On the potential for climate change impacts on marine anthropogenic radioactivity in the Arctic regions.
Current predictions as to the impacts of climate change in general and Arctic climate change in particular are such that a wide range of processes relevant to Arctic contaminants are potentially vulnerable. Of these, radioactive contaminants and the processes that govern their transport and fate may be particularly susceptible to the effects of a changing Arctic climate. This paper explores the potential changes in the physical system of the Arctic climate system as they are deducible from present day knowledge and model projections. As a contribution to a better preparedness regarding Arctic marine contamination with radioactivity we present and discuss how a changing marine physical environment may play a role in altering the current understanding pertaining to behavior of contaminant radionuclides in the marine environment of the Arctic region.
Karcher
Michael
M
O.A.Sys - Ocean Atmosphere Systems GmbH, Schanzenstr. 36, 20357 Hamburg, Germany. michael@oasys-research.de
Harms
Ingo
I
Standring
William J F
WJ
Dowdall
Mark
M
Strand
Per
P
D001110:Arctic Regions; D004777:Environment; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057232:Global Warming; D007053:Ice; D007700:Kinetics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D014872:Water Movements; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
D007053:Ice; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive