The role of air pollution in Arctic planning and development

Abstract

The very low population densities in the Arctic and sub-Arctic, and the apparently rugged physical environment, tend to minimize one's conception of the possible effect of man's activities in these regions. In fact, of course, populations concentrate in fewer centres than in warmer regions: more than half the population of the Yukon Territory lives within 30 km of Whitehorse, and more than half Alaska's is associated with Fairbanks and Anchorage. The apparent ruggedness is offset by slow regenerative processes in areas disturbed by man. The presence of the impermeable permafrost layer over much of the Arctic and sub-Arctic prevents the dispersal of man's waste products and facilitates pollution of water and land. The air itself over centres of population is often exceptionally vulnerable to pollution.