The Ecosystem Studies of Sub-Arctic Seas Program (ESSAS) will hold its 10th Annual Science Meeting in Seattle over three days, beginning June 15. Cosponsored by the College of the Environment, and in coordination with the Future of Ice Initiative, the meeting will feature several speakers who will address topics associated with the ecosystem changes being documented or predicted in the Arctic and sub-Arctic, and the effects those are having on people and economies connected to the region.
Many changes are currently taking place in the Arctic, including a rapid decline in summer sea-ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, changes in the timing of ice retreat in the spring, the timing of ice formation in the fall, and the thickness and types of ice. Similar effects have been seen in the sub-Arctic seas as well, and these physical changes to the environment have an effect on the biology, ecology, and communities and economies of the region — like the availability of transportation corridors and subsistence foods, and the opportunity for commercial fishing.
The symposium — held at the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington — is intended as a forum for interdisciplinary researchers and scholars who study these systems to share their work with each other and others interested in the changing ecosystems of the Arctic and sub-Arctic.
Current sessions include:
- Humans, Ice and the Sea in the Sub-Arctic and Arctic Past
- The Role of Sea Ice in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic
- Ecological Role of Tidewater Glaciers
- Social Scientific Investigations of Changing Sea Ice Conditions
If you are interested in attending, please visit the conference webpage to learn more and register.
