239 



Even though the atnx)spberic transport pathways firom the Soviet Union to the Arctic Basin are 

 conunonly open in spring, the weather patterns in late April and early May, 1986, carried the 

 material from the accident away from the Arctic... indeed, a very fortunate circumstance for 

 Alaska! 



RECOMMENDATION FOR FORMING A STRATEGIC PLAN 



I should like to compliment the Select Conunittee for conducting an open forum on this subject. 

 This hearing is a good Hrst step! 



There must, first of all, be recognition that the understanding, modeling, monitoring and 

 conversion of toxic materials passing through the environment is an extraordinarily complex issue, 

 involving virtually every branch of human knowledge. The job to be done is complex and must not 

 be triviaUzed. 



Odd Rogne's testimony today spelled out excellent major tasks of science, including 

 documentation, monitoring, study and tracking of accumulation in marine and terrestrial 

 ecosystems and modeling of transport. I urge the adoption of such wide.-range thinking into the 

 planning process. 



Pollution of the arctic atmosphere is a transcontinental problem. By its nature it must involve 

 affected states, especially those circling the Arctic. The governmental cooperative program called 

 Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP, the Fmnish Initiative) is a starting place to 

 help coOTdinate some activities. There are other wganizations with Arctic-wide viewpoints, such as 

 the lASC and the North Atlantic Cooperative Council. The US State Department, in conjunction 

 with its counterpart in the former Soviet Union, under the bilateral agreement might well begin 

 activity to design a strategic plan. 



The peoples of the arctic regions are under possible threat from future accidental releases of 

 radionuclides and, possibly, from continued releases of heavy metal and organic compounds from 

 the former Soviet Union. I would hope that groups like the cinnunpolar council insist that quality 

 science aiKl health programs be implonented on this issue. 



Above all, it needs to be recognized that the Arctic is a very different environment than most people 

 are familiar with. Residence times of materials, in marine and terrestrial ecosystems and in the 

 atmosphere, are generally much longer due to the lack of moisture passing through the system. 

 Paradigms borrowed fnun experiences of radioactive waste treatment at mid-latitude sites are 

 inappropriate for the arctic cooditioos. Atmospheric dispersion models, developed to accomnwdate 

 air poilutioQ abatement id nod larttiidM are irrelevant for the polar conditions. 



We need to ilrwfcip a strategic air dispersion model treating the need to accommodate data entering 

 in neariy real tine in order to develop emergency responses to episodic releases of radioactive 

 material. We need to develop an extensive early warning system to {Hotect human health in the 

 event of an em er g ency. 



There is the need to extend die measuring network to toxic materials, such as pesticides and heavy 

 metal pollutants. Such compouitds already are begiiming to affect the Arctic Basin. The major 

 infliction pathways involve northward-flowing currents of air flowing over central Eurasia. 



The stagnant pond analogy for the arctic atmosphere must be bone in mind. The arctic pollution is 

 the largest documented poUmed area on tt>e planet b may even have climate significance. 



