Contact: Barbara McGehan FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6/3/97Ozone depletion, ultraviolet radiation, climate change and human-caused pollutants pose a more serious threat to the pristine environment of the Arctic than previously believed, according to a report from the eight-nation Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program.
"The report reveals serious gaps in our present knowledge, which prevent us from making firm predictions on how the Arctic will respond to future changes," said E.C. Weatherhead, editor and lead author of the report's chapter on climate change, ozone and UV radiation.
Weatherhead, a researcher at the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Air Resources Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., suggested that present international resources to study climate change and UV radiation in the Arctic may not be adequate to provide the knowledge needed to preserve the region as we know it today.
"This report reveals serious gaps in our present knowledge, which prevents us from making firm predictions on how the Arctic will respond to future changes," Weatherhead said. She indicated that current international resources to study climate change and UV radiation in the Arctic may not be adequate to provide the knowledge needed to preserve the Arctic as we know it today.
The authors note that in addition to the long-term decline of ozone in the Arctic stratosphere, episodes of very low ozone have been observed. Of particular interest is the identification in the report of two different types of ozone "holes" or areas of decreased ozone concentration, in and near the Arctic. These two types of ozone holes include areas that are small (a few hundred kilometers), which are dynamic and are usually associated with the transport of low ozone air masses from lower latitudes; and larger holes (over a thousand kilometers), which develop within the Arctic vortex and are believed to be caused by several factors, including cold temperatures in combination with human-made ozone- depleting substances. Both types of holes are most common in the spring and seem to be increasing in frequency and severity, although further study of these phenomena needs to be made. The occurrence of these holes in springtime is particularly damaging because ecosystems and humans are more vulnerable to the effects of UV radiation at this time.
According to Weatherhead and her colleagues, the climate of the Arctic can influence the rest of the earth by increasing sea level through glacial melt, and by altering oceanic circulation which is responsible for transporting colder water from the Arctic to lower latitudes. The authors of this chapter also believe that recent increases in surface UV in winter and spring are adversely affecting ecosystems, and human health in the Arctic.
"Eye damage and weakening of the immune system are of particular concern to people living in the Arctic because of the difficulties and cost associated with obtaining medical care," Weatherhead said.
Currently there is no internationally coordinated effort to examine research on UV and climate change in the Arctic. However, the International Arctic Science Committee has proposed a comprehensive, international effort to probe the effects of UV in the Arctic, and two programs to assess the regional effects of climate change.
The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program was established in 1991 to coordinate circumpolar Arctic pollution monitoring and assessment activities as part of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy. During the past five years, many scientific studies have been undertaken to investigate the present and possible future pollution of the Arctic and the consequences for Arctic ecosystems, including human populations. Results of the studies that have contributed to the AMAP assessment of the State of the Arctic Environment are being presented and discussed during AMAP's Symposium on Contaminants in the Arctic that began June 1 in Tromso, Norway and ends June 5.
The AMAP assessment drew from existing documents, publications, and sponsored research. This compendium of information on the Arctic is a unique combination of information from a cross-section of scientific disciplines, including biology, anthropology, medicine, atmospheric chemistry and physics.
The eight circumpolar countries that take part in AMAP include Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, The Federation of Russia, Sweden and the United States.