Welcome to the October 2025 NERC Arctic Office Bulletin. If you have an event or news that you would like us to promote and share with the wider community, please let us know. We’re always glad to hear from you. If you haven’t received this Bulletin direct, you can sign up to our mailing list on the website’s home page. For all previous bulletins, please visit the Arctic Office bulletins page.
New Report – UK Arctic Ocean and Coastal Research for IPY 5
In June 2025, The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) Southampton hosted a workshop on the contribution of UK Arctic Ocean science to the International Polar Year 32/33, bringing together individuals from more than 30 HEIs, government agencies and NGOs from across the UK.
The purpose of this workshop was for the UK Ocean Science community to have the opportunity to discuss and then publish a report outlining the priority Arctic research questions the community would like to address during the run up to, throughout and beyond the International Polar Year 32/33. Additionally, the workshop looked to identify what unique strengths and technologies the UK has to help fill these knowledge gaps. The report, UK Arctic Ocean and Coastal Research for IPY 5, is now available for download and will be presented at the upcoming Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, later this week.
Arctic Circle Assembly 2025
The UK Arctic science community will be strongly represented at the upcoming Assembly, with a wide range of contributions including plenaries, sessions, breakout events, and an exhibition stand. Thanks to the generous support of FCDO, we’re delighted to have been able to fund six early career researchers to attend and actively participate in the programme. If you’re planning to be there, please let the Arctic Office know (arctic@bas.ac.uk) or feel free to visit us at the stand. We’d love to see you there! We’ve also compiled a list of sessions either organised by UK-based representatives or featuring UK-based speakers and moderators. You can find it here: https://www.arctic.ac.uk/news/uk-and-the-arctic-circle-assembly-2025/
5th International Polar Year – National involvement, International Co-ordination Office & official Endorsement process
It will be a busy week for the IPY, seeing the launch of the guidelines for national involvement; the opening of the call for hosts for the International Co-ordination Office; and further information on timetable for the start of the endorsement process, which is likely to begin early in 2026. Further information will be available from the middle of this week on www.ipy5.info. A reminder in the meantime that the UK’s National IPY Committee is the UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership.
REMINDER: Arctic Frontiers – 2-5 February 2026, Tromsø – travel bursaries
Would you like to participate in the Arctic Frontiers conference? This is a great opportunity to meet a broad range of researchers, policy makers and business leaders. There will be strong representation from UK-based participants. We have some limited funding for early career researchers to attend. Please see the Arctic Office website for further details. Deadline for applications: 31 October 2025.
COP30 Side Event: Cryosphere Tipping Points: Glaciers and Ice Sheets and Sea-level Rise: From Andes to Amazonia
This event will aim to increase visibility of Arctic science conducted in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders and draw attention of policy makers to the most pressing issues the Arctic is facing today.
Scheduled: Fri, 14 Nov 2025, 15:00-16:30
Room: Side Event Room 4
Thematic categories: Mitigation, including response measures, NAPs / NDCs
For further information, please contact Ms. Vera Kuklina, The George Washington University
REMINDER: IASC Working Groups – new representatives needed
We have six vacancies for UK-based researchers to join the IASC Working Groups and represent the UK’s Arctic science capacities, interests and priorities. This is a great opportunity to shape the activities of the Working Groups, contribute your skills and connect with international researchers.
The Working Groups will be increasingly influential in the planning for the International Polar Year 2032-33. There are places available within each of the Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human (maternity cover) and Terrestrial Working Groups. Each term is for four years, with the option for an extension. Representatives will be expected to participate actively in the Working Groups, including by attending the annual meetings during the annual Arctic Science Summit Week, and link back to the wider research community in the UK.
Applications from the whole breadth of the research community are welcome. Further application details available here: https://www.arctic.ac.uk/news/call-for-united-kingdom-representatives-international-arctic-science-committee-working-groups/ and information on the Working Groups here: https://iasc.info/our-work/working-groups
Deadline for applications – to arctic@bas.ac.uk – by 28 November 2025. Please contact henry.burgess@bas.ac.uk if you would like to discuss further.
Call for IASC Cross-Cutting and Working Group Proposals 2026
The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is now accepting proposals for consideration for IASC funding in 2026 until 5 January 2026 at 13:00 GMT.
The funding is provided by the five IASC Working Groups (WGs) (Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Marine, Social & Human, Terrestrial). It is aimed at encouraging and supporting science-led international programmes by offering opportunities for planning and coordination, and by facilitating communication and access to facilities.
Proposals can be submitted for:
- Cross-cutting Projects (relevant for two or more IASC Working Groups); or
- WG-specific Projects (relevant for only one IASC Working Group)
Detailed information for each project type, the evaluation criteria used and how to apply is available on the IASC website.
Expert Workshop: Navigating Arctic Futures – Adaptive Governance for Resilient Ecosystems and Communities
Join this expert workshop (online, 30 October 2025, 15:00–17:00 CET) to exchange on how adaptive governance can respond to rapid climate-induced changes in the Arctic. The event will bring together experts to discuss flexible, science-based approaches, with case insights from Svalbard and the YESSS project (https://yesss.science/). Registration is open until 24 October 2025. You can register here: https://www.forms.ecologic.eu/arctic-futures
Further information: Fenya Kroos: fenja.kroos@ecologic.eu
Blog – NERC Arctic Research Station
Earlier in the year Abigail Waring, a PhD Candidate from the National Centre for Earth Observation and the University of Leicester was working at the NERC Arctic Research Station in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. She and her colleagues Darren Ghent and Jasdeep Anand were setting up a validation instrument as part of a wider global initiative to increase the accuracy of satellite-based temperature measurements. This was Abigail’s first time in the Arctic and her blog is a wonderfully readable and inspiring account of her short time at the Station. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to come and work at the Station for the first time, read on here: https://www.nceo.ac.uk/news-media/arctic-adventures-satellite-science-in-the-northernmost-town-on-earth/
Upcoming events
Arctic Circle Assembly 2025, 16 – 18 October 2025, Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Reykjavik, Iceland
Svalbard Science Conference 2025, 28 – 29 October, Oslo, Norway
Greenland Science Week, 7 – 14 November 2025, Nuuk, Greenland
Arctic Futures Symposium, 2-3 December, Brussels, Belgium
ArcticNet, 15 – 18 December 2025, Calgary, Canada
Arctic Frontiers, 2 – 5 February 2026, Tromsø, Norway
Arctic Circle Forum, 3-4 March 2026, Rome, Italy
Arctic Science Summit Week, 25 March – 1 April 2026