Pollution of the Arctic

The great remote region of the Arctic, which even recently has been considered pristine, has during the last few decades become an object of pollution impact from local and distant sources. The major atmospheric, riverine, and marine pathways result in the long-range transport of contaminants into and within the Arctic. Over the last few years, very comprehensive programs were carried out, the major goal of which was to assess the present state of the Arctic environment (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and Canadian Arctic Contaminants in 1997). Recent studies on Arctic estuaries and river–coast interaction have been conducted as a contribution to the global IGBP/LOICZ project. New data from Russian research over the last few decades were also received. All kinds of contaminants were taken into consideration, including artificial radionuclides, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Many localities were found with significant levels of pollution. However, the general conclusion is that, in comparison with most other areas of the world, the Arctic remains a relatively clean environment. Electronic Publication