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Testimony delivered at the hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on 

 Radioactive and other Environmental Threats to the Arctic resulting from past Soviet 

 activities, Saturday, August 15, 1992, Fairbanks, Alaska. Vera Alexander. 



I am here speaking in my capacity as an arctic scientist. I hold the positions of 

 Professor, and Director of the Institute of Marine Science and Dean of the School of 

 Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The School has 56 

 faculty with expertise in areas ranging from marine microbiology, toxicology, seafood 

 safety, marine mammals, and oceanography, to name just a few, and has 30 years of 

 experience addressing arctic and Alaskan problems relating to the marine environment 

 and its resources. This testimony in large part reflects the thoughts and knowledge of 

 many of these colleagues. 



The pollution in the Arctic can be contrasted with the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It is 

 similar in that we sense that there is a major problem, but lack information and 

 understanding of all details. It is much less spectacular, since it is the result of many 

 individual pollution events over a period of decades, rather than a single catastrophic 

 accident. On the other hand, because of the number and geographic distribution of the 

 potential pollutant releases, its effects are likely to be much more widespread and it will 

 also be much more long lasting because of the nature of the pollutants. The problem 

 could persist through decades, centuries and even longer. 



I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address the question of research needs in 

 addressing potential hazards from radionuclide waste entering the arctic seas. Although at 

 first it may seem reasonable to believe that the enormous dilution which occurs when 

 substances are mixed into sea water could alleviate any impacts, it is by no means safe to 

 assume that this is the case. A contraindication is the ability of biological systems to 

 accumulate substances, and the ability of oceanographic processes to channel and 

 transport them. Therefore, it is very important that we develop an understanding of what 

 processes are active, and to understand the sources and distribution of the materials. For 

 example, sedimentation processes can result in the transport of contaminants into the 

 sediments, impacting the biota within them. Water flow over the bottom can further 

 move the toxic materials into the deeper ocean basins. Biological accumulation can 

 concentrate the pollutants. For example, phytoplankton have a huge capacity for 

 accumulating large quantities of elements from sea water in a relatively short time, and 

 this largely accounts for the effective passage of radionuclides and other toxins to higher 



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