A Call for Urgent Monitoring of Food and Water Security Based on Relevant Indicators for the Arctic

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Abstract

This perspective paper argues for an urgent need to monitor a set of 12 concrete, measurable indicators of food and water security in the Arctic over time. Such a quantitative indicator approach may be viewed as representing a reductionist rather than a holistic perspective, but is nevertheless necessary for actually knowing what reality aspects to monitor in order to accurately understand, quantify, and be able to project critical changes to food and water security of both indigenous and non-indigenous people in the Arctic. More relevant indicators may be developed in the future, taking us further toward reconciliation between reductionist and holistic approaches to change assessment and understanding. However, the potential of such further development to improved holistic change assessment is not an argument not to urgently start to monitor and quantify the changes in food and water security indicators that are immediately available and adequate for the Arctic context.

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Most cited references 33

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Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change.

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At the close of the Fourth International Polar Year, we take stock of the ecological consequences of recent climate change in the Arctic, focusing on effects at population, community, and ecosystem scales. Despite the buffering effect of landscape heterogeneity, Arctic ecosystems and the trophic relationships that structure them have been severely perturbed. These rapid changes may be a bellwether of changes to come at lower latitudes and have the potential to affect ecosystem services related to natural resources, food production, climate regulation, and cultural integrity. We highlight areas of ecological research that deserve priority as the Arctic continues to warm.

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Increasing river discharge to the Arctic Ocean.

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Synthesis of river-monitoring data reveals that the average annual discharge of fresh water from the six largest Eurasian rivers to the Arctic Ocean increased by 7% from 1936 to 1999. The average annual rate of increase was 2.0 +/- 0.7 cubic kilometers per year. Consequently, average annual discharge from the six rivers is now about 128 cubic kilometers per year greater than it was when routine measurements of discharge began. Discharge was correlated with changes in both the North Atlantic Oscillation and global mean surface air temperature. The observed large-scale change in freshwater flux has potentially important implications for ocean circulation and climate.

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Author and article information

Contributors

: +46(0)90-7858645 , +46(0)90-7852642 , lena.nilsson@nutrires.umu.se,

Bio :

Lena Maria Nilsson

received a PhD degree at Umeå university 2012 on a thesis on Sami lifestyle as a determinant of health. Besides Sami lifestyle factors, her major research interests are historical lifestyle factors, nutritional epidemiology, and food and water security in an Arctic health context.

: +46-(0)8-164785 , +46-(0)8-16-4794 , georgia.destouni@natgeo.su.se , http://giadestouni.blogspot.se,

Bio :

Georgia Destouni

is a Professor of Hydrology, Hydrogeology, and Water Resources at the Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University. Her main research interests include hydrological transport of solute, nutrients and pollutants, and hydro-climatic, groundwater–surface water, and freshwater–seawater interactions.

: +907-729-3640 , +907-729-1901 , jberner@anthc.org,

Bio :

James Berner

PhD has practiced medicine in the Alaska Native health system since 1974. He has been in the Human Health Advisory Group of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, since 1999. He was co-lead author of “Human Health,” Chapter 15 in the 2005 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. He was appointed in 2005–2008 to the National Academy of Sciences Polar Research Board. He is certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, and is the Senior Director for Science in the Division of Community Health, of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

: +7(812)-717-0154 , +7(812)-717-02-64 , alexey.d@inbox.ru,

Bio :

Alexey A. Dudarev

PhD, Dr. Med. Sc., is the head of hygiene department, Northwest Public Health Research Center, St. Petersburg, Russia. His main interest is in environmental health.

: (+299)-36-23-00 , (+299)-36-23-01 , GM@peqqik.gl,

Bio :

Gert Mulvad

is a family physician at the Centre for Primary Health Care in Nuuk, Greenland, affiliated at University of Greenland, Greenland Center for Health Research. He graduated in medicine from Copenhagen University in 1981. He has been working in Nuuk since 1986. He started his research carriers in 1990 as co leader for the Greenland Autopsy study, with the outcome of 20 per review articles. His research fields are Traditional Food Risk Benefit, Sexual Transmitted Diseases, and Family Health. In 2000, he was appointed as Associate Researcher at the Centre of Arctic Environmental Medicine, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He serves on many committees involved in health care delivery, research and education in Greenland and the circumpolar countries.

