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This paper outlines the methodological approaches to a multi-site Circumpolar case study exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous and remote communities in 7 of 8 Arctic countries. Researchers involved with the project implemented a three-phase multi-site case study to assess the positive and negative societal outcomes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Arctic communities from 2020 to 2023. The goal of the multi-site case study was to identify community-driven models and evidence-based promising practices and recommendations that can help inform cohesive and coordinated public health responses and protocols related to future public health emergencies in the Arctic. Research sites included a minimum of 1 one community each from Canada (Nunavut,) United States of America (Alaska), Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland. The approaches used for our multi-site case study provide a comprehensive, evidence-based account of the complex health challenges facing Arctic communities, offering insights into the effectiveness of interventions, while also privileging Indigenous local knowledge and voices. The mixed method multi-site case study approach enriched the understanding of unique regional health disparities and strengths during the pandemic. These methodological approaches serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and healthcare professionals, informing future strategies and interventions.

Using thresholds of physical climate variables developed from community observations, together with two large-scale datasets, we have produced local indices directly relevant to the impacts of a reduced sea ice cover on Alaska coastal communities. The indices include the number of "false freeze-ups" defined by transient exceedances of ice concentration prior to a corresponding exceedance that persists, "false break-ups", timing of freeze-up and break-up, length of the open water duration, number of days when the winds preclude hunting via boat (wind speed threshold exceedances), the number of wind events conducive to geomorphological work or damage to infrastructure from ocean waves, and the number of these wind events with onand along-shore components promoting water setup along the coastline. We demonstrate how community observations can inform use of large-scale datasets to derive these locally relevant indices. The two primary large-scale datasets are the Historical Sea Ice Atlas for Alaska and the atmospheric output from a regional climate model used to downscale the ERA-Interim atmospheric reanalysis. We illustrate the variability and trends of these indices by application to the rural Alaska communities of Kotzebue, Shishmaref, and Utqiaġgvik (previously Barrow), although the same procedure and metrics can be applied to other coastal communities. Over the 1979-2014 time period, there has been a marked increase in the number of combined false freeze-ups and false break-ups as well as the number of days too windy for hunting via boat for all three communities, especially Utqiaġvik. At Utqiaġvik, there has been an approximate tripling of the number of wind events conducive to coastline erosion from 1979 to 2014. We have also found a delay in freeze-up and earlier break-up, leading to a lengthened open water period for all of the communities examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a speech by Fran Ulmer, the chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, delivered at the periodical's symposium "North to the Future: Opportunities and Change in Alaska's Emerging Frontiers" held at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska, in October 2014. Topics of the speech included the impact of climate change in the State of Alaska, the Arctic Research and Policy Act, and the oil and gas development in Alaska.

The article presents information related to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL). NARL, the only arctic lab of its kind outside the Soviet Arctic, faces an indefinite period of no-research status. Perched on the northernmost tip of Alaska, NARL grew out of the U.S. Navy's realization in 1946 that it knew very little about the arctic environment. It provided 2000ha of land at Point Barrow, Alaska, to the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to set up an arctic lab. But now the Navy recognizes that most of its own research needs can be satisfied using more transient and cheaper facilities than NARL. NARL continues to hang in a limbo from which it cannot escape until the U.S. Congress passes the Alaska lands bill or some unforeseen event keeps the lab open. INSET: Supreme Court Squelches Faculty Unions.

The article offers information on the Arctic Research Laboratory of the U.S. Office of Naval Research in Alaska. It is informed that it is the only laboratory in the U.S. dedicated fully to basic research in the Arctic region. According to the article, biological research has dominated the early years of the institute and that it is still building upon the work done in those days. Information is provided on the individuals who have been associated with the institute along with their designations and their projects. A map of the surrounding area is also presented.

The article offers information on the biological research by the Geological Survey of the U.S. It is informed that most of the work done in the Arctic region by this institution is concerned with vegetation mapping and it is directed towards collecting data for military construction and training in Alaska. Information is provided on the areas where such research has been carried out. Information is also provided on the extensive specimen collection made by the botanists for the institution some which have also been presented to the U.S. National Herbarium. Description of different land formations like pingos, glacial structures that are found in this area are also given.

