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Henry P Huntington - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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marine mammal harvests and other interactions with humans
2008Co-Authors: Grete K Hovelsrud, Meghan Mckenna, Henry P HuntingtonAbstract:The Arctic is currently undergoing rapid social and environmental changes, and while the peoples of the north have a long history of adapting, the current changes in climate pose unprecedented challenges to the marine mammal-human interactions in the Arctic Regions. Arctic marine mammals have been and remain an important resource for many of the indigenous and nonindigenous people of the north. Changes in climate are likely to bring about profound changes to the environment in which these animals live and subsequently to the hunting practices and livelihoods of the people who hunt them. Climate change will lead to reduction in the sea ice extent and thickness and will likely increase shipping through the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage and oil and gas activities in Arctic areas previously inaccessible. Such activities will lead to more frequent interactions between humans and marine mammals. These activities may also change the distribution of marine mammals, affecting the hunters. This paper has three parts. First, an overview of marine mammal harvesting activities in the different circumpolar Regions provides a snapshot of current practices and conditions. Second, case studies of selected Arctic Regions, indigenous groups, and species provide insight into the manner in which climate change is already impacting marine mammal harvesting activities in the Arctic. Third, we describe how climate change is likely to affect shipping and oil and gas exploration and production activities in the Arctic and describe the possible implications of these changes for the marine mammal populations. We conclude that many of the consequences of climate change are likely to be negative for marine mammal hunters and for marine mammals. Lack of adequate baseline data, however, makes it difficult to identify specific causal mechanisms and thus to develop appropriate conservation measures. Nonetheless, the future of Arctic marine mammals and human uses of them depends on addressing this challenge successfully.
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evidence and implications of recent climate change in northern alaska and other Arctic Regions
2005Co-Authors: Larry D Hinzman, Neil D Bettez, Robert W Bolton, Stuart F Chapin, Mark B Dyurgerov, Chris L Fastie, Brad Griffith, Robert D Hollister, Allen Hope, Henry P HuntingtonAbstract:The Arctic climate is changing. Permafrost is warming, hydrological processes are chang- ing and biological and social systems are also evolving in response to these changing conditions. Knowing how the structure and function of Arctic terrestrial ecosystems are responding to recent and persistent climate change is paramount to understanding the future state of the Earth system and how humans will need to adapt. Our holistic review presents a broad array of evidence that illustrates con- vincingly; the Arctic is undergoing a system-wide response to an altered climatic state. New extreme and seasonal surface climatic conditions are being experienced, a range of biophysical states and pro- cesses influenced by the threshold and phase change of freezing point are being altered, hydrological and biogeochemical cycles are shifting, and more regularly human sub-systems are being affected. Importantly, the patterns, magnitude and mechanisms of change have sometimes been unpredictable or difficult to isolate due to compounding factors. In almost every discipline represented, we show
Alan J Parkinson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the international polar year 2007 2008 an opportunity to focus on infectious diseases in Arctic Regions
2008Co-Authors: Alan J ParkinsonAbstract:On 3 occasions over the past 125 years, scientists from around the world have worked together to organize scientific and exploration activities in polar Regions (www.ipy.org). The first International Polar Year (IPY) in 1881–1884 marked the first major coordinated international scientific initiative to collect standardized meteorological and geophysical data in polar Regions. Fifteen expeditions led by 12 nations amassed a large amount of data, but the scientific value was diminished by disjointed publication efforts and lack of long-term institutional commitment; lessons were learned and corrected in subsequent polar years. The second IPY began in 1932. Forty-four nations led expeditions in the Arctic and AntArctic, resulting in greater understanding of the aurora, magnetism, and meteorology. Air and marine navigation, radio operations, and weather forecasting were greatly improved as a result. The third IPY, in 1957–58, was renamed the International Geophysical Year and capitalized on technologic advances developed during World War II. Technologic and scientific momentum was redirected toward research, particularly to studies of the upper atmosphere, a legacy that continues to the present day. Notable achievements included launching the first satellite, measurement of atmospheric greenhouse gases, delineating the system of mid-ocean ridges, and confirming the theory of plate tectonics. The current 4th IPY covers the period March 2007 to March 2009, although it is officially designated IPY 2007–2008. It was established by the International Council for Science, the National Academy of Sciences and World Meteorological Organization. This period of focused scientific research promises to “... further our understanding of the physical and social process in Polar Regions, examine their globally-connected role in the climate system and establish research infrastructure for the future, and serve to attract and develop a new generation of scientists and engineers with the versatility to tackle complex global issues” (www.ipy.org). The 2007–2008 IPY also features human health as a research theme for the first time and thus presents an opportunity to do the following: 1) increase global awareness and visibility of health concerns of Arctic peoples, 2) foster human health research, 3) promote health protection strategies, and 4) ultimately improve the health and well being of Arctic peoples (www.Arctichealth.org/ahhi). The Arctic is unique in many respects. It has a sparse population, scattered over a very large geographic area; climate and latitude marked by seasonal extremes of temperature and daylight; and a spirited history of cross-border cooperation on issues of concern to Arctic peoples. The Arctic is home to ≈4 million people; approximately one tenth (350,000) are of indigenous ancestry (1). Many live in remote, isolated communities and are, as depicted by Fred Machetanz on the cover of this issue, still dependent on a traditional subsistence way of life that has little economic infrastructure. Health concerns of Arctic peoples include the remaining health disparities that exist between indigenous and nonindigenous segments of the population as well as the potential impact of a changing Arctic environment, characterized by rapid economic change and modernization, environmental pollution, alterations in the traditional subsistence food supply, and climate change (2). Life expectancy in Arctic populations has greatly improved since the last IPY. For example, in 1950, the life expectancy for Alaska Natives, the indigenous people of Alaska, was 47 years at birth compared with 66 years for the general US population. By 2000, the life expectancy for Alaska Natives was 69.5 years, a gain of >20 years. Reductions in deaths from infectious diseases for Alaska Natives have been especially dramatic. In 1950, 47% of deaths among Alaska Natives were due to infections, as compared with only 3% for non-Native Alaskans. By 1990, infectious diseases caused only 1.2% of Alaska Native deaths, very similar to the 1% seen for non-Native Alaskans. Much of this improvement can be attributed to improved living conditions, provision of safe water and sewage disposal, implementation of vaccination programs, training of community-based health providers, and an integrated healthcare delivery system that provides improved access to better quality healthcare (3). Despite improvements in these health indicators of Arctic residents, life expectancy is shorter and infant mortality rates are higher among indigenous Arctic residents in the US Arctic, northern Canada, and Greenland when compared with those of nonindigenous residents of Arctic countries. For example, life expectancy of Alaska Natives still lags behind that of the general US population, which was 76.5 years in 2000. Similarly, indigenous residents of the US Arctic, northern Canada, and Greenland have higher mortality rates from injury and suicide and as well as higher hospitalization rates for infants with pneumonia, meningitis, and respiratory infections (4–6). Some infectious diseases are linked to cultural practices of the indigenous population, such as botulism from ingesting improperly prepared traditionally fermented foods (7) and trichinosis from consuming meats from land and marine mammals (L.N. Moller, unpub. data). Many of these infectious disease health disparities can be eliminated through the focused application of existing public health strategies. Many communities that were once isolated are now linked to major cities by air transportation and are only an airplane ride away from more densely populated urban centers. Consequently, these communities are now vulnerable to the importation of new and emerging infectious diseases (such as influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS] or SARS-like infectious diseases and antimicrobial drug–resistant pathogens such as multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and tuberculosis). The changing climate is already affecting Arctic communities. It is increasingly apparent that the most vulnerable will be those living a traditional subsistence lifestyle in remote communities; they are already facing health or economic challenges. The melting permafrost, flooding, and storm surges are progressively destroying village sanitation and drinking water infrastructures of many Arctic communities, paving the way for outbreaks of food- and water-borne diseases and respiratory infections (8). In addition, climate change may drive increased dissemination of zoonotic pathogens in water- and food-borne pathways (Giardia, Cryposporidium, Toxoplasma, Trichinella, and Echinococcus species), posing a direct threat to human health in communities that rely on wildlife as a source of food. Temperature and humidity markedly affect the distribution, density, and behavior of many arthropod vectors and may increase the incidence and expand the northern range of many vector-borne diseases such as West Nile virus (8). Specific stages of the life cycles of many helminths and arthropods may be greatly influenced by temperature (9). For example, small changes in temperature can substantially alter the transmission of lung worms and muscle worms pathogenic to ungulates (caribou, muskoxen, thinhorn sheep, and moose). In other parts of the world, the convergence of population dynamics, environmental factors, and animal reservoirs has resulted in dramatic outbreaks of apparently new infectious diseases that constitute a considerable threat to global human health (most recently, SARS and avian influenza). The full impact of climate change on these host-parasite interactions, animal health population dynamics, and human health is unknown, but the known effects of climate change on these systems underscores the need for close monitoring. In recognition of IPY 2007–2008, this issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases highlights infectious disease challenges faced by residents of Arctic Regions. The IPY is a unique opportunity to increase awareness and visibility of infectious disease concerns of Arctic peoples. It can serve to reinvigorate cross-border collaborative infectious disease research networks that will focus on eliminating remaining health disparities caused by infectious diseases in these populations (www.inchr.org). Finally, the IPY can increase focus on development of sustainable international surveillance networks across the Arctic for monitoring infectious diseases of concern and evaluating the effectiveness of current intervention strategies (10). The establishment of these networks will be essential for detecting the emergence of climate-sensitive infectious diseases in both human and wildlife populations and the design of effective interventions aimed at reducing risk and eliminating disease (11,12).