: +47-77-64-40-00 , joodland@online.no,

Bio :

Jon Øyvind Odland

is a Professor of International Health, Specializing in Gynecology and Obstetrics at Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway and with the Northern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Nord). He is Co-chair of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Human Health Assessment Group (AMAP HHAG) and the Norwegian Key National Expert, Sustainable Development Working Group, Expert Group on Human Health.

: +907-729-3407 , +907-729-3429 , ajp1@cdc.gov,

Bio :

Alan Parkinson

is a deputy director of the Arctic Investigations Program of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Anchorage, AK. His research interests include laboratory and epidemiologic aspects of infectious disease detection, prevention, and control in Arctic and sub-Arctic populations. He is currently the chair of the International Union for Circumpolar Health’s Infectious Disease Working Group, the coordinator of the Infectious Disease International Circumpolar Surveillance project, and a coordinator of the Arctic Council’s International Polar Year Arctic Human Health Initiative.

: +613-946-9663 , +613-954-0692 , Constantine.Tikhonov@hc-sc.gc.ca,

Bio :

Constantine Tikhonov

MD, MHA is a Chief at the Surveillance and Risk Analysis department, Environmental Public Health Division, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada. His main interest is in contaminants and health.

: +358-294-483560 , +358-8-553-3564 , arja.rautio@oulu.fi,

Bio :

Arja Rautio

MD, PhD, ERT is a research professor and chair of the Center for Arctic Medicine at Thule Institute, University of Oulu, Finland. She is leading a research program, international PhD and Master’s program of Circumpolar Health and Well-being, and the thematic network of Health and Wellbeing at the University of the Arctic. Her research interests are in the topics of environmental health and well-being, social exclusion, and adaptation to climate change in the North. She is working with the publishing group of International Journal of Circumpolar Health and active in planning ICCH16 (Oulu). Arja is a national key expert in the AMAP and SDWG—Human Health Expert groups and IASC—Human and Social Working group. At the moment she is the vice-chair of the Nordic Society of Circumpolar Health.

: +46-(0)90-785-2300 , +46(0)70-2349820 , 090-133006 , birgitta.evengard@climi.umu.se,

Bio :

Birgitta Evengård

MD, PhD is a professor of infectious diseases Umeå university since 2007 and Chair of Arcum, the Arctic research centre at Umeå university. Currently working with food and water security, molecular diagnostics of intestinal parasites and climate sensitive infections. The major interest is in climate change and health in the Arctic.

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Ambio

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Ambio

Title: Ambio

Publisher: Springer Netherlands (Dordrecht )

ISSN (Print): 0044-7447

ISSN (Electronic): 1654-7209

Publication date (Electronic): 6 August 2013

Publication date PMC-release: 6 August 2013

Publication date (Print): November 2013

Volume: 42

Issue: 7

Pages: 816-822

Affiliations

[ ]Arctic Research Centre, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

[ ]Nutritional Research, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, 901 85 Umeå, Sweden

[ ]Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology and Bert Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

[ ]Division of Community Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Anchorage, AK USA

[ ]Hygiene Department, Northwest Public Health Research Center, 4, 2-Sovetskaya Street, 191036 St. Petersburg, Russia

[ ]Greenland Center for Health Research, University of Greenland, Postboks 1001, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland

[ ]Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, 9019 Tromsö, Norway

[ ]Arctic Investigations Program, US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Anchorage, AK 99516 USA

[ ]Environmental Public Health Division, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON Canada

[ ]Thule Institute, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 7300, Oulu, Finland

[ ]Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University Hospital, 901 85 Umeå, Sweden

Article

Publisher ID: 427

DOI: 10.1007/s13280-013-0427-1

PMC ID: 3790131

PubMed ID: 23918411

SO-VID: fcfb74b9-9564-431f-bf8a-df5e7274cc8d

License:

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.

History

Date received : 21 May 2013

Date revision received : 20 June 2013

Date accepted : 26 June 2013

Custom metadata

ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology

Keywords: food security,water security,arctic,circumpolar,climate change,public health

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology

Keywords: food security, water security, arctic, circumpolar, climate change, public health

A Call for Urgent Monitoring of Food and Water Security Based on Relevant Indicators for the Arctic

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Abstract

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Relationship between water quality, sanitation quality, and food security to public health

Most cited references 33

Ecological dynamics across the Arctic associated with recent climate change.

Evidence and Implications of Recent Climate Change in Northern Alaska and Other Arctic Regions

Increasing river discharge to the Arctic Ocean.

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