Abstract |
These scientific papers were presented at the Symposium, which was convened in October 1993 in Reykjav EDk, Iceland. (1) It was desinged to be interdisciplinary, forcing scientists from varied academic backgrounds to participate in sessions focused on germane but unfamiliar disciplines and (2) a serious effort was made to involve practicing arctic scientists from the former Soviet Union, whose arctic holdings represents over 65% of the arctic landmass. Arctic airborne contaminants, represented by a broad suite of substances, are known to be transported great distances from their sites of origin, often crossing national and ecological boundaries, where they are deposited and potentially incorporated into ecological systems. The Arctic environment presents an ideal situation in which to study global change. This is true particularly with respect to airborne contaminants. Many regions of the Arctic are thousands of kilometers from significant emission sources, yet it is clear that ecosystems in many of these distant locations are exposed to airborne contaminants. The relatively simple food web structure and low biodiversity (especially with regard to inland systems) combine to offer an excellent investigative environment. |