AMAP Greenland and the Faroe Islands 1997-2001

AMAP Greenland and the Faroe Islands 1997-2001

Introduction

At the Rovaniemi Ministerial meeting in 1991 it was decided to implement a programme to monitor the levels and assess the effects of contaminants in all compartments of the Arctic environment. Accordingly, between 1991 and 1996 the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, AMAP was designed and implemented as AMAP phase I. The first international assessment report was subsequently published (AMAP 1998). To fulfil the international requirements a specific Greenland AMAP programme was implemented and a Greenland Faroe Islands assessment report was produced (Aarkrog et al. 1997). The accomplishments of AMAP phase I were fully recognized by the Ministers. As such it was determined that work should continue to fill gaps in the current understanding of transport processes, spatial and temporal trends, and possible effects of contaminants, and an AMAP phase II study was initiated.

Substantial new data have been collected during AMAP phase II both in Greenland, on the Faroe Islands and in the other Arctic regions. It was decided to make a second international AMAP assessment report, which will be published in September/October 2002 prior to the Ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in October 2002. Furthermore, it was decided also to make an assessment of the Greenland and Faroe Islands AMAP data on the background of the studies carried out since AMAP phase I. A series of four reports will be published covering human health studies, environmental studies in Greenland and Faroe Islands, respectively, and the data collected. This report deals with the environmental studies carried out in Greenland during AMAP phase II, and is organized into environmental compartments (atmospheric, terrestrial, fresh water and marine environment). A section deals with so-called other contaminants defined as contaminants of which knowledge of levels in the Greenland environment is scarce because they have not been included in the basic monitoring studies or because the focus on their possible environmental impact is rather recent. One section deals with the effect studies on ringed seals and polar bears. Conclusions and recommandations are described in the individual sections, and summarized in the last section of the report.

The present report and a significant part of the studies described have been funded by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency as part of the environmental support program Dancea – Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic. The authors are solely responsible for all results and conclusions presented in the report, and do not necessary reflect the position of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.