Climate Change Influence on Migration
of Contaminants in the Arctic Marine
Environment
Anna Pouch and Agata Zaborska
Abstract The Arctic is particularly vulnerable to environmental changes connected
to climate change. Most of assessments of the climate change impact to the Arctic
environment concentrate on direct effects to the marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
There is little understanding of numerous indirect effects of global change and their
impact on cycle of different compounds e.g. man-made substances. The global
change effects will not always be predictable but may be abrupt. Environmental
changes connected to climate change will influence contaminant transport and
migration within the Arctic marine ecosystem. Main effects of global change will be
visible through changes of large scale contaminant transport pathways e.g. air mass
transport, ice transport, marine currents transport and the changes of in situ environmental conditions e.g. changes of pH, temperature, oxygen content. In this
review article we describe major environmental factors that may influence global
transport of contaminants and migration of contaminants within the arctic ecosystem elements. We also discuss possible further changes in contaminant sources and
distribution within the Arctic related to global changes.
1 Introduction
The Arctic plays an important role for the global climate system but simultaneously
it is extremely vulnerable to changes of environmental conditions. In the Arctic
warming occurs faster than in other parts of the globe and polar regions are predicted to incur some of the most pronounced effects of the climate change (McBean
et al. 2004; Johannessen et al. 2004; IPCC 2013). Satellite data show statistically
A. Pouch Á A. Zaborska (&)
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Powstancow Warszawy 55,
81-712 Sopot, Poland
e-mail: agata@iopan.gda.pl
A. Pouch
Centre for Polar Studies, National Leading Research Centre, Bedzinska 60,
41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015
T. Zielinski et al. (eds.), Impact of Climate Changes on Marine Environments,
GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14283-8_7
75
of Contaminants in the Arctic Marine
Environment
Anna Pouch and Agata Zaborska
Abstract The Arctic is particularly vulnerable to environmental changes connected
to climate change. Most of assessments of the climate change impact to the Arctic
environment concentrate on direct effects to the marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
There is little understanding of numerous indirect effects of global change and their
impact on cycle of different compounds e.g. man-made substances. The global
change effects will not always be predictable but may be abrupt. Environmental
changes connected to climate change will influence contaminant transport and
migration within the Arctic marine ecosystem. Main effects of global change will be
visible through changes of large scale contaminant transport pathways e.g. air mass
transport, ice transport, marine currents transport and the changes of in situ environmental conditions e.g. changes of pH, temperature, oxygen content. In this
review article we describe major environmental factors that may influence global
transport of contaminants and migration of contaminants within the arctic ecosystem elements. We also discuss possible further changes in contaminant sources and
distribution within the Arctic related to global changes.
1 Introduction
The Arctic plays an important role for the global climate system but simultaneously
it is extremely vulnerable to changes of environmental conditions. In the Arctic
warming occurs faster than in other parts of the globe and polar regions are predicted to incur some of the most pronounced effects of the climate change (McBean
et al. 2004; Johannessen et al. 2004; IPCC 2013). Satellite data show statistically
A. Pouch Á A. Zaborska (&)
Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Powstancow Warszawy 55,
81-712 Sopot, Poland
e-mail: agata@iopan.gda.pl
A. Pouch
Centre for Polar Studies, National Leading Research Centre, Bedzinska 60,
41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015
T. Zielinski et al. (eds.), Impact of Climate Changes on Marine Environments,
GeoPlanet: Earth and Planetary Sciences, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14283-8_7
75