Developing Arctic Environmental Monitoring

Countries with land areas situated north of the Arctic Circle coordinate their efforts to conserve Arctic biodiversity in CAFF*. Four expert advisory groups are committed to work out a monitoring plan for terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems. Professor Willem Goedkoop, along with Professor Joseph Culp of University of New Brunswick, Canada, are heading the expert group on freshwater.

´My job is to assure that we make good progress. This means for example to arrange and lead meetings by telephone with all members of the expert group. It’s doable despite the large time differences between for instance Canada and Russia, ´ says Professor Willem Goedkoop.

Threats

The mission is to work out a plan which describes threats against freshwater ecosystems and measures needed to be taken. Two major challenges are facing the Arctic environment - climate change and increased exploitation of natural resources.

´Glaciers and permafrost are melting. This will partly facilitate the extraction of minerals, gas and oil in these areas. Today Arctic waters are clear with a low content of organic carbon. A warmer climate with increased vegetation on land may bring out more plant produced carbon into the waters and make them brown. Increased human activity will also increase pollution and eutrophication in the Arctic, ´says Professor Willem Goedkoop.

Observed changes

An important part of the expert advisory groups´ work is to agree on how to best assess changes in the environment. Since the late 1980s there are data available from the monitoring of ten Arctic lakes in Sweden. Professor Willem Goedkoop emphasizes the value of the data today to be able to follow environmental changes.

´We can for instance see how the total content of phosphorus is decreasing in Swedish lakes, including our Arctic lakes. It’s something of a mystery why, but we see the same thing happening in both Finland and Canada. Moreover, the sulphur content is increasing, primarily in the high altitude lakes. It’s probably a result of sulfide minerals in exposed glacier clays, which have become oxidised during transport to the lakes, ´says Professor Willem Goedkoop.

*CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) is the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council and its mandate is to address the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, and to communicate its findings to the governments and residents of the Arctic, helping to promote practices which ensure the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources.