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PubMed1996

[Physiological aspects of optimization of expedition and work shift schedules in Arctic Regions].

A complex dynamic study covered functional state and capacity for work of crews at oil-drilling rigs in alternate and expedition-alternate conditions in Circumpolar regions of European Russia (the formula of work and rest: 12 x 12/15 + 15). The 15-day period of work was assessed in various seasons. Functional state of the workers was studied by six expeditions (in spring, summer, autumn and 3 in winter). Use of expedition-alternate schedule is less indicated since it leads to great overload of human functional resources and work capacity. If no alternative for expedition-alternate schedule, it should include rational conditions of work and rest for every activity and take into account season and distance from the resident place.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Urgent problems of rational nutrition for the immigrant population in Arctic regions and for the natives of the North].

Metabolic changes in newcomers to the Asiatic North have been revealed during their adaptation to a complex of the climatic and geographic factors of high latitudes. The changes were marked by making the most of lipids and less utilization of carbohydrates in energy supply to the adaptation processes. An important role of proteins in energy supply is discussed with emphasis on the changes in vitamin metabolism. The specificity of metabolic changes during adaptation is not taken into account in the nutrition program of the newcomers. This leads to the development of disadaptation shifts in the body. An important role of nutrition in adaptation of both the newcomers and aborigines of Siberia and North is suggested. The many-century experience gained in the nutrition of aborigines should be regarded in the newcomers' nutrition programs that are recommended to be based on protein-lipid diets.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1998

Psycho-physiological mechanisms of adaptation of rotation personnel in Arctic regions.

Transit workers (240 oil industry workers, aged 19-50) living in the European part of Russia and flying to work in the northern regions of West Siberia (Tyumen district) were observed. Psychological status was determined by the method of Taylor. Biological rhythms, chemical control of ventilation, oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) consumption, body temperature, and hormone-metabolic data were assessed. The analysis of illness for the Nadymgazprom Enterprise was carried out in accordance with the medical charts. One may notice a certain cyclic recurrence of the adaptation process. Thus, the first stage of vigorous rearrangement of the psycho-physiological regulation system is followed by a period of relative stability, the result of initiation of compensatory processes. Compensation mechanisms, however, may become disabled, triggering development of a disadaptive state. Results of these scientific investigations were used to introduce new transit work regimens at Nadymgazprom Enterprise.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1997

Occurrence of otitis media in an arctic region.

The occurrence of otitis media (OM) was examined retrospectively in files at Longyearbyen Hospital, Svalbard, Norway during 1991-1994. Acute OM (AOM) with and without spontaneous drum perforation, secretory OM (SOM) and chronic OM (COM) with and without suppuration were registered, as were patient's sex, age, and climatic conditions. These findings were compared with weather observations obtained from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Tromsø in the same period. Sixty-four percent of the OM patients registered were classified as AOM, 17% having a spontaneous drum perforation. Thirty percent suffered from SOM, whereas 6% had COM. Forty percent of the patients were younger than 6 years. The distribution of OM cases during the year showed a peak during the spring, especially in May. Another minor peak was noted in September. Average daily temperature in the period was -5.6 degrees C, range -14 degrees C to +6 degrees C. Humidity and precipitation were fairly stable throughout the observation period 74% and 240 mm/year, respectively. OM is a common disease at Svalbard and is apparently related to seasonal shifts in temperature.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

[Early signs of disease caused by vibration in miners of the Far North and Arctic region].

Premorbid condition represented by slightly expressed signs caused by vibration was studied in miners of northern mines and showed the absence of clear clinical manifestations in comparison with the vibration disease. Functional studies showed the disordered skin sensors, peripheral hemodynamics and muscles of the disordered skin sensors, peripheral hemodynamics and muscles of the upper limb: decreased distal blood flow rate in the upper limbs, lowered static endurance of the forearm muscles. Statistic and discriminative analysis helped to differ the groups of miners with preclinical and clinical manifestations of vibration disease by means of using the functional parameters.

Altitude↗
PubMed2006

What determines the current presence or absence of permafrost in the Torneträsk region, a sub-arctic landscape in northern Sweden?

