Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment

Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030929889X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.

Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment

Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030929889X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Get Book Here

Book Description
U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.

The Arctic in the Anthropocene

The Arctic in the Anthropocene PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309301866
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Once ice-bound, difficult to access, and largely ignored by the rest of the world, the Arctic is now front and center in the midst of many important questions facing the world today. Our daily weather, what we eat, and coastal flooding are all interconnected with the future of the Arctic. The year 2012 was an astounding year for Arctic change. The summer sea ice volume smashed previous records, losing approximately 75 percent of its value since 1980 and half of its areal coverage. Multiple records were also broken when 97 percent of Greenland's surface experienced melt conditions in 2012, the largest melt extent in the satellite era. Receding ice caps in Arctic Canada are now exposing land surfaces that have been continuously ice covered for more than 40,000 years. What happens in the Arctic has far-reaching implications around the world. Loss of snow and ice exacerbates climate change and is the largest contributor to expected global sea level rise during the next century. Ten percent of the world's fish catches comes from Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that up to 13 percent of the world's remaining oil reserves are in the Arctic. The geologic history of the Arctic may hold vital clues about massive volcanic eruptions and the consequent release of massive amount of coal fly ash that is thought to have caused mass extinctions in the distant past. How will these changes affect the rest of Earth? What research should we invest in to best understand this previously hidden land, manage impacts of change on Arctic communities, and cooperate with researchers from other nations? The Arctic in the Anthropocene reviews research questions previously identified by Arctic researchers, and then highlights the new questions that have emerged in the wake of and expectation of further rapid Arctic change, as well as new capabilities to address them. This report is meant to guide future directions in U.S. Arctic research so that research is targeted on critical scientific and societal questions and conducted as effectively as possible. The Arctic in the Anthropocene identifies both a disciplinary and a cross-cutting research strategy for the next 10 to 20 years, and evaluates infrastructure needs and collaboration opportunities. The climate, biology, and society in the Arctic are changing in rapid, complex, and interactive ways. Understanding the Arctic system has never been more critical; thus, Arctic research has never been more important. This report will be a resource for institutions, funders, policy makers, and students. Written in an engaging style, The Arctic in the Anthropocene paints a picture of one of the last unknown places on this planet, and communicates the excitement and importance of the discoveries and challenges that lie ahead.

New Frontiers in Environmental Research

New Frontiers in Environmental Research PDF Author: Mark P. Glazer
Publisher: Nova Publishers
ISBN: 9781600211713
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
The environment is considered the surroundings in which an organism operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, humans and their interrelation. It is this environment which is both so valuable, on the one hand, and so endangered on the other. And it is people which are by and large ruining the environment both for themselves and for all other organisms. This book reviews the latest research in this field which is vital for everyone.

The Arctic Climate System

The Arctic Climate System PDF Author: Mark C. Serreze
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139445383
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 413

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Book Description
The Arctic can be viewed as an integrated system, characterised by intimate couplings between its atmosphere, ocean and land, linked in turn to the larger global system. This comprehensive, up-to-date assessment begins with an outline of early Arctic exploration and the growth of modern research. Using an integrated systems approach, subsequent chapters examine the atmospheric heat budget and circulation, the surface energy budget, the hydrologic cycle and interactions between the ocean, atmosphere and sea ice cover. Reviews of recent directions in numerical modelling and the characteristics of past Arctic climates set the stage for detailed discussion of recent climate variability and trends, and projected future states. Throughout, satellite remote sensing data and results from recent major field programs are used to illustrate key processes. The Arctic Climate System provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of the subject for researchers and advanced students in a wide range of disciplines.

The Arctic Climate System

The Arctic Climate System PDF Author: Mark C. Serreze
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 113995248X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
This second edition brings this definitive book up to date with the many advances in our understanding of Arctic climate since the first edition was published in 2005. The book has also been extensively reorganized to weave issues of Arctic change throughout the text, rather than confining them to a single chapter. It is the first to provide an integrated assessment of the Arctic climate system, recognizing that a true understanding of how the Arctic functions lies in appreciating the interactions among its various components. The book begins with a historical perspective, followed by discussion of the basic physical and climatic characteristics of the Arctic. Following a review of past climates (paleoclimates), the book closes with an assessment of the Arctic's uncertain future. Though targeted mainly at advanced students and researchers, this book is accessible to anyone with an interest in the Arctic and a basic understanding of climate science.

