Pollution Facts Time it takes Eur. pollutants to reach Arctic 10 to 20 days Tot. Arctic Sulphate Emissions 4 million tons a year Main Source of Arctic Haze Mid-latitude fossil fuel emissions Heavy metals found in high conc. in Arctic Mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium PCB concen-trations found in adult Inuits Up to 7 times above avg Residence of deep water contaminants Up to 300 years Did you know? The concentrations of sulfur dioxide around the nickel-copper smelters on the Kola Peninsula are comparable to heavily polluted areas in central Europe. Arctic haze was first observed in the mid-1950s, when US airplane pilots saw a strange, discolored haze on the horizon thick enough to obscure visibility. Measurements on eagles, sea otters and Steller sea lions in Alaska have shown elevated levels of the banned pesticide DDT. The radioactive cloud from the Chernobyl explosion of 1986 was carried by winds to the Baltic states, then to Scandinavia, and the Russian Arctic.

Pollution in the Arctic

Pollution in the Arctic region has become an increasingly serious issue. The harsh living conditions and unique adaptations of Arctic plants and animals have made them especially vulnerable to contaminants in their environment. Many animals are being negatively impacted by increasing levels of a wide range of pollutants. Organic toxins, industrial emissions, heavy metals, and even radioactive material and are steadily accumulating in animal tissues, soils, and water. Animals high in the food chain, such as marine mammals, including polar bears, birds of prey, and some fish species are known to contain contaminant levels which exceed international thresholds.

Most of these contaminants do not originate in the Arctic, but instead are transported through atmospheric, oceanic, and land-based pathways. Unique geographical and climate characteristics make the Arctic an effective reservoir or 'sink' for a variety of pollutants from around the globe.

The Arctic Ocean sits in an enclosed basin, which means any contaminants deposited there tend to persist. Contaminants are also transported to the Arctic via large rivers that can move material from polluted areas farther south. Major river systems (particularly in Russia) have their upstream basins in heavily developed areas with industries, urban centers, and intensive agriculture. Ice forming in the shelf seas can pick up contaminants from the coastal shelves and release them in the biologically productive Arctic seas. Arctic haze compounds originating in Eurasia are carried high in the atmosphere to the Arctic. Snow, rime ice, rain, and dry deposition cleanse the air and contaminate the surfaces on which they land. The contaminants often end up in meltwater that feeds both rivers and the ocean surface layer. Locally, mines, metal processing facilities, factories, oil and gas drilling, waste dumps, and settlements can add to the load. Food chains concentrate contaminants in Arctic plants and animals, many of which are subsequently consumed by Arctic peoples.

Although the processes governing the transport and concentration of pollutants into the Arctic region are fairly well understood, addressing the problem is another matter. Arctic nations are having to take a hard look at economic policies and considerable research is aimed at finding effective solutions. To be sure, immediate action is required in order to lessen future impacts on the fragile Arctic environment.