THE POTENTIAL TRANSPORT OF POLLUTANTS BY ARCTIC SEA-ICE

Drifting sea ice in the Arctic may transport contaminants from coastal areas across the pole and release them during melting far from the so urce areas. Arctic sea ice often contains sediments entrained on the S iberian shelves and receives atmospheric deposition from Arctic haze. Elevated levels of some heavy metals (e.g. lead, iron, copper and cadm ium) and organochlorines (e.g. PCBs and DDTs) have been observed in ic e sampled in the Siberian seas, north of Svalbard, and in Baffin Bay. In order to determine the relative importance of sea ice transport in comparison with air/sea and oceanic processes, more data is required o n pollutant entrainment and distribution in the Arctic ice pack.