The University of Maine 2019 Arctic Seminars

This event was a follow-up to the March 2018 NSF Convergence NNA "Preparing for a Northwest Passage: a Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic." The goal of this meeting is to explore activities and next steps for the New England Arctic Network, responding to links between Arctic change and North America’s East Coast with a particular focus on the North Atlantic, New England, and the Gulf of Maine.

 Workshop Report  (Executive Summary)     

"Preparing for a Northwest Passage: A Workshop on the Role of New England in Navigating the New Arctic"  paired two of NSF's 10 Big Ideas: Navigating the New Arctic and Growing Convergence Research at NSF.  During this event, participants assessed economic, environmental, and social impacts of Arctic change on New England and established convergence research initiatives to prepare for, adapt to, and respond to these effects. Shipping routes through an ice-free Northwest Passage in combination with modifications to ocean circulation and regional climate patterns linked to Arctic ice melt will affect trade, fisheries, tourism, coastal ecology, air and water quality, animal migration, and demographics not only in the Arctic but also in lower latitude coastal regions such as New England. With profound changes on the horizon, this is a critical opportunity for New England to prepare for uncertain yet inevitable economic and environmental impacts of Arctic change.  (Click here for more)