In a warming climate, permafrost is likely to be significantly reduced and eventually disappear from the sub-Arctic region. This will affect people at a range of scales, from locally by slumping of buildings and roads, to globally as melting of permafrost will most likely increase the emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane, which will further enhance global warming. In order to predict future changes in permafrost, it is crucial to understand what determines the presence or absence of permafrost under current climate conditions, to assess where permafrost is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and to identify where changes are already occurring. The Torneträsk region of northern sub-Arctic Sweden is one area where changes in permafrost have been recorded and where permafrost could be particularly vulnerable to any future climate changes. This paper therefore reviews the various physical, biological, and anthropogenic parameters that determine the presence or absence of permafrost in the Torneträsk region under current climate conditions, so that we can gain an understanding of its current vulnerability and potential future responses to climate change. A patchy permafrost distribution as found in the Torneträsk region is not random, but a consequence of site-specific factors that control the microclimate and hence the surface and subsurface temperature. It is also a product of past as well as current processes. In sub-Arctic areas such as northern Sweden, it is mainly the physical parameters, e.g., topography, soil type, and climate (in particular snow depth), that determine permafrost distribution. Even though humans have been present in the study area for centuries, their impacts on permafrost distribution can more or less be neglected at the catchment level. Because ongoing climate warming is projected to continue and lead to an increased snow cover, the permafrost in the region will most likely disappear within decades, at least at lower elevations.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Levels and patterns of persistent organochlorines in minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) stocks from the North Atlantic and European Arctic.

Regional variation in PCBs and organochlorine (OC) pesticide concentrations was examined using the blubber of 155 minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sampled in seven regions in the North Atlantic and European Arctic, including western and southeastern Greenland, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and the Barents Sea. The levels and relative proportions of OCs were also used to examine the boundaries for North Atlantic minke whale stocks previously defined by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Concentrations of major OC groups (sigmaPCB, 89.1-22 800 ng/g lipid; sigmaDDT, 65.3-6280 ng/g lipid; sigmaCHL, 33.3-2110 ng/g lipid) generally increased from west to east, while HCH concentrations (sigmaHCH, < 1-497 ng/g lipid) showed the opposite trend. Statistical comparison between six regions using sex-adjusted least squared mean concentrations showed that minke whales from the Barents Sea had significantly higher concentrations of EPCBs than those from the Vestfjorden/Lofoten, the North Sea, and west Svalbard, as well as significantly higher sigmaDDT concentrations compared to west Greenland animals. The differences in concentrations suggest that west and southeast Greenland minkes may represent one group of whales, which are distinct from both the Jan Mayen minkes and those from other IWC defined stocks in northern European waters. Principal components analysis using proportions of 71 PCB congeners and 20 OC pesticides (of total OCs) did not reveal any major differences among groups although minkes from the North Sea were distinguished from those from Greenland waters by higher loadings of more highly chlorinated PCBs and recalcitrant OC pesticides. The general similarity in mean levels of sigmaPCBs, sigmaDDT and sigmaCHL, as well as mean principal components analysis scores, among minkes sampled at Jan Mayen, Svalbard, Vestfjorden/Lofoten, the North Sea and the Barents Sea suggests that the whales are quite mobile and may feed in multiple areas within the northeastern Atlantic.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

Three sibling species within Contracaecum osculatum (Nematoda, Ascaridida, Ascaridoidea) from the Atlantic Arctic-Boreal region: reproductive isolation and host preferences.

Genetic variation within and between population samples from 22 locations of the Atlantic Arctic-Boreal region, including 1657 specimens morphologically assigned to Contracaecum osculatum, was electrophoretically analysed at 17 loci. Highly significant deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found at various loci in several samples, owing to the existence of three distinct gene pools within C. osculatum (sensu lato) from the study area. These gene pools correspond to three biological species (provisionally designated A, B and C), characterized by distinct genotypes at several diagnostic loci. Reproductive isolation between C.osculatum A, B and C is confirmed by the lack of F1, recombinant, or backcross genotypes in sympatric areas, despite the occurrence of multiple infections. Mean heterozygosity per locus is on average 0.11 in species A, 0.10 in B and 0.07 in C. High levels of gene flow were found within each of the three species, the values of Nm (number of migrant individuals) ranging from 3.41 (C. osculatum C) to 5.77 (C. osculatum A). Average Nei's genetic distance is 0.46 between A and B, 0.50 between A and C and 0.77 between B and C. From these values, times of evolutionary divergence from 2 to 4 million years can be estimated. Genetic relationships among populations and species of the C. osculatum complex are illustrated by principal component analysis. The role of both geographical isolation and host preferences in the speciation of C. osculatum (sensu lato) is discussed. A morphological distinction of the three species has not yet been possible (sibling species). However, there is evidence that the name C. osculatum (sensu stricto) should be used for species C, which shows a geographical distribution and definitive host corresponding to the neotype of C. osculatum (sensu stricto). Finally, a comparison is made between the members of the C. osculatum complex from the Atlantic Arctic-Boreal region and those of the Pseudoterranova decipiens complex from the same area, as to: (i) times of evolutionary divergence, (ii) geographical distribution, and (iii) host preferences.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Risks, especially for the eye, emanating from the rise of solar UV-radiation in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

