Living in the High North

[i]Artic frontier 2010 Scientific Conference[/i] 24-29 January 2010 Tromso, Norway [b]Policy section[/b]: Sustainable communities in the Arctic 25–26 January 2010 The well-being and health of people living in the High North depends not only on employment opportunities and adequate public services. It also depends on recognition of cultural characteristics, overall political participation and the utilisation of local knowledge in planning and policy development. The policy section of Arctic Frontiers 2010 will focus on the need for dynamic and adaptive strategies to ensure the sustainability of arctic communities in a changingenvironment. [b]Science section[/b]: 27–29 January 2010 The scientific section of Arctic Frontiers 2010 includes four parallel sessions: Session I: Ice and climate, including paleo climateVariation in ice and snow cover alter the distribution of Earth's heat and water. Evidence of changes brought on by global warming has been documented in both the Arctic and the western Antarctic Peninsula Session II: Sustainable communities in the High Northincluding economy, well-being including health issues, and self-governance. To be sustainable, the arctic communities need stable sources of income, probably through a mix of traditional harvest of natural resources and modern industry and tourism. They also need adequate public services such as health care, education and food safety. The sustainability is often challenged by the regions’ scattered settlement and a constant drainage of young people, lack of infrastructure and long distances between communities and markets. Session III: Marine biodiversity under changeThis session will examine up-to-date analytical results on different aspects of arctic marine biodiversity – from microbes to mammals and sea ice to sea floor. Results from relevant science programs and projects along this theme are presented, with a particular focus on work conducted as part of the Arctic Ocean Diversity project during the International Polar Year. Session IV: Frontiers in E-learning of the High North Visit the official site: http://www.arcticfrontiers.com/