Yang Zhao - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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coupled thermal model of wellbore and permafrost in Arctic Regions
2017Co-Authors: Xuerui Wang, Zhiyuan Wang, Xuejing Deng, Baojiang Sun, Yang ZhaoAbstract:Abstract During drilling operations in the Arctic permafrost region, drilling mud with a higher temperature flowing in the wellbore can lead to thawing of the permafrost. Unpredictable thawing of the permafrost results in severe settling of the wellhead. In addition, the wellbore and permafrost interact as a result of the permafrost thaw. At present, researches on heat and mass transfer in permafrost around the wellbore are very limited. The traditional thermal models for wellbore and formation cannot actual simulate the temperature fields without considering the effect of permafrost thaw. In this regard, a coupled thermal model of the wellbore and permafrost is established considering the latent heat of fusion, water migration, and the change in thermal parameters. In order to reveal the interactions between wellbore and permafrost in Arctic permafrost Regions, comparisons between the new model and traditional model are made through a series of numerical simulations. The temperature fields and water content are thoroughly analyzed through a case study. In addition, numerical simulations are carried out to evaluate the effect of cement thermal conductivity on the wellhead stability. The conclusions and suggestions in this paper can provide safety guidance for oil and gas exploration in Arctic Regions.
Xuerui Wang - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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coupled thermal model of wellbore and permafrost in Arctic Regions
2017Co-Authors: Xuerui Wang, Zhiyuan Wang, Xuejing Deng, Baojiang Sun, Yang ZhaoAbstract:Abstract During drilling operations in the Arctic permafrost region, drilling mud with a higher temperature flowing in the wellbore can lead to thawing of the permafrost. Unpredictable thawing of the permafrost results in severe settling of the wellhead. In addition, the wellbore and permafrost interact as a result of the permafrost thaw. At present, researches on heat and mass transfer in permafrost around the wellbore are very limited. The traditional thermal models for wellbore and formation cannot actual simulate the temperature fields without considering the effect of permafrost thaw. In this regard, a coupled thermal model of the wellbore and permafrost is established considering the latent heat of fusion, water migration, and the change in thermal parameters. In order to reveal the interactions between wellbore and permafrost in Arctic permafrost Regions, comparisons between the new model and traditional model are made through a series of numerical simulations. The temperature fields and water content are thoroughly analyzed through a case study. In addition, numerical simulations are carried out to evaluate the effect of cement thermal conductivity on the wellhead stability. The conclusions and suggestions in this paper can provide safety guidance for oil and gas exploration in Arctic Regions.
Elena Efimova - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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is there Arctic resource curse evidence from the russian Arctic Regions
2020Co-Authors: Daria Gritsenko, Elena EfimovaAbstract:The ongoing interest in the Arctic and its immense natural wealth calls for better understanding the effects of resource development on the local Arctic economies. The idea that natural resources might be an economic curse rather than a blessing has been debated in the literature for the last 30 years. This paper contributes to study of resource-based development in the Arctic by exploring how the resource curse thesis can be interpreted at the level of an extractive region. We operationalize these interpretations for seven Regions included into Russia's Arctic Zone using statistical indicators. Our investigation does not support the resource curse thesis in application to the Russian Arctic Regions, but indicates several economic vulnerabilities across the Regions. We conclude that the Regions vary in the patterns of their socio-economic development, yet, we cannot attribute the differences to resource-based economy alone.