussed. Note that it is later decided for Kikuchi to join the Arctic GRA task team and contribute to GRA documentation and discussions. The strategic plan of the MWG was also discussed. Based on the report of the workshop held in Copenhagen in November 2022, the MWG will continue to address this issue as well.

In relation to Japanese activities, Dr. Lisa Winberg von Friesen (Denmark), who is a Fellow of the 2023 IASC MWG, mentioned in her presentation that she will be aboard R/V Mirai 2023 Arctic cruise as a successful applicant of the ECS call for the cruise. Researchers from Norway and the U.K. also expressed their appreciation for the fact that they are able to join R/V Mirai 2023 Arctic cruise as a result of the ECS call. The IASC MWG will cover the travel expenses for one ECS to join the cruise, which will be provided to a Ph.D. student who plans to participate.

As for the Chair and Vice-Chair of the MWG, Heidi Kassens (Germany) will continue to serve as Chair, and Kikuchi (Japan) and Karen Frey (USA) will serve as Vice-Chairs. The next MWG meeting will be held in the fall, and the schedule will be decided after further coordination.

The post Report on IASC MWG at ASSW 2023 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

The annual meeting of the Terrestrial Working Group (TWG) of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) was held on 19 February 2023 during the Arctic Science Summit Week 2023 (ASSW 2023). The venue was Vienna, Austria, and online attendance was also permitted. Thus, the meeting was conducted in a hybrid form.

The meeting opened with a review of the agenda, after that representatives from each country gave a presentation on self-introduction with national report. Following these, reports on the activities of six projects funded by the TWG were presented. Among them, the Arctic Critical Zone Observation Network held its first workshop in Pisa, Italy, in January 2023. Eighteen participants gave presentations on the results obtained so far. Afterward, scientific questions were identified out, and the variables to be measured were determined. The Arctic vegetation archive project held a workshop in the form of a hybrid in Vienna, Austria, in February 2023. It was reported that vegetation data is now available in TurboVeg2 (https://www.synbiosys.alterra.nl/turboveg/ ).

The International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP) develops a research plan for the Arctic every 10 years. As its fourth term begins in 2025, we shared our ideas on what kinds of research are important for the period. The importance of the following issues was noted: Improving knowledge at multiple spatial scales of the current state of Arctic terrestrial geosystems and ecosystems; Determining the net effect of the terrestrial and freshwater environmental and biosphere processes that amplify or moderate climate warming; Developing unifying concepts, fundamental theories, and computer models of the interactions among species, interactions between species and their environment, and the biology of life in extreme environments; Estimating past changes in arctic geo- and biodiversity, measuring current change and predicting future changes.

The post Report on IASC TWG at ASSW 2023 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

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• International Seminars on Arctic Governance

The post Lecture Videos of International Seminar “United States Policy in the Arctic and Antarctic and the Future of International Governance in the Polar Regions” first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

On March 15, 2023, the ArCS II International Relations convened the 7th ArCS II International Relations Seminar on “the war in Ukraine, European and Arctic security, and implications for Japan”.

This seminar took the form of a panel discussion. The first panelist, Professor Magnus Petersson, Head of the Department of Economic History and International Relations at Stockholm University, discussed the implications of Putin’s war in Ukraine for European security, touching on such issues as Finland’s and Sweden’s decisions to join NATO. Paal Sigurd Hilde, Associate Professor at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute, examined the implications of the war for Arctic security and governance. He also discussed the impact of the war on world politics, arguing that the composition of the new Cold War between democracies and authoritarian states is becoming clearer. The final panelist, Associate Professor Fujio Ohnishi, discussed the strategic implications of the war for Japan and its Arctic policy. After each of the panelists made initial remarks, a lively and free discussion ensued, moderated by Ohnishi.

The post Report on the 7th ArCS II International Politics Seminar “the war in Ukraine, European and Arctic security, and implications for Japan－A panel discussion” first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

The annual meeting of the Social and Human Working Group (SHWG) of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) was held during the Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) 2023 in Vienna, Austria, on February 19, 2023. Nobuhiro Kishigami (National Museum of Ethnology) attended the hybrid annual conference of the SHWG online to represent Japan. However, poor connection due to technical issues in the hosting organization resulted in a major delay in the starting time of the event, and several discussions were omitted.

The meeting focused on the importance of indigenous participation in social and human research, promoting the decolonization of Arctic research, providing research funding to indigenous peoples and organizations, engaging people who hold indigenous rights in academic research, the importance of the co-production of knowledge through collaboration between scientists and indigenous people, and the training of young researchers.

