1) Petroleum Development
Petroleum Development is becoming more prominent in the Arctic Circle. The drilling for oil in this region has become so dangerous that large oil spills are calculated yearly. These oil spills damage the permafrost, tundra, and of course the natural habitats of animals and wildlife itself (Chance, 2007).
2) Hydroelectric Development
Hydroelectric Development impacts the landscape, contaminates species in the food web with mercury poisoning, and creates greenhouse gases released into the environment (Rosenberg, Bodaly & Usher, 1995).
3) Mining Development
Mining Development produces the same complications as the above two developments. Mining also impacts the landscape, contaminates the food source for many species, and releases harmful gases into the environment.
4) Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metals
Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metals are showing up on the shores of the arctic circle. Previous centuries included minimal pollutants flowing into the arctic circle and being absorbed by the frost. However, today new harmful chemicals are flowing into the arctic circle. These chemicals, according to the article "Persistent Organic Pollutants in The Arctic", "Pose a risk to air-breathing animals including birds, terrestrial and marine mammals, and humans because of their slow rate of elimination from the lungs. “These low Kow—high Koa chemicals, representing a third of organic chemicals in commercial use, constitute an unidentified class of potentially bioaccumulative substances that require regulatory assessment to prevent possible ecosystem and human health consequences." (Byrne, 2005)
5) Ozone Layer Thinning
Ozone Layer Thinning. The following picture demonstrates where the ozone layer is and what other layers surround our earth.
http://www.cec.org/ods/EN/module01/cec_odspolicy_m01t01p01_e.asp?print=1
Each layer as a very important job. The Stratosphere is the top most layer of Earth and the closest layer to the sun. It is layered in temperature. It contains hotter temperatures closer to the top and colder temperatures closer to the ozone layer ("The importance of,"). The ozone layer is found within and close to the bottom of the stratosphere closest to the troposphere. "The ozone layer filters out much of the sun's ultraviolet light that would be harmful to most forms of life" ("The importance of,"). The troposphere, which is the layer closest to earth, is where the most "weather and the greenhouses effects occur" ("The importance of,").
The picture below shows where the ozone hole will occur
(Welch, 2012)
If an ozone hole were to occur in the arctic many people and species of wildlife would be subjected to harmful UV ray levels. As much as "700+ million people, wildlife and plants " will be subjected to radiation (Welch, 2012).
6) Human Activities Melt Permafrost
Human Activities Melt Permafrost. Human activities include flying over the arctic circle. According to a Washington Post article, "Want to slow Arctic Melting? Stop flying over the North Pole", stated, "One way that humans could slow the melting of the sea ice--by preventing international flights from crossing over the Arctic circle. These cross-polar flights are a surprisingly large source of black carbon pollution in the region. and if those plans diverted course, that could help fend off the day when the Arctic sea-ice collapses for good" (Plumer, 2012).
7) Radionuclides and Nuclear Waste Dumping
Radionuclides and Nuclear Waste Dumping include materials of radioactive and nuclear material being released into the ecosystem. Particularly the dumping of nuclear and radioactive material into our oceans is prominent in the Arctic Circle, particularly around the old Soviet Union. According to the article "Nuclear wastes in the arctic: An analysis of arctic and other regional impacts from soviet nuclear contamination", "The most likely route of human exposure to radionuclides in the seas is through the food chain" (Nuclear wastes in," 1995).
8) Eliminating Major Numbers of Wildlife
Eliminating Major Number of Wildlife includes the endangerment and extinction of many animals in the Arctic Circle. There are at least five species of animals that are endangered in the Alaskan arctic tundra (Wachman). The following list of animals' need your help. Their habitats and food supply are being destroyed by all of the above reasons. If even one of these species of animal goes extinct it will greatly upset the food chain and that might concurrently lead to another elimination of another species. It is all a domino effect.
1) Polar Bears
2) Arctic Fox
3) Arctic Peregrine Falcon
4) Eskimo Curlew
5) Wood Bison
Sources:
Byrne, S.C. (2005). Persistent organic pollutants in the arctic. Retrieved from http://www.akaction.org/Publications/stockholm_Convention_PDFs/POPs_in_the_Arctic_ACAT_May_2009.pdf
Chance, N. (2007, June 20). Sustainability, equity, and environmental protection. Retrieved from http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/NatResources/sustain.html
Layers of the Atmosphere [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.cec.org/ods/EN/module01/cec_odspolicy_m01t01p01_e.asp?print=1
Wachman, M. (n.d.). List of endangered animals in alaska's arctic tundra. Retrieved from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/list-endangered-animals-alaskas-arctic-tundra-61640.html
Nuclear wastes in the arctic: An analysis of arctic and other regional impacts from soviet nuclear contamination. (1995, September). Retrieved from http://ota.fas.org/reports/9504.pdf
Plumer, B. (2012, December 4). Want to slow arctic melting? stop flying over the north pole. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/04/want-to-slow-arctic-melting-stop-flying-over-the-north-pole/
Rosenberg, D. M., Bodaly, R. A., & Usher, P. J. (1995).Environmental and social impacts of large scale hydro- electric development: who is listening?. Retrieved from http://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/public-events/archiv/alter-net/former-ss/2009/working-groups/literature/w-rosenberg.pdf
The importance of the ozone layer. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cec.org/ods/EN/module01/cec_odspolicy_m01t01p01_e.asp?print=1
Welch, C. (2012). The ozone hole. Retrieved from http://www.theozonehole.com/arcticozone.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment