Effects of Contaminants in a Changing Arctic

The objective of the course is to give the student knowledge of transport pathways of contaminants from sources at mid-latitudes to the Arctic as well as their uptake and effects in Arctic food webs and on human health. The focus will be on persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals and their atmospheric transport to the Arctic. The course will include an introduction to the characteristics of the Arctic atmosphere, ocean and climate system. It will also contain an introduction to analysis of monitoring data of contaminants obtained from measurement stations in the high Arctic and the processes that control their dynamics in the Arctic and how they can be studied using atmospheric transport, environmental fate, and bioaccumulation models. The course will describe the effects of contaminants on Arctic food chains and wildlife with focus on top predators, geographical and temporal trends, human exposure and how changes in climate and human activities affects these.