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PubMed2000

[Microbes on the edge of global biosphere].

The search for life on the edge of global biosphere is a frontier to bridge conventional bio/ecology and exo/astrobiology. This communication reviews the foci of microbiological studies on the inhabitants of the selected "edges", i.e., deep-sea, deep subsurface and Antarctic habitats. The deep-sea is characterized as the no-light (non-photosynthetic) habitat, and the primary production is mostly due to the chemosynthetic autotrophy at the hydrothermal vents and methane-rich seeps. Formation of the chemosynthesis-dependent animal communities in the deep leads to the idea that such communities may be found in "ocean" of the Jovian satellite, Europa. The oxygen minimal layer (OML) in mid-water provides another field of deep-sea research. Modern OML is a relatively thin layer, found between the water depth of 200 and 1000 m, but was much thicker during the periods of oceanic anoxia events (OAEs) in the past. The history of oceanic biosphere is regarded as the cycle of OAE and non-OAE periods, and the remnants of the past OAEs may be seen in the modem OML. Anoxic (no-O2) condition is also characteristic of deep subsurface biosphere. Microorganisms in deep subsurface biosphere exploit every available oxidant, or terminal electron acceptor (TEA), for anaerobic respiration. Sulfate, nitrate, iron (III) and CO2 are the representative TEAs in the deep subsurface. Subsurface of hydrothermal vents, or sub-vent biosphere, may house brine (high salt) habitats and halophilic microorganisms. Some sub-vent halophiles were phylogenetically closely similar to the ones found in the Antarctic habitats which are extremely dry by the liophilizing climate. Below the 3000-4000 m-thick glacier on Antarctica, there have been >70 lakes with liquid water located. One of such sub-glacial lakes, Lake Vostok, has been a target of "life in extreme environments" and is about to be drill-penetrated for microbiological studies. These 'microbiological platforms' will provide new knowledge about the diversity and potential of the Earth's life and facilitate the capability of astrobiologial exploration.

Antarctic Regions↗
PubMed2006

Reefs of the deep: the biology and geology of cold-water coral ecosystems.

Coral reefs are generally associated with shallow tropical seas; however, recent deep-ocean exploration using advanced acoustics and submersibles has revealed unexpectedly widespread and diverse coral ecosystems in deep waters on continental shelves, slopes, seamounts, and ridge systems around the world. Advances reviewed here include the use of corals as paleoclimatic archives and their biogeological functioning, biodiversity, and biogeography. Threats to these fragile, long-lived, and rich ecosystems are mounting: The impacts of deep-water trawling are already widespread, and effects of ocean acidification are potentially devastating.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Sulphur in the Arctic environment (1): results of a catchment-based multi-medium study.

S-concentrations were determined in 9 different sample materials (precipitation (rain and snow), vegetation, O-, E-, B- and C- horizon pf podzols, streams water and ground water) collected in eight small catchments (10-30 km2) at different distances from major SO2 point-source emitters on the Kola Peninsula, Russia. Comparison of the results from these materials, representing different compartments of the ecosystems under varying natural conditions leads to a better understanding of sources, cycling and fate of S in the Arctic environment. More than 300,000 t of SO2 emitted annually from the Kola smelters affect the air quality over a large area. Arctic climatic conditions (cold and dry) and the remote location of the emitters results in considerably lower S-deposition values than those observed in central Europe. The pathways of atmospheric S-deposition in the terrestrial environment vary significantly from summer to winter because different compartments of the ecosystems, with a different capability to accumulate S, are active. The actual S-flux is altered by every component of the ecosystem. When estimating the total S-deposition this effect must be considered.

Arctic Regions↗
PubMed1988

Parasuicidal snow-wandering in Arctic northern Norway.

Psychiatric morbidity in the Arctic has not been extensively studied. Seasonal variations in climate, light and darkness are unique for these areas and impose special kinds of strains on the population. Three case-histories focusing on snow-wandering as a parasuicidal act are presented. One of them bears some resemblance to the Arctic hysteria described among Eskimoes. Reasons for choosing snow-wandering as an alternative to other kinds of suicide are discussed and a hypothesis is suggested. The psychological and physiological factors as explanations for post snow-wandering amnesia are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Past changes in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems, climate and UV radiation.

