Pollution in the Arctic Ocean: An overview of multiple pressures and implications for ecosystem services

Abstract

The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented change. Observations and models demonstrate significant perturbations to the physical and biological systems. Arctic species and ecosystems, particularly in the marine environment, are subject to a wide range of pressures from human activities, including exposure to a complex mixture of pollutants, climate change and fishing activity. These pressures affect the ecosystem services that the Arctic provides. Current international policies are attempting to support sustainable exploitation of Arctic resources with a view to balancing human wellbeing and environmental protection. However, assessments of the potential combined impacts of human activities are limited by data, particularly related to pollutants, a limited understanding of physical and biological processes, and single policies that are limited to ecosystem-level actions. This manuscript considers how, when combined, a suite of existing tools can be used to assess the impacts of pollutants in combination with other anthropogenic pressures on Arctic ecosystems, and on the services that these ecosystems provide. Recommendations are made for the advancement of targeted Arctic research to inform environmental practices and regulatory decisions.

Estimating the Economic Values of Restricted Monoculture Eucalyptus Plantations: A Choice Modeling Approach

“…The ecosystem of the Eucalyptus hotspot highlands of northwestern Ethiopia is highly disturbed due to the undergoing dramatic land use changes due to human activity. The study is in line with the finding of Townhill et al [ 29 ] who reported the burden on the Arctic species and the ecosystem resulting from human activity. Absence of land policy initiatives that work for proper land use and limited management options have contributed to the unprecedented expansion of areas of monoculture Eucalyptus plantations and ecological deterioration.…”

“…He found that annual mean precipitation was a key determinant of suitable habitat for ungulate species. Townhill et al [ 29 ] also indicated that pressure on the Arctic species and the ecosystem was a result of human activities.…”

Exploring multiple stressor effects with Ecopath, Ecosim, and Ecospace: Research designs, modeling techniques, and future directions

“…Second, integrating modeled environmental changes and their consequences for ecosystem services is a key challenge (Townhill et al, 2021). Only 3% of studies reported indicators of ecosystem services other than direct resource extraction such as fishing, and these indicators were often simple proxies.…”

A changing Arctic Ocean

“…They propose the case for adopting an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) in this region as part of a strategy to manage the impacts of climate change on high trophic levels. Townhill et al (2022) propose an integrated approach to better manage risks and reduce impacts to Arctic socioecological systems and promote sustainable use and conservation of Arctic resources. They use an example of pollutant exposure from maritime traffic in the Arctic to show that it is important to also consider the scale of changes from local, to regional and to an ecosystem scale.…”