Arctic
The Artic is a region at the upper most tip
of the Northern Hemisphere. The
Artic includes the area around Greenland,
USSR, Canada and Alaska. Much of the
Artic circle is permanently frozen
ice. The Artic is a pristine environment,
clean and void of human
interference. However as humans move into these areas
and begin to extract
what ever they can be balance can be tipped, resulting in
pollution and
destruction of the environment. Climate. The Artic winters much
longer than
the Summer. In the winter the sun never rises and in the summer it
never
sets. The average temperature for the Artic is zero degrees of
less.
Industry and the Artic. There was once a time when the land of the
Artic Circle
was considered useless and only hospitable to those native to
it. However once
vast quantities of oil and fish had been found there was a
rush of interest in
the land. Fishing in the Artic has occurred for thousands
of years but in recent
years man has been fishing the Artic; in greater
numbers and taking more fish.
Professional fishermen are taking all kinds
of fish as well as whales and seals.
In some areas fishermen have become
so efficient at their job that quotas have
needed to be put on to limit or
stop the capture of certain animals. There are
many mineral deposits within
the Artic Circle. In Russia: nickel, iron ore,
apatite, diamonds, gold, tin,
coal, mica, and tungsten. In Sweden: iron ore. In
Greenland: lead, zinc,
molybdenum and cryolite. Spitsbergen: coal. Canada:
uranium, copper, nickel,
lead, zinc, tungsten and iron ore. The digging out of
minerals would
inevitably disturb the natural habitat as well as the environment
there would
be a great cost to maintain the site. Industry that is designed to
process
various minerals have waste products that would be most unwelcome in
the
Artic. A good example of this is the pollution that has arisen as a
result of
the smelting of metals in the Artic. It is for this reason that
there is very
little industry in the Artic. However Russia, Canada, Greenland
and Iceland have
several small scale manufacturing plants. The largest
industry in the Artic is
oil. The rush began in 1968 when a large oil field
was discovered, there was a
great deal of protest but the development went
ahead. Oil extracted from the
felid makes its way to Port Valdez via a 1300
kilometre pipeline. Although steps
were taken to limit the pipelines affect
on the environment it still disrupts
the migration of caribou. In 1989 the
unthinkable happened and the super tanker
Exxon Valdez ran aground
spilling millions of gallons of crude oil into the
Prince William Sound.
The effects of the slick were devastating. Within a week
workers counted
24000 dead sea birds and 1000 sea otters. The effects of the
slick were felt
throughout the food chain from photoplankton to bears. The Exxon
company
funded the clean up but there was no compensation for the hundreds of
people
that lost their job as a result of the slick. Pollution of the Artic A
large
threat to the Artic is transboundry pollution and bioaccumulation. These
are
both complex subjects but are easily explained. Transboundry pollution is
the
pollution of the Artic from other countries. The ocean currents and
wind
conditions result in large amounts of pollution being deposited in the
Artic. In
winter when the sun is low thick blankets of haze can be seen over
the Artic.
Bioaccumulation is the process where pollutants build up in
the Artic because
they cannot be broken down due to the extreme cold. Once
harsh chemicals find
their way into the food chain they stay there forever,
trapped in the animals
and sediments. A result of increased pollutants in the
atmosphere is the
occurrence of acid rain. Sulphur and Nitrogen dioxides
drift from developed
countries and when they mix with water in the atmosphere
they can produce acid
rain as strong as lemon juice. The acid snow melts in
summer and spring
producing an acid shock that can kill animals and plants
alike. In 1986 the
nuclear reactor in Chernoybl exploded sending a nuclear
cloud into the
atmosphere that among other places contaminated plants and
animals in the Artic
region. Particularly affected were lichens, lichens are
a plant that makes up
the majority of a reindeers' diet. When the reindeers
ate the lichens they
became radioactive and many thousands had to be shot.
Tourism vs conservation.
In the battle between tourism and conservation,
tourism seems to always win.
However in the Artic tourism has so far had
little effect (compared to other
human activity) on the environment. The
scenery and wild life of the Artic are
seen as so special that people pay
thousands of dollars for a small glimpse of
the Artic. It is believed by many
that Artic tourism will spread a general
concern for the environment. There
is no denying that if tourism is not
controlled people will destroy what they
have come to see. Tourism will alway
clash with conservation and it is many
peoples opinion that tourism should be
stoped in the Artic altogether, but if
there is money to be made someone will be
there to provide the service.
Conclusion. Human's have had a great deal of
impact on the Artic environment.
Mining, tourism bioaccumulation and
transboundry pollution mean that this
land is a great threat. Tourism is the
latest threat with huge potential for
damage. The Artic is one of the few
unspoilt wilderness areas in the world
and must be conserved.