At the last glacial maximum, vast ice sheets covered many continental areas. The beds of some shallow seas were exposed thereby connecting previously separated landmasses. Although some areas were ice-free and supported a flora and fauna, mean annual temperatures were 10-13 degrees C colder than during the Holocene. Within a few millennia of the glacial maximum, deglaciation started, characterized by a series of climatic fluctuations between about 18,000 and 11,400 years ago. Following the general thermal maximum in the Holocene, there has been a modest overall cooling trend, superimposed upon which have been a series of millennial and centennial fluctuations in climate such as the "Little Ice Age spanning approximately the late 13th to early 19th centuries. Throughout the climatic fluctuations of the last 150,000 years, Arctic ecosystems and biota have been close to their minimum extent within the most recent 10,000 years. They suffered loss of diversity as a result of extinctions during the most recent large-magnitude rapid global warming at the end of the last glacial stage. Consequently, Arctic ecosystems and biota such as large vertebrates are already under pressure and are particularly vulnerable to current and projected future global warming. Evidence from the past indicates that the treeline will very probably advance, perhaps rapidly, into tundra areas, as it did during the early Holocene, reducing the extent of tundra and increasing the risk of species extinction. Species will very probably extend their ranges northwards, displacing Arctic species as in the past. However, unlike the early Holocene, when lower relative sea level allowed a belt of tundra to persist around at least some parts of the Arctic basin when treelines advanced to the present coast, sea level is very likely to rise in future, further restricting the area of tundra and other treeless Arctic ecosystems. The negative response of current Arctic ecosystems to global climatic conditions that are apparently without precedent during the Pleistocene is likely to be considerable, particularly as their exposure to co-occurring environmental changes (such as enhanced levels of UV-B, deposition of nitrogen compounds from the atmosphere, heavy metal and acidic pollution, radioactive contamination, increased habitat fragmentation) is also without precedent.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Effect of season and climate on choice of therapy for breast cancer in older women.

OBJECTIVES: We and others have previously found a relative underutilization of breast-conserving surgery with adjuvant radiation therapy in older women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Because adjuvant radiotherapy involves daily trips to a facility for 6 weeks, we reasoned that season and climate might influence choice of therapy. Specifically we hypothesized that in northern states, a lower proportion of women would receive breast-conserving surgery plus radiation in the winter months than in summer, whereas in sunbelt states there would be no relationship between season and therapy. DESIGN: Analysis of national Medicare billing tapes for 1990 and SEER tumor registry data for 1983-1990. PARTICIPANTS: 43,083 women aged 65 to 79, diagnosed with local or regional breast cancer in 50 states or Washington, DC, who underwent mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery in 1990, and 32,502 women aged 65 to 79 who underwent mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery from 1983 to 1989 at any of the nine SEER sites. RESULTS: Using a variety of analytical approaches, we could find no consistent effect of cold winter climate on choice of breast cancer therapy. CONCLUSION: Bad weather does not appear to discourage the choice of breast-conserving treatment. It is not known if bad weather influences actual receipt of radiotherapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Conception of man and the preservation of his health in circumpolar regions.

The preservation of human health in polar and circumpolar regions depends mainly on the strategy for future development of these regions. The consequences of human intervention into northern ecology are irreversible, as in the case of the greenhouse effect, the industrial and atomic pollution of polar nature, the tundra devastation, the destruction of northern flora and fauna etc. The ongoing creation of large industrial population centres in the North by means of newcomers is to be stopped. Polar regions are to be used for biospheric reservation and tourist sanitary zones, to preserve specific flora and fauna, to provide the rhythms and customs necessary to survive in extreme climatic and geophysical conditions of high latitudes. The program for securing man's survival in circumpolar regions should comprise several stages of practical measures to provide necessary resources and to combine international efforts. The preservation of man's health must be based on the understanding of the interrelation between health and biospheric processes and the assessment of the role of human intervention into polar ecology. A program facilitating the preservation of human health and survival in the North and in the Antarctic should be initiated.

