3rd Symposium on the Impacts of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic
on Naval and Maritime Operations
June 9-11, 2009
U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

Attendance to this symposium is open to the public but advance registration is required.
Web registration will open mid-April 2009.
For complete details (registration, agenda, resources, and updates), please go to the Symposium Web Page.

Background
The 100-year historical record from ships and settlements going back to 1900 shows a decline in Arctic ice extent starting about 1950 and falling below pre-1950 minima after about 1975 [Naval Operations in an Ice Free Arctic, 2001]. According to satellite records available since late 1978, an overall downward trend in the extent of Arctic sea ice is present. This trend seems to have been accelerating during the last decade.

This symposium addresses present and future impacts of these rapid changes. In particular, it provides a forum for key agencies to discuss their planned response to the updated Arctic Policy of the U.S. government. This event is a follow-up to the symposia on "Naval Operations in an Ice-free Arctic" (PDF, 818KB) sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), NIC, the Oceanographer of the Navy, and the USARC on April 2001 and on the "Impact of an Ice-Diminishing Arctic on Naval and Maritime Operations" co-sponsored by NIC and USARC in July 2007.

Additional information:
Dr. Pablo Clemente-Colón
Chief Scientist, National Ice Center