Arctic Seas: Currents of Change, An International Symposium

Abstract

The International Year of the Ocean (IYO), declared for 1998 by UNESCO and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), was a call to the world to examine the state of the planet's oceans, evaluate our collective impact on these critical environments, and take steps to protect them to ensure the quality of life for future generations. While the initiative was successful in rallying the attention of a large segment of the population, interest in the Arctic seas was disproportionately low compared with that in areas with large human coastal populations. To redress this imbalance, a symposium was held on 21-24 October 1998 in Mystic, Connecticut, USA, convened by the Sea Research Foundation and Mystic Aquarium, to bring attention to the issues, both scientific and sociopolitical, that bear on the status and future of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters. The IOC endorsed the symposium as an event in support of the IYO initiative. The papers comprising this special issue of Arctic represent some of the scientific program presented over those three days. ... The program consisted of five thematic sessions: Climate, Ice, and Ocean; Productivity; Ecology of Marine Mammals; Contaminants; and Human Resources and Development. The thematic undercurrent linking these topics was the examination of changing conditions in the Arctic seas. Change in itself is not necessarily alarming. It shapes the diversity of life on this planet and gives us insight into the balance of natural processes. But what can we predict about the consequences of the changes we are observing: Are the changes due to human presence and activity, local or more distant? And are their consequences something that we must attempt to redress? ...