Arctic Regions↗
PubMed2004

Mortality impact of extreme winter temperatures.

During the last few years great attention has been paid to the evaluation of the impact of extreme temperatures on human health. This paper examines the effect of extreme winter temperature on mortality in Madrid for people older than 65, using ARIMA and GAM models. Data correspond to 1,815 winter days over the period 1986-1997, during which time a total of 133,000 deaths occurred. The daily maximum temperature (T(max)) was shown to be the best thermal indicator of the impact of climate on mortality. When total mortality was considered, the maximum impact occurred 7-8 days after a temperature extreme; for circulatory diseases the lag was between 7 and 14 days. When respiratory causes were considered, two mortality peaks were evident at 4-5 and 11 days. When the impact of winter extreme temperatures was compared with that associated with summer extremes, it was found to occur over a longer term, and appeared to be more indirect.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Responses to projected changes in climate and UV-B at the species level.

Environmental manipulation experiments showed that species respond individualistically to each environmental-change variable. The greatest responses of plants were generally to nutrient, particularly nitrogen, addition. Summer warming experiments showed that woody plant responses were dominant and that mosses and lichens became less abundant. Responses to warming were controlled by moisture availability and snow cover. Many invertebrates increased population growth in response to summer warming, as long as desiccation was not induced. CO2 and UV-B enrichment experiments showed that plant and animal responses were small. However, some microorganisms and species of fungi were sensitive to increased UV-B and some intensive mutagenic actions could, perhaps, lead to unexpected epidemic outbreaks. Tundra soil heating, CO2 enrichment and amendment with mineral nutrients generally accelerated microbial activity. Algae are likely to dominate cyanobacteria in milder climates. Expected increases in winter freeze-thaw cycles leading to ice-crust formation are likely to severely reduce winter survival rate and disrupt the population dynamics of many terrestrial animals. A deeper snow cover is likely to restrict access to winter pastures by reindeer/caribou and their ability to flee from predators while any earlier onset of the snow-free period is likely to stimulate increased plant growth. Initial species responses to climate change might occur at the sub-species level: an Arctic plant or animal species with high genetic/racial diversity has proved an ability to adapt to different environmental conditions in the past and is likely to do so also in the future. Indigenous knowledge, air photographs, satellite images and monitoring show that changes in the distributions of some species are already occurring: Arctic vegetation is becoming more shrubby and more productive, there have been recent changes in the ranges of caribou, and "new" species of insects and birds previously associated with areas south of the treeline have been recorded. In contrast, almost all Arctic breeding bird species are declining and models predict further quite dramatic reductions of the populations of tundra birds due to warming. Species-climate response surface models predict potential future ranges of current Arctic species that are often markedly reduced and displaced northwards in response to warming. In contrast, invertebrates and microorganisms are very likely to quickly expand their ranges northwards into the Arctic.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The effect of etimizol on the functional status of the blood coagulation systems and fibrinolysis in workers on expedition-duty watches working under the climatic conditions of northern Tyumen Province].

The study was undertaken to reveal the effects of ethymisole on the functional status of blood coagulation and fibrinolytic systems, the body's adaptative reserves of workers from expeditionary-duty teams. Ethymisole was found to normalize the functional status of blood coagulation and fibrinolytic systems, to restore conjunction of their functioning. The use of the drug was ascertained to normalize the activity of lipid peroxidation products, to enhance the adaptative reserves of expeditionary-duty workers by prolonging the resistance phase. It is concluded that ethymisole may be used as an agent that enhances the body's adaptative reserves.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2004

Uncertainties and recommendations.

