Editor’s Note

 It seems that every week I receive a notification about a new conference, workshop, or meeting that will be trying to define the knowledge gaps and research needs for some aspect of the Arctic. It might be some particular biological aspect, social science initiative, atmospheric chemistry concern, or issue related to permafrost. The common theme in all of these meetings is that the interest in the Arctic is growing. Being a cold regions engineer by profession, I find that quite enjoyable. If you’re reading this note, then you, too, are most likely one of the few in the engineering profession that have always found cold, snow, ice, and frost (and the problems that they present) as fascinating subjects.

So why all the interest in the Arctic all of the sudden? Maybe it is because we’ve been hearing about climate change for the past $15\text{years}$ or more—arguments on if it is really occurring, by how much, whose model is the best, or what needs to be considered to improve the models. Is it that we’ve suddenly decided that the debates are over and action to address the impacts of climate change must be taken? Could it be the increased incidence of weird happenings, such as open water leads near Shishmaref in the Bering Sea in February, increased incidence of ice jams along the Yukon River, or ships actually transiting the Northwest Passage in nearly ice-free waters? It is clear that in September 2007, the Arctic ice cover extent was the smallest it had ever been in recorded history. There was a little rebound in size for the 2008 minimum and by the time you are reading this, we’ll all be talking about the 2009 minimum. There has also been an increase in activity in the Arctic. The United States Coast Guard conducted some limited scoping operations in Barrow and Prudhoe Bay in the summer of 2008 to see what would be required to have a presence in the Arctic. They will be staffing a seasonal base in Nome in summer 2009. In August 2007 Russia planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole. While no one believes that this simple event justifies claims of territory, it does bring more of a focus to the complicated rules of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The United States ratification of UNCLOS may be closer now as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated that it is one of her priorities. Reduced ice in the Arctic means increased shipping opportunities but also increased potential for shipping disasters.

So as you head to a workshop or conference on climate change or some aspect of the Arctic, remember back to the time when the ASCE Technical Council on Cold Regions Engineering (TCCRE) was one of the few organizations who considered cold and ice. With the heightened interest in the Arctic, there are plenty of opportunities for discussions on climate change impacts and engineering solutions. I’m headed to a workshop next week and will chair a workshop in July. TCCRE continues its conference series with the ASCE 14th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering held in Duluth, Minnesota in late August 2009. While the conference may be a recent memory by the time you read this, the proceedings will endure the test of time, joining past conference proceedings still available for sale at www.asce.org.