212 



IiRESENTATlON TO THE SENATE SELECT COMMirreE ON INTELLIGENCE 



SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1992 



RADTQNUCT.TDRS AND POLLUTANTS TN ARCTHC. TFRR ESTRIAL SYSTEMS 



RobenG. White 



Institute of Arctic Biology 



UniversiQr of Alaska Fairbanks 



RdibaQks.AK 99775 



(907)474-7648 



My name is ROBERT GORlX)N WHITE and I am the Acting (bitBrim) Director of 

 dwlastimteof Arctic Biology at die Univcrsi^ of Alaska Fairbanks. By training I am a 

 nutritional-biocbeinist in tiie animal services and more recently a nmntional ecok)|^ 

 waildngwldicadboa,nTOakazcn and moose. I have been working with Dr. Dan 

 HOLLEMAN. who is a ladio-ccologist. fbrow 20 years on die movement of ra<fioacdve 

 cesium in die licfaeiHaiiboa-woIffiaoddiain. We have osed dus knowledge as a tool to 

 study die ecology of catiboa and wolves, for development of xnodds of oedom transport and 

 to make assessments on human exposure throng consunqition of cariboo. We have assisted 

 in die training of sciftntists woddng on tiic effea of Chernobyl in Norway. Measurement of 

 radio-nodide levels in reindeer and caribou can be used to monitcr a large land area so tfaese 

 are iniegcated measures over time and space. 



I would like to focus my presentation on die tenestrial, or land, contqionent of the 

 ecosystem widi added r e fe re n ce to how radio-nndides, and odier pollutants, may move from 

 other sources sodi as rivets, streams, die marine system and die atznospbere to die land-based 

 systems 



RAOIOACnVE AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS TO THE ARCTIC 

 RESULTING FROM PAST SOVIET ACllVri'lHS: 



The first prioriQr should be a reconnaissance inventory and assessment of the nature 

 and extent of poDutants in die Russian North dial could uldmatdy intact Alaska or arcdc 

 systems in general This would involve coBaboradon widi Russians in mapping specific 