An assessment of the impacts of changes in climate and UV-B radiation on Arctic terrestrial ecosystems, made within the Arctic Climate Impacts Assessment (ACIA), highlighted the profound implications of projected warming in particular for future ecosystem services, biodiversity and feedbacks to climate. However, although our current understanding of ecological processes and changes driven by climate and UV-B is strong in some geographical areas and in some disciplines, it is weak in others. Even though recently the strength of our predictions has increased dramatically with increased research effort in the Arctic and the introduction of new technologies, our current understanding is still constrained by various uncertainties. The assessment is based on a range of approaches that each have uncertainties, and on data sets that are often far from complete. Uncertainties arise from methodologies and conceptual frameworks, from unpredictable surprises, from lack of validation of models, and from the use of particular scenarios, rather than predictions, of future greenhouse gas emissions and climates. Recommendations to reduce the uncertainties are wide-ranging and relate to all disciplines within the assessment. However, a repeated theme is the critical importance of achieving an adequate spatial and long-term coverage of experiments, observations and monitoring of environmental changes and their impacts throughout the sparsely populated and remote region that is the Arctic.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[A concept of promoting health in the population of the circumpolar regions].

The preservation of human health in polar and circumpolar regions depends mainly on the strategy for future development of these regions. The consequences of human intervention into northern ecology are irreversible, as in the case of greenhouse effect, industrial and atomic pollutions of polar nature, tundra devastation, destruction of northern flora and fauna, etc. The ongoing creation of large-scale industrial population centers in the North due to newcomers is to be stopped. Polar regions are to be used for biospheric reservation and tourist sanitary zones, to preserve specific flora and fauna, to provide the rhythms and customs necessary to survive in extreme climatic and geophysical conditions of high latitudes. The programme for securing man's survival in circumpolar regions should comprise several stages of practical measures to provide necessary resources and to combine international efforts. The preservation of human health should be based on the understanding of the relationship between the health status and biospheric processes and the assessment of the role of human intervention into polar ecology. A programme facilitating the preservation of human health and survival in the North and in the Antarctic should be launched.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1980

Respiratory function impairment and cardiopulmonary consequences in long-time residents of the Canadian Arctic.

Spirometry, roentgenography and electrocardiography were performed during community health surveys in 1976-78 in 176 Inuit and other long-time residents of the northeastern (Arctic Bay) and western (Inuvik) Canadian Arctic, and the results were related to age, ethnic origin, occupation and history of climatic exposure, smoking and hospitalization for tuberculosis. In Arctic Bay the young men showed excellent respiratory function, normal-sized pulmonary arteries and normal electrocardiograms, but abnormalities of all three types were increasingly frequent and severe after age 25. The forced mid-expiratory flow (FMF) fell to less than 50% of the norm by age 40, and dilatation of the pulmonary artery, hypertrophy of the right ventricle, right bundle branch block and a pseudoinfarction pattern on the ECG were frequently associated. In contrast, the men in Inuvik, an urbanized centre, maintained above normal respiratory function until age 40, and the FMF and pulmonary artery diameter remained normal in the older men except for Inuit and white trappers over 60 years old who had run fox trap lines along the Arctic coast in the 1920s and 30s. These data suggest that inhalation of extremely cold air at maximum ventilation may be a prime factor in the chronic obstructive lung disease of Inuit hunters, whereas smoking has only a minor role and hospitalization for tuberculosis appears to protect from rather than contribute to this disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The potential impact of climate on human exposure to contaminants in the Arctic.

Many northern indigenous populations are exposed to elevated concentrations of contaminants through traditional food and many of these contaminants come from regions exterior to the Arctic. Global contaminant pathways include the atmosphere, ocean currents, and river outflow, all of which are affected by climate. In addition to these pathways, precipitation, animal availability, UV radiation, cryosphere degradation and human industrial activities in the North are also affected by climate change. The processes governing contaminant behaviour in both the physical and biological environment are complex and therefore, in order to understand how climate change will affect the exposure of northern people to contaminants, we must have a better understanding of the processes that influence how contaminants behave in the Arctic environment. Furthermore, to predict changes in contaminant levels, we need to first have a good understanding of current contaminant levels in the Arctic environment, biota and human populations. For this reason, it is critical that both spatial and temporal trends in contaminant levels are monitored in the environment, biota and human populations from all the Arctic regions.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Effects on the structure of Arctic ecosystems in the short- and long-term perspectives.