Physical and biological characteristics of solar UV-radiation wavebands A, B, and C are explained and information is provided on UV-levels in particular environments and ocular tissues. The question whether or not the rise in circumpolar UV of the last 20 years or so can be regarded as a threat is briefly addressed and it is concluded that even if no threat to photosynthetic productivity of crops and vegetation exists, there is a danger regarding the status of health of human skin and eyes (in particular the lens). The nature of the UV-induced damage to cornea, lens, and even the retina with its photo-receptive cells and pigment epithelium is assessed and a word of caution is sounded with regard to possible injury-potentiating effects of certain chemicals as seen, for instance, in the recent and alarming rise of cataract in Scottish salmon. Finally, because of the multifaceted effects of UV (e.g. at molecular, cellular, tissue, individual, population, and ecosystem level), a plea is made for a concerted, well-funded, international effort to tackle the many remaining problems at all fronts and from all possible angles.

Antarctic Regions↗
PubMed2003

Measurements of mercury in the near-surface layer of the atmosphere of the Russian Arctic.

A series of measurements of gaseous elemental mercury concentrations in near-surface air of the Russian Arctic Region were carried out from 1994 to 1997. The measurements were conducted in Murmansk at a stationary site in April-May 1994, on a cruise in Motovsky Bay and Kola Bay during May-June 1996, and along the Russian Northern Sea Route in April-May 1997 on board the nuclear icebreaker 'Soviet Union'. Silver absorption was used for trapping of mercury and the mass of mercury was determined by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometery. Detection limits were approximately 0.3 ng/m(3) (+/- error 46%). Sixty samples were selected and analysed. Sample volumes were 2.2 m(3) ashore, and up to 6.6 m(3) over water. The meteorological conditions, including a wind speed and direction, during the sampling period were typical of the spring-summer period of year, and therefore the concentrations of atmospheric mercury are regarded as representative for this season. The mean concentrations of mercury ranged from 2.2 ng/m(3) for Murmansk city, 1.7 ng/m(3) for Kola Bay, 1.6 ng/m(3) for Motovsky Bay, 1.1 ng/m(3) for the eastern part of the Barents Sea and 0.7 ng/m(3) for the western part of the Kara Sea. The levels of mercury in Murmansk, and over Kola and Motovsky Bays were associated with a primary direction of a near-surface wind from the nearest sources of mercury emission located in the Russian North region. These are the non-ferrous metallurgical plants in Nickel in the case of Motovsky Bay and Murmansk garbage-disposal plant, for sampling points in Murmansk and over Kola Bay. These concentrations of mercury, measured in the spring-summer season, in near-surface air of the Russian North, are more than two-fold lower than the concentrations that are typical of continental background regions in western Russia, and are comparable to the concentrations measured in the Arctic regions of other countries.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

Arctic rabies--a review.

Rabies seems to persist throughout most arctic regions, and the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland, is the only part of the Arctic where rabies has not been diagnosed in recent time. The arctic fox is the main host, and the same arctic virus variant seems to infect the arctic fox throughout the range of this species. The epidemiology of rabies seems to have certain common characteristics in arctic regions, but main questions such as the maintenance and spread of the disease remains largely unknown. The virus has spread and initiated new epidemics also in other species such as the red fox and the racoon dog. Large land areas and cold climate complicate the control of the disease, but experimental oral vaccination of arctic foxes has been successful. This article summarises the current knowledge and the typical characteristics of arctic rabies including its distribution and epidemiology.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Peripheral vascular response to local cold stress of tropical men during sojourn in the Arctic cold region.

Peripheral vascular response to local cold stress was studied on 4 groups of volunteers by eliciting cold-induced vasodilatation (CIVD) response during immersion of right hand in cold water (4 degrees C) for 30 min, to examine whether tropical men can get acclimatized to local cold compared to temperate zone people, during Arctic cold exposure. Group A and B (10 each) were drawn from tropical region of India, while Group C and D (6 each) from temperate zone of Russia and natives of Arctic, respectively. Initial study was conducted on control Group A at Delhi. Group B was airlifted to the Arctic (70 degrees N, 38 degrees E), where measurements were done on them during the seventh week of acclimatization, then they were flown back to Delhi and retested. For comparison, study was done at the Arctic on six migrants (Group C) from temperate zone of Russia and 6 natives (Group D) of the Arctic. There was a significant improvement of CIVD response and peripheral blood flow of tropical men due to acclimatization to Arctic environment, which was similar to that of the migrants but lower than the natives. Thus local cold acclimatization is possible even in tropical men as in those of the temperate zone people.