A discussion on the strategic planning of future Arctic research was also held. Challenges related to the population (COVID-19-related impacts on Arctic communities, infectious disease monitoring, migration), issues related to climate change (food sovereignty and security, factors that determine social and environmental health, changes to the landscape and impacts on communities, community adaptation), challenges related to cooperation in the Arctic (geopolitics and cooperation, political decision-making, comparison of health and social policies and evidence-based policies), issues related to community prosperity (cultural well-being, spiritual wellness, indigenous languages, earth-based observation, and healing), and challenges related to land use and sustainable lifestyles (resource development, land sovereignty, and land use by indigenous peoples) were discussed during the annual SHWG meeting. Other focal points of interdisciplinary research that the SHWG participates in were methods, responsible research practices, innovations in knowledge sharing and diffusion, an interdisciplinary lens and approaches, and capacity building.

Finally, one chairperson and two deputy chairpersons for the next term were selected at this meeting. Dr. Catherine Chambers from Iceland was selected as the new chairperson, and Dr. Barbora Halašková from the Czech Republic and Dr. Ingrid Agnete Medby from the UK were selected as deputy chairs.

The post Report on IASC SHWG at ASSW 2023 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

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Research Program on Arctic Sea Routes will hold a workshop titled “Economic Feasibility and Challenges of Northern Sea Route”. The main target audiences are researchers but graduate students are highly welcome.

Outline of the Workshop

The post Workshop “Economic Feasibility and Challenges of Northern Sea Route” first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

On February 6, 2023, Professor Pami Aalto from the University of Tampere, gave a lecture on the politics of knowledge in black carbon mitigation: policy entrepreneurship by Finland in the Euro-Arctic context and the CCAC in the Asian context at the 5th ArCS II International Politics Seminar.

The problem of black carbon, which means particulate carbon made of combustion processes and is a contributor to global warming, is a major environmental issue in the Arctic region including Finland.

The lecture introduced the results of a content analysis regarding the issue framing of the black carbon mitigation adopted by the Finnish government, the Finnish research and development cluster, and CCAC (Climate Clean Air Coalition: an international policy framework on air pollution and climate change).

The analysis revealed that compared to the other two, CCAC had the tendency to utilize wide frames of the problem in order to appeal to diverse actors including the governments of Asian nations.

In the discussion part, based on the insights drawn from the Finnish case, Prof. Aalto provided his views on what type of issue framing would be effective for further promoting decarbonization in Japan.

The post Report on the 5th ArCS II International Politics Seminar “The politics of knowledge in black carbon mitigation” first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).

*Application closed.

Purpose

As a priority program of the Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II) project, this call for applications invites a wide range of early career researchers from the Arctic and non-Arctic countries who are engaged in Arctic research, and supports their research by employing or accepting them at universities and research institutions in Japan. At the same time, this project aims to revitalize mutual exchange between Arctic researchers in Japan and early career researchers overseas and to strengthen the cooperative system for international joint research.

Activities to be conducted

The International Early Career Researchers will belong to a university or a research institution in Japan and be engaged in Arctic research under the guidance of the Host Researcher. This program is designed to help International Early Career Researchers develop their careers as researchers specializing in Arctic studies and expects them, in the future, to act as a liaison with their Host Institution by having them participate in working-level meetings and research meetings.

*In the second call for application, the minimum length of appointment was changed from “at least 12 months” to “at least 6 months”.

Deadline for the submission of application for the Program

[closed] The application documents must arrive by noon, Monday, May 8, 2023 (Japan standard time)

– The International Early Career Researcher (Candidate) is required to prepare an application form in cooperation with the Host Researcher and submit a letter of consent (by the Candidate) to apply for Call for Application for ArCS II International Early Career Researchers Program; a letter of recommendation (any format); and a copy of the transcript of the doctoral or the certificate of the degree. Or, if the Candidate is a prospective Ph at the time of application, Certificate of enrollment or Documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained is required.
– If the application is selected for this program, the Candidate will be employed or accepted by the Host Institution and will be engaged in joint research with the Host Researcher in Japan. The Candidate is requested to fully discuss his/her employment or other terms and conditions and reach a mutual agreement on them with the Host Researcher and the Host Institution before applying for this program.

*In this call, the application must be filed by the Host Researcher.
*The payment of salaries and expenses including the accommodation expenses will be executed by the Host Institution.

*For the latest information about entering into Japan, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website:
　https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html

Administration in charge of this Program

Arctic Environment Research Center
National Institute of Polar Research
10-3, Midori-Cho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
E-Mail:

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• Priority Subject 1
• Arctic Researchers Networking Program｜1. Capacity Building and Research Promotion

The post [CLOSED] Second Call for Application for ArCS II International Early Career Researchers Program for 2023 first appeared on The Arctic Challenge for Sustainability II (ArCS II).