The Arctic occupies an area in high latitudes, the boundary of which is the Arctic Circle. The fragile ecosystem of the region is negatively affected by natural factors and human activities. This article lists specific environmental problems in the Arctic desert zone and the entire region, including the Arctic Ocean with seas, coasts and islands.
Ecological problems of the Arctic
The natural and geographical features of the region are associated with its position in high latitudes and the predominance of the aquatic ecosystem. In 1991, governments of countries with territories beyond the Arctic Circle adopted the Arctic Environment Protection Strategy. After 5 years, the Declaration was signed in Ottawa and the Arctic Council was created . The main objectives of his work are related to ensuring the sustainable development of the polar region. The current UN environmental program, namely UNEP, identified the main environmental issues:
- pollution of the Arctic seas with oil products;
- climate warming leading to melting polar ice;
- increased fishing and other seafood;
- changes in the habitat of organisms in the Arctic;
- declining populations of polar animals;
- intensive shipping.
Changing of the climate
On the map, the zone of Arctic deserts now occupies small areas on the coast of Greenland, Eurasia, North America, archipelagos and islands of the Arctic Ocean. Researchers argue that the average long-term air temperature beyond the Arctic Circle is growing faster than in other regions. This has already led to a reduction in the area of the natural zone, and in the future it may disappear.
The climate is getting warmer, on the map the zone of Arctic deserts is everywhere replaced by the tundra. This threatens the extinction of many species of flora and fauna adapted to existing temperature indicators. The life of indigenous Arctic peoples is also under threat, because the life of the population for centuries has evolved in close interaction with the animal and plant world.
Melting Arctic Snow and Ice
The Russian Hydrometeorological Service over the past 30 years has noted a decrease in the area of ice in the seas in the north. The rate of melting has increased in the last decade of the 20th century. Over the same period of research, a 2-fold reduction in the thickness of the ice cover was revealed. Experts believe that these processes will continue throughout the 21st century. The environmental problems of the seas will be aggravated, for example, in the summer, the water bodies of the Arctic will almost completely begin to free themselves from ice. Previously, the rivers of the Arctic Ocean basin will be opened . Changes will affect vast territories hundreds and thousands of kilometers from the coast.
Air and water pollution
The main environmental problems in the zone of Arctic deserts and tundra are associated with the transfer of air masses from industrially developed regions of the north-west of Russia, Central and Northern Europe. There is a precipitation of the so-called acid rains - aqueous solutions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides. Such precipitation negatively affects the entire fragile ecosystem of the Arctic, destroys a thin layer of soil in the tundra, negatively affects the life of aquatic organisms, which are presented in the diagram below.
The main sources of pollution that exacerbate environmental problems in the Arctic desert zone are mining and transportation. The region also has military bases and industrial facilities that process natural raw materials. The ecosystem includes:
- emissions and drains of industrial enterprises and utilities;
- products of extraction and processing of hydrocarbon raw materials (oil, gas);
- heavy metals and other metallurgical waste;
- certain toxic substances (phenol, ammonia and others);
- numerous polluters from coastal military bases;
- waste from ships operating on nuclear fuel.
Forecasts of the environmental situation in the Arctic
Experts believe that in the northern polar region the surrounding world, the zone of Arctic deserts in particular, will continue to be subjected to powerful technogenic pollution. The volume of work on the continental shelf will increase, where the extraction and transportation of natural raw materials is already intensively ongoing. Tens of thousands of oil rigs pump oil in the Arctic, according to environmental organizations, on every second of them leakage of raw materials.
Environmental issues in the arctic desert zone. Biodiversity reduction
The fauna of cold ice open spaces beyond the Arctic Circle is represented by a small number of mammalian species. Reptiles and amphibians are absent in this region. The number of bird species is about 4 times higher than that of mammals. This is explained by the high mobility of birds, their seasonal migrations, their ability to roam long distances in search of food. On islands and the coast, where there are small areas of Arctic deserts, the animal world is represented by mammals and birds. There are walruses, seals, polar bears, arctic foxes, lemmings. The most numerous representatives of waterfowl are ducks, eiders, guillemots, and scallops.
Environmental problems in the zone of Arctic deserts are associated with "bird markets" - unusual bird colonies. They are vulnerable due to shipping, their protection is required, especially during the breeding period.
Nature Protection in the Arctic Circle
Experts say that hunting is causing significant damage to the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic. For example, poachers in the waters belonging to Russia annually produce about 300 individuals of the polar bear.
Other environmental threats in this region that require the continued attention of environmental organizations:
- environmental degradation;
- growing anthropogenic pressure;
- increase in the amount of waste, the problem of their disposal;
- climate change.
Simultaneously with the melting of ice, the permafrost propagation zone is also shrinking, and dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena occur on the rivers belonging to this basin. Indigenous and alien populations beyond the Arctic Circle also suffer from pollution of the region’s vulnerable nature. The environmental problems of the Arctic are not only regional, but also global. In the Russian Federation, Arctic reserves have been created to preserve the wildlife, protect nature from pollution and degradation. The largest of them are: Kandalakshsky, Big Arctic, Wrangel Island, Taimyr.