Alaska's Changing Arctic

Alaska's Changing Arctic PDF Author: John E. Hobbie
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199360138
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
In this edition of the Long Term Ecological Research Network series, editors John Hobbie and George Kling and 58 co-authors synthesize the findings from the NSF-funded Arctic LTER project based at Toolik Lake, Alaska, a site that has been active since the mid-1970s. The book presents research on the core issues of climate-change science in the treeless arctic region of Alaska. As a whole, it examines both terrestrial and freshwater-aquatic ecosystems, and their three typical habitats: tundra, streams, and lakes. The book provides a history of the Toolik Lake LTER site, and discusses its present condition and future outlook. It features contributions from top scientists from many fields, creating a multidisciplinary survey of the Alaskan arctic ecosystem. Chapter topics include glacial history, climatology, land-water interactions, mercury found in the Alaskan arctic, and the response of these habitats to environmental change. The final chapter predicts the consequences that arctic Alaska faces due to global warming and climate change, and discusses the future ecology of the LTER site in the region. Alaska's Changing Arctic is the definitive scientific survey of the past, present, and future of the ecology of the Alaskan arctic.

Arctic

Arctic PDF Author: Uttam Kumar Sinha
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317517504
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
In May 2013, China, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea (Asia 5) were given status as permanent observers in the Arctic Council. It was a symbolic and significant moment in the history of Arctic affairs. The list of stakeholders in the Arctic has now expanded to include both the Arctic littoral states and the five Asian states. The drivers and policies of these stakeholders on the Arctic vary, but research on climate change, possible changes to the global energy and minerals markets, adherence to international norms like the UNCLOS, and geopolitical considerations are issues of concern. This volume is based on the reviewed, revised and updated versions of papers presented at the roundtable on The Geopolitics of the Arctic: Commerce, Governance and Policy hosted by the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi in September, 2013, in joint co-operation with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI), the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS) and Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).We hope that this book, with some compelling perspectives on a number of challenging issues, will help engage the policy community to identify and explore opportunities for international cooperation in the Arctic. This book was originally published as a special issue of Strategic Analysis.

Mercury in the Environment

Mercury in the Environment PDF Author: Michael S. Bank
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520271637
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
"Mercury deposition and contamination is widespread and well documented, and it continues to be a public-health concern for certain sectors of the global human population in both developed and developing countries. This edited volume focuses on integrating the diverse sciences involved in the process of mercury cycling in the environment--from the atmosphere, through terrestrial and aquatic food webs, and human populations--to develop a comprehensive perspective on this important environmental pollutant. Using a systems-level approach, this book provides recommendations on mercury remediation, risk communication, education, and monitoring. In response to a growing need for understanding the cycling of this ubiquitous pollutant, the science of mercury has grown rapidly, expanding into several interdisciplinary fields and encompassing such disparate academic and scientific disciplines as biogeochemistry, economics, sociology, public health, decision sciences, physics, global change, and mathematics. Only recently have scientists really begun to establish more holistic approaches to studying mercury pollution, giving rise to investigations that have furthered the integration of a multi-tiered approach, especially by using chemistry, biology, and human health sciences collectively. The study of mercury pollution has produced a variety of contributions to domestic and international policies related to the management of mercury in the environment"-- Provided by publisher.

Library and Information Studies for Arctic Social Sciences and Humanities

Library and Information Studies for Arctic Social Sciences and Humanities PDF Author: Spencer Acadia
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429997906
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
Library and Information Studies for Arctic Social Sciences and Humanities serves as a key interdisciplinary title that links the social sciences and humanities with current issues, trends, and projects in library, archival, and information sciences within shared Arctic frameworks and geographies. Including contributions from professionals and academics working across and on the Arctic, the book presents recent research, theoretical inquiry, and applied professional endeavours at academic and public libraries, as well as archives, museums, government institutions, and other organisations. Focusing on efforts that further Arctic knowledge and research, papers present local, regional, and institutional case studies to conceptually and empirically describe real-life research in which the authors are engaged. Topics covered include the complexities of developing and managing multilingual resources; working in geographically isolated areas; curating combinations of local, regional, national, and international content collections; and understanding historical and contemporary colonial-industrial influences in indigenous knowledge. Library and Information Studies for Arctic Social Sciences and Humanities will be essential reading for academics, researchers, and students working the fields of library, archival, and information or data science, as well as those working in the humanities and social sciences more generally. It should also be of great interest to librarians, archivists, curators, and information or data professionals around the globe.

Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic

Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic PDF Author: Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134634854
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
This is the first comprehensive exploration of why human security is relevant to the Arctic and what achieving it can mean, covering the areas of health of the environment, identity of peoples, supply of traditional foods, community health, economic opportunities, and political stability. The traditional definition of security has already been actively employed in the Arctic region for decades, particularly in relation to natural resource sovereignty issues, but how and why should the human aspect be introduced? What can this region teach us about human security in the wider world? The book reviews the potential threats to security, putting them in an analytical framework and indicating a clear path for solutions.Contributions come from natural, social and humanities scientists, hailing from Canada, Russia, Finland and Norway. Environmental Change and Human Security in the Arctic is an essential resource for policy-makers, community groups, researchers and students working in the field of human security, particularly for those in the Arctic regions.