Acclimatization↗
PubMed2006

Regional and species specific bioaccumulation of major and trace elements in Arctic seabirds.

Twenty-five essential and nonessential elements were analyzed in Arctic seabirds to study the influence of phylogeny, tissue, Arctic region, and diet on avian element accumulation and to identify co-occurrence among metals. Muscle and liver concentrations were positively correlated, generally being higher in liver than in muscle, and generally did not differ by sex. Zinc showed the highest absolute concentrations in all samples (mean, 11.2-26.7 microg/g in muscle, depending on species and area), followed by copper (5.2-7.5 microg/g), arsenic (0.5-5.4 microg/g), selenium (1.0-5.8 microg/g), rubidium (1.4-2.2 microg/g), and cadmium (0.04-1.2 microg/g). Mercury levels ranged from 0.05 to 0.8 microg/g in muscle. The concentrations varied among species (dovekie [Alle alle], black guillemot [Cepphus grylle], thick-billed murre [Uria lomvia], black-legged kittiwake [Rissa tridactyla], northern fulmar [Fulmaris glacialis], ivory gull [Pagophila eburnean], Thayer's gull [Larus thayeri], and glaucous gull [Larus hyperboreus]), and between the northern Baffin Bay (Canada) and the Barents Sea, depending on the element. Whereas some elements (e.g., mercury and zinc) increased in absolute and standardized concentrations with trophic level in the northern Baffin Bay, most elements showed no relationship with trophic level or other dietary descriptors. In absolute concentrations, nonessential elements differed between regions, whereas essential elements differed among species but not within a species across the two regions. Standardized concentrations (element pattern) of both essential elements and nonessential elements generally did not differ between regions but was highly species specific and, thus, determined by the phylogenetic element regulation capacity. The usefulness of multivariate ordination in element wildlife studies is illustrated, which provides additional insight regarding element co-occurrence in wildlife, allows inclusion of species with low sample number, and reduces the possibility of type II errors created by low sample size.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The fate of metals in Arctic surface waters. Method for defining critical levels.

Based upon studies in the industrially developed Arctic region, Russian Kola, here we discuss the fate of metals in high latitude surface water. Mainly, attention is paid to the priority pollutants from copper-nickel smelters. The influence of accompanying processes, such as acidification and eutrophication, on metal behavior is considered. The dramatic situation for fauna of Arctic latitudes is illustrated: (i) during the snow-melt, due to the pulse of ionic metal forms; and (ii) during the long polar winter in lower water layers, due to the involvement of a wide spectrum of metals in the redox-cycle under eutrophication and oxygen deficiency. Here we identify fish pathologies, which are related to the influence of metals. Generalizing the data on metal behavior, an original approach to define the integrated impact dose of metals--a toxicity index--has been developed. It presents a visualization of the integrated toxicity index for surface waters of the Russian Kola (based on the data for a 460-lake survey). As shown, there is a risk of fish diseases, due to both airborne contamination by metals and an indirect leaching by acid runoff over almost 30% of the area of the Russian Kola. For the Arctic region, polar winter stress syndrome will be repeatedly significant. During the polar night, as well as the spring, the vulnerability of the Arctic biota to toxic impact is higher. The accompaniment of water metal-pollution by two or more stressors would occur simultaneously, thereby multiplying the risk that it could develop.

Acid Rain↗
PubMed2006

Probabilistic biokinetic modelling of radiocaesium uptake in Arctic seal species: verification of modelled data with empirical observations.

The necessity to provide information about radionuclide concentrations in Arctic marine species has been heightened in recent years due to a number of accidents in Arctic regions involving nuclear vessels and the presence of a large number of potential radioactive contamination sources. The provision for such information is largely dependent on the use of radionuclide uptake and transfer models. The uptake of radionuclides in Arctic seal species in this study has been modelled using a probabilistic biokinetic approach. In this paper, model results are compared with empirical data from relevant samples taken within the Arctic region. Results indicate that the model performs well when estimating concentrations of (137)Cs in two seal species for both median values and reproduction of the distribution of data values, but not as well for a third seal species. Likely factors affecting the results are the probability density functions used for the input parameters.

Animals↗