For additional information about the ECOARCTIC 2001 expedition and the
applications for participation and research program, please contact:
Tel: +7/812-352-0096
Fax: +7/812-352-2685
Email: priamiks [at] aari.nw.ru (Dr. Sergey Priamikov)
polarf [at] meteo.ru (Dr. Yuri Sychev)
ECOARCTIC 2001
Considering the programs supported by the Arctic Council (AC) it becomes
evident the implementation of the most of them is based on the
assessments consequential directly from the field research data.
Therewith, it becomes obvious, that they can be easily integrated into a
monitoring system. An attempt was made to develop the model of such
system within the program "Arctic Climate Impact Assessment" (ACIA)
aimed to monitoring and assessment of climate variability and increased
UVB radiation to the Arctic ecosystems including the problems concerning
impact on environment, health of indigenous peoples in the Arctic, and
social and economy area.
So, in the framework of the monitoring to the ACIA program the interests
of some AC programs connected with the studying of the following
problems can be integrated:
AMAP
- Health of Indigenous peoples of the Arctic
- Persistent toxic substances (PTS) and food security of the Indigenous
peoples in the Russian North;
CAFF
- Impact of climatic changes on the Arctic ecosystems;
EPPR
- Circumpolar map of natural resources at risk from oil pollution;
PAME
- Protection of the Arctic marine environment and the obviation of its
contamination due to various activities both the land- and sea-based as
well.
Sustainable Development
- Health of children and youth in the Arctic;
- Arctic telemedicine;
- Emerging infections diseases.
Therewith, the significant effect can be reached carrying out the field
research for various disciplines the concurrent possible to provide the
reliable results and joint interpretation of different observation data.
For example, carrying out the quasi-synchronic investigations of health
of people, food, properties of water and air in the river mouth area,
and investigating atmosphere, sea water, ice and other ecosystem
components along the axis of river water extension up to shelf slope,
the significant number of related factors, which are the subjects for
investigations within Arctic Council programs can be retraced. It also
gives the opportunity to assess some integral and trans-border effects
of middle distance, which in the global oceanic circulation can form the
trans-border effects of large, actually, global scale appearing within
longer time period (more than 1000 years) due to the significant
influence of the Arctic Ocean. Therewith, Atlantic Waters (AW), which
can absorb the contaminants of various origin contacting with river
waters of the Barents, Kara, and Laptev seas (probably, Chukchi Sea as
well) in correspondence of their routing. Circulating within the Arctic
Basin AW flow out from the Arctic Basin into the Atlantic Ocean forming
the trans-border effects of global scale.
As it is known, the Russian Arctic, within which some widely known
impact regions are located, plays the significant role in the sphere of
AC interest. It is embodied in the topics of many projects and programs
supported by AC.
In spite of the significant economic difficulties, Russian institutions
perform rather intensive field research in oceanography, recent and
paleoclimate and ecology of the Russian North areas cooperating with
foreign partners.
So, there are the preconditions for joining of the activities to develop
the systematic base to provide the AC strategy in the monitoring and
climate impact assessment and protection of marine environment from
contamination as the activities both land- and sea-based connected with
it.
As the first stage a proposal can be made to perform complex expedition
research of marine and ground components of environment in the western
area of the Russian Arctic aboard the unique Russian polar research
vessel "Akademik Fedorov" and heavy helicopters of MI-8 type based on it
together with the international society within 2001-2003. It gives the
opportunity to perform all complex field research from both land-and
sea-bases to help provide the solution of problems mentioned above.
Particularly, the first expedition among three planned - ECOARCTIC 2001
is planned to be organized, in the framework of which the complex land-
and sea-based research will be performed to implement the project
"Arctic" to the federal purposive program "World Ocean" and the
president program "Children of the North," background investigations of
status of ecosystems in the eastern Barents Sea in the framework of
programs of the Ministry of the Natural Resources, etc.
Depending on the financial support, it is planned to carry out the
research in impact regions associated with river estuaries: Pechora,
Enisey, Ob, and Lena, and to carry out some sections in the Barents,
Kara, and Laptev seas aimed to study AW transformation under influence
of river waters on its shelf and slope.
The interested foreign institutions, the specialists of which carry out
the research in the areas specified in the announced program and these
communicating with them, are invited to participate in the "ARCTIC-2001"
expedition.
The applications for participation in the expedition can be mailed to:
ECOARCTIC-2001
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
38, Bering Str.
St. Petersburg 199397 Russia
You may find information about AARI and previous expeditions on their
web site at: http://www.aari.nw.ru.
You may receive additional information about this expedition and the
applications for participation and research program by phone, fax or
email at:
Tel: +7/812-352-0096
Fax: +7/812-352-2685
Email: priamiks [at] aari.nw.ru (Dr. Sergey Priamikov)
polarf [at] meteo.ru (Dr. Yuri Sychev)