T1-8 Contaminants in polar physical and biological environment, humans and climate influence

The Polar Regions receive contaminants, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury and radionuclides, from far-away sources.  Many of these pollutants have no local sources and/or were never used in the Arctic or the Antarctic but are detected at levels high enough to risk the health of the environment and humans.  In this session, we will explore the current status of contaminants; their transport pathways; reaction, degradation and multimedia partitioning processes; fate, trends and impact on the polar environment, biota and humans; and how current and predicted changes in climate would affect contaminant distribution and trends. This session welcomes studies on all aspect of contaminants in the Arctic and Antarctic atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, terrestrial and marine biota, and humans.  Evaluations on the effects of a changing climate on polar contaminants are welcomed.  Presentations are not limited to IPY activities but all research studies conducted within the timeframe of IPY, namely 2007-2009, and should include observations from field, laboratory and modeling studies.