Ilmastonmuutos näkyy arktisella alueella sulavina jäätikköinä, avautuvina kulkureitteinä ja jään alta paljastuvina luonnonvaroina, mikä kasvattaa alueen globaalia merkitystä. Medialla on tärkeä rooli siinä, millaiseksi käsitys kaukaisesta ja abstraktista alueesta muodostuu. Tämä tutkimus selvittää, miten arktista aluetta kehystetään mediassa kriittisen geopolitiikan näkökulmasta. Lisäksi se tarkastelee, mitkä näistä mediakehyksistä nousevat hallitsevaan asemaan. Kehystämisen merkitystä lähestytään sosiaalisen konstruktionismin, kriittisen geopolitiikan, diskurssin käsitteen ja median symbolisen vallan kautta. Suomen puheenjohtajuuskausi Arktisessa neuvostossa 2017–2019 nosti alueen erityisen mediahuomion kohteeksi Suomessa. Aineisto koostuu 165:stä arktista aluetta käsittelevästä digilehtiartikkelista, joista 92 on julkaistu Helsingin Sanomissa, 65 The New York Timesissa ja 8 The Economistissa vuosina 2017 ja 2018. Tutkimusmenetelminä käytettiin määrällistä sisällönanalyysia ja kehysanalyysia. Analyysiprosessi oli kolmivaiheinen. Ensin aineisto luokiteltiin aiheittain tavoitteena muodostaa yleiskuva siitä, millaisissa yhteyksissä arktinen alue mediateksteissä esiintyi. Toisessa vaiheessa aineistoa kavennettiin 58:aan relevanteimpaan artikkeliin, joiden pohjalta muodostettiin keskeiset kehykset. Kolmannessa vaiheessa koko aineiston pariin palattiin määrällisellä otteella ja aineisto luokiteltiin edellä mainittuihin kehyksiin. Määrällisen sisällönanalyysin tuloksena muodostetaan seitsemän aiheluokkaa: ilmastonmuutos, kansainväliset suhteet, arktinen Suomi, alkuperäiskansat, talous, turvallisuus ja ympäristönsuojelu. Kehysanalyysin avulla hahmottuu neljä kehystä, jotka nimetään seuraavasti: globaali ilmastokatastrofi, poliittinen valtapeli, taloudellinen eduntavoittelu ja alkuperäiskansojen koti. Hallitsevimmaksi nousi globaalin ilmastokatastrofin kehys, joka esiintyi 59:ssä artikkelissa. Poliittisen valtapelin kehys esiintyi 47:ssä ja taloudellinen eduntavoittelu 42:ssa artikkelissa. Alkuperäiskansojen kodin kehys oli marginaalisimmassa asemassa, se esiintyi 17:ssa artikkelissa. Kehykset osoittavat, miten arktisesta alueesta rakennetaan tiettyjä representaatioita, joilla perustellaan sen suhteen tehtäviä päätöksiä. Globaalin ilmastokatastrofin kehys asettaa ilmastonmuutoksen arktisen alueen keskeisimmäksi kysymykseksi, joka vaatii reagointia poliittisilta päättäjiltä. Tämä kehys on esillä etenkin Helsingin Sanomissa, joka myötäilee uutisoinnissaan hallituksen ulkopoliittista linjaa ja Suomen puheenjohtajuuskauden tavoitteita. Lehdessä hahmottuu laajempi maailmanpoliittinen diskurssi, jonka mukaan arktisen alueen päätöksentekoa hallitsevat suurvallat, joiden välissä Suomi pyrkii luovimaan. Arktisten suurvaltojen Yhdysvaltojen ja Venäjän politiikassa ilmastonmuutoksen diskurssi ei mene läpi niin vahvasti kuin Suomessa. Tämä luo ristiriitoja arktisten valtioiden välille, ja intressien yhteen sovittelua kehystetään poliittisena valtapelinä. Taloudellisen eduntavoittelun kehyksessä alueen resurssit ja kulkureitit kehystettiin kansallisvaltiokeskeisesti mahdollisuuksina, mutta usein niihin liitettiin vahva ristiriita ympäristönsuojelun kanssa. Alkuperäiskansojen kodin kehys käsittelee alueen asukkaiden oikeuksia ja erityislaatuista suhdetta alueen ympäristöön. Johtopäätöksenä todetaan, että arktista aluetta koskevan päätöksenteon jännite muodostuu kansallisten ja kansainvälisten intressien välille. Globaalin ilmastokatastrofin kehys näyttäytyy kansainvälisenä, poliittisen valtapelin ja taloudellisen eduntavoittelun kehykset kansallisina ja alkuperäiskansojen kodin kehys paikallisena. Tutkimus täydentää kriittisen geopolitiikan teoriaa median symbolisen vallan ja kehystämisen ajatuksilla. Media ei toimi vain vallanpitäjien luomien diskurssien neutraalina näyttämönä, vaan sillä on oma aktiivinen roolinsa niiden kehystämisessä.

Due to the Arctic climate change and the related diminishing of Arctic sea ice cover, the general conditions for Arctic shipping are changing. The retreat of Arctic sea ice opens up new routes for maritime transportation, both trans-Arctic passages and new alternatives within the Arctic region. Hence the amount of Arctic shipping is presumed to increase. Despite the observed development, the sailing conditions in the Arctic waters will remain challenging. Thus particular attention will be required also in the future with regard to crew, fleet and other infrastructural issues. In addition to other apparent challenges and risks, the increase in Arctic shipping will lead to an increased amount of emissions. The increased emissions may have considerable and unpredictable influences to the particularly sensitive Arctic environment. With regard to emission species, especially black carbon is presumed to have climatic sig-nificance within the Arctic context. Black carbon absorbs solar radiation very effectively, and when deposited to snow or sea ice cover, it may notably alter the radiative equilibrium of the Arctic region. The increased Arctic marine activities produce black carbon emissions, whose climate impacts are assessed in this report.

Vuonna 1996 perustettu Arktinen neuvosto on yksi keskeisimmistä kansainvälisistä yhteistyöfoorumeista arktista aluetta koskevissa asioissa. Arktisessa neuvostossa käsitellään ennen kