On August 16, U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lindsey Graham visited the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) on a bi-partisan trip to examine the effects of climate change in cold latitudes. During their five-hour visit in Barrow, they talked with community members and observed numerous Arctic research facilities in the area, including the ARM site. In support of the visit, ARM communications staff prepared two posters describing the various ARM sites and ARM research underway at the NSA; these were displayed along with other materials during the group’s lunch break. Their visit ended with a helicopter tour over the area. A few days later, Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other NSF representatives associated with Arctic science issues also visited Barrow.

These visits occurred just a few days before the Swedish research icebreaker, Oden, docked in Barrow to obtain supplies, change crews, and conduct general ship maintenance. More than 100 scientists and crew members came and went through Barrow during the Oden visit. The ARM Site Manager for NSA gave a briefing about ARM to visiting Swedish dignitaries, including the Swedish ambassador to the Arctic Council. This latest series of visits caps a flurry of attention at the NSA in recent months, starting in March a visit by Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, a May visit by reporters from the British Broadcasting Company (see last article in this issue), and an early August visit by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.