Hello, friends! In my report, I want to consider the environmental problems of the Arctic ocean. The Arctic ocean is the smallest on the planet. Its area is "only" 14 million square kilometers. Its ice cover never warms up to the extent of melting ice, periodically comes into motion, but does not disappear. Flora and fauna here, in General, are not diverse. A large number of species of fish, birds and other living creatures is observed only in some areas.

Due to the harsh climate, the Arctic ocean for many centuries was inaccessible to humans. The first attempts of navigation in free from eternal ice areas of the ocean were made in the 1600s. Many of them were ended by wrecks as a result of jamming of vessels by multi-ton ice floes. Everything changed with the invention of icebreaking vessels. The first icebreaker was built in Russia and was called Payot. It was a steamer with a special shape of the bow, which allowed to split the ice due to the large mass of the vessel.

The use of icebreakers allowed to start shipping activities in the Arctic ocean, develop transport routes and create a list of threats to the local ecological system.

Pollution by garbage and chemicals.

The mass arrival of people on the shores and ice of the ocean led to the formation of landfills. In addition to certain places in the villages, garbage is thrown just on the ice. It is covered with snow, freezes and remains in the ice forever.

A separate point in the pollution of the ocean are a variety of chemicals that have appeared here due to human economic activity. First of all, it is sewage. Every year, about ten million cubic meters of untreated water are discharged into the ocean from various military and civilian bases, settlements, and stations.
For a long time undeveloped coast, as well as numerous Islands of the Arctic ocean were used for the disposal of various chemical waste. So, here you can find barrels with spent engine oil, fuel and other dangerous contents. In the waters of the Kara sea flooded containers with radioactive waste, threatening all life within a radius of several hundred kilometers.

Economic activity

Rapid and increasing human activity on the arrangement of transport routes, military bases, platforms for mining in the Arctic ocean leads to the melting of ice and changes in the temperature regime of the region. Since this body of water has a huge impact on the overall climate of the planet, the consequences can be deplorable.
The split of age-old ice, noise from ships and other anthropogenic factors lead to deterioration of living conditions and decrease in the number of classic local animals-polar bears, seals, etc.

The main environmental problem caused by human intervention is global warming, and therefore the accelerated melting of ice.
The second most important problem is the testing of nuclear and hydrogen weapons in the Arctic ocean, as well as the basing of ships and submarines of the Navy carrying nuclear weapons. In the XX century, 135 nuclear explosions were made at the Novaya Zemlya test site, and above it, the world's most powerful hydrogen bomb or Tsar bomb. In addition, large areas of the ocean were contaminated after the fall of a strategic bomber. Nuclear weapons, the former on Board, broke into pieces and sank.

All other environmental problems are associated with overfishing of fish and mammals, extraction, associated accidents and oil spills, discharges of petroleum products and household waste by sea transport, military vessels and means, burial of radioactive and toxic waste, noise and many other types of pollution.
Currently, within the framework of the Arctic ocean conservation, there is an international Arctic Council and a Strategy for the protection of the Arctic environment adopted by eight States that have borders with the ocean. The document was adopted in order to limit the anthropogenic load on the reservoir and minimize its consequences for wildlife.

Water is the main resource of the XXI century.

In conditions of water scarcity, water becomes a key resource of the XXI century. Back in 2002, at the world summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg, the problem of its shortage was put on the first place among the problems of global sustainable development. It is directly connected with the Arctic, where a significant potential of fresh water reserves is concentrated.
Arctic water performs an important ecosystem function for the planet as a whole. In addition, water resources located in the Arctic zone of Russia are a serious economic asset. In the future, live water that has not undergone purification procedures will become more expensive at a faster pace. It is possible that in the future, water will overtake oil in price. It is necessary to preserve this wealth for future generations.

In order to properly manage the water potential of the Arctic, it is necessary to conduct an appropriate environmental policy of the state. In Russia, within the framework of the national project "Ecology" adopted at the end of 2018, there are four Federal projects related to the conservation and replenishment of aquatic biological resources. However, there is no question of creating a separate document on Arctic water. Although according to environmental experts, there is an urgent need to develop a Federal project " Conservation and improvement of water resources of the Arctic."

Thus, an expert on sustainable development, Professor of the faculty of Economics of Moscow state University. M. V. Lomonosova Sergey Nikonorov notes that Arctic water resources perform an important ecosystem function for the planet as a whole: "the Arctic has a huge supply of fresh water. 69% of all water reserves are located in glaciers at the poles of the Earth. In addition, water resources located in the Arctic zone of Russia are a serious economic asset. In the future, live water that has not undergone purification procedures will become more expensive at a faster pace. Most likely, in the future, water will overtake oil in price. It is important to preserve this wealth for future generations."

In order to properly manage the water potential of the Arctic, an appropriate environmental policy of the state is necessary. It is advisable to develop a document on the protection and rational use of Arctic freshwater resources in Russia.

Resources: https://news.rambler.ru/other/42026778/?utm_content=rnews&utm_medium=read_more&utm_source=copylink
http://ecology-of.ru/eko-razdel/samyj-ekologicheski-uyazvimyj-okean-severno-ledovityj/