Species individualistic responses to warming and increased UV-B radiation are moderated by the responses of neighbors within communities, and trophic interactions within ecosystems. All of these responses lead to changes in ecosystem structure. Experimental manipulation of environmental factors expected to change at high latitudes showed that summer warming of tundra vegetation has generally led to smaller changes than fertilizer addition. Some of the factors manipulated have strong effects on the structure of Arctic ecosystems but the effects vary regionally, with the greatest response of plant and invertebrate communities being observed at the coldest locations. Arctic invertebrate communities are very likely to respond rapidly to warming whereas microbial biomass and nutrient stocks are more stable. Experimentally enhanced UV-B radiation altered the community composition of gram-negative bacteria and fungi, but not that of plants. Increased plant productivity due to warmer summers may dominate food-web dynamics. Trophic interactions of tundra and sub-Arctic forest plant-based food webs are centered on a few dominant animal species which often have cyclic population fluctuations that lead to extremely high peak abundances in some years. Population cycles of small rodents and insect defoliators such as the autumn moth affect the structure and diversity of tundra and forest-tundra vegetation and the viability of a number of specialist predators and parasites. Ice crusting in warmer winters is likely to reduce the accessibility of plant food to lemmings, while deep snow may protect them from snow-surface predators. In Fennoscandia, there is evidence already for a pronounced shift in small rodent community structure and dynamics that have resulted in a decline of predators that specialize in feeding on small rodents. Climate is also likely to alter the role of insect pests in the birch forest system: warmer winters may increase survival of eggs and expand the range of the insects. Insects that harass reindeer in the summer are also likely to become more widespread, abundant and active during warmer summers while refuges for reindeer/caribou on glaciers and late snow patches will probably disappear.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Mediterranean Sea surface radiocarbon reservoir age changes since the last glacial maximum.

Sea surface reservoir ages must be known to establish a common chronological framework for marine, continental, and cryospheric paleoproxies, and are crucial for understanding ocean-continent climatic relationships and the paleoventilation of the ocean. Radiocarbon dates of planktonic foraminifera and tephra contemporaneously deposited over Mediterranean marine and terrestrial regions reveal that the reservoir ages were similar to the modern one (approximately 400 years) during most of the past 18,000 carbon-14 years. However, reservoir ages increased by a factor of 2 at the beginning of the last deglaciation. This is attributed to changes of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the massive ice discharge event Heinrich 1.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Climate-driven regime shifts in the biological communities of arctic lakes.

Fifty-five paleolimnological records from lakes in the circumpolar Arctic reveal widespread species changes and ecological reorganizations in algae and invertebrate communities since approximately anno Domini 1850. The remoteness of these sites, coupled with the ecological characteristics of taxa involved, indicate that changes are primarily driven by climate warming through lengthening of the summer growing season and related limnological changes. The widespread distribution and similar character of these changes indicate that the opportunity to study arctic ecosystems unaffected by human influences may have disappeared.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

[Social factors and their effect on the epidemiology of tuberculosis in the Far North areas].

Though in the Far North areas there is a decrease in the epidemic causes of tuberculosis, one can observe a greater role of negative social and sanitary factors influencing its morbidity. In the pattern of factors predisposing to newly diagnosed cases of the disease, unsatisfactory housing and living conditions as well as unqualified physical labour performed under unfavourable production and extreme climatic conditions, which are often combined with hazardous habits and concomitant diseases, are becoming more common. Higher tuberculosis morbidity among the aboriginal population with lower rates of their contamination are directly related to the level of their social and sanitary conditions, traditional way of life, occupational activities and disadvantages in the social development of the areas of their preferential habitation. In this connection, while taking further steps against tuberculosis in the Far North areas, it seems necessary to intensify social and preventive measures as well as antituberculous care of the groups which are influenced by clearly negative social and sanitary factors.

Adult↗