The article offers information on biological research in the Arctic region by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. It is informed that the earliest initiatives were for soil sampling to test the levels and patterns of radioactive fallout after weapon testing. These efforts have now given way to an ecological research based on the flora and fauna of a particular place to judge the effects of the use of nuclear energy in that area. Information is also provided on the plans for peaceful use of nuclear energy in the Arctic regions of Ogotoruk creek, Alaska to excavate underground soil by controlled explosions.

A calendar of events related to Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine research from March 2010 to December 2014 is presented which includes the 2010 Alaska Weather Symposium in Fairbanks, the 14th Alpine Glaciology Meeting in Milan, Italy and the Workshop on Cold Regions Hydrology in Innsbruck, Austria.

Four episodes when Frederica de Laguna's life and mine intersected are shared here to highlight selected aspects of her character and her contribution to northern studies. These personal events illustrate her intellectual inspiration in my life and provide insight into the much larger influence of her scholarly work on Native peoples of Alaska. Her productivity and scholarly legacy continue to humble--and challenge--us all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Oxcal analysis of a Northern Alaskan radiocarbon database identified demographic trends. • Region-wide erosion, calibration effects, and sampling bias contribute to observed trends. • The overall demographic pattern, however, indicates population growth, decline, and recovery. • Population growth predates intensification of marine resource procurement by 1200 years. • Population growth was a possible driver for late Holocene marine intensification in the Arctic. Our goal is to study the role of demographic change in the development and spread of maritime adaptations in the North American Arctic over the last 6000 years. We compile and analyze a regional radiocarbon database (n = 935) for northern Alaska, using Oxcal to analyze demographic patterns in summed probability distributions. We find that northern Alaskan populations grew significantly over the last 4500 years, although growth was punctuated by three periods of decline from approximately 3700 to 3125 cal BP, 1000 cal BP, and 600 cal BP. We assess possible alternative explanations for the observed demographic patterns (e.g. calibration and taphonomic effects, investigator bias). Region-wide erosion and calibration effects likely contribute to the dearth of radiocarbon dates around 1000 cal BP, and sampling bias may contribute to the post-600 cal BP decline. However, we conclude that the overall pattern reflects regional population growth, decline, and recovery. Population growth predates intensification of marine resource procurement by at least 1200 years; we hypothesize that population growth was a possible driver for late Holocene marine intensification in the Arctic. These findings have further implications for understanding the process of intensification and the development of complexity in coastal hunter-gatherer societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory in Alaska. It is informed that the institute is owned and financed by the U.S. Air Force. According to the article, it is the only U.S. institute devoted to the problems faced by the human body in the extreme conditions of the Arctic region. Information is provided on its campus and the facilities included in it. It is also informed that the facility is divided into four heads, Physiology, Biochemistry, Arctic Medicine and Environmental protection. Details regarding the individual responsibilities of these divisions are also provided.

The article reports on the participation of International Technology & Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) member Petros Katsioloudis along with oceanographer Victoria Hill on a sponsored expidition in northern Alaska to understand the impact of climate change to the Arctic environment.

The article offers information on the Arctic Health Research Center in Alaska. It is informed that the institute was founded by the Public Health Service of the U.S. in 1948 as a result of a special legislation passed in the U.S. Congress to fund research related to health problems in Alaska. Information is provided on the facilities of research available at the institute and on its library. The entomology program has received special mention for its work on insects like mosquitoes and blackflies. It is also informed that the facility extends to work on animal diseases as well.

The article reports on the biological research in the Arctic region undertaken by the National Science Foundation of the U.S. Information is provided on a few research works that are being done along with the institutes training staff for that purpose. It is informed that the Arctic Institute of North America and the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, Alaska are into this field of research. The different ongoing researches include one on the attempts to study the species in the region connecting Alaska with Asia, to study the cyclic fluctuations in the lemming populations and to study the breeding habits of a few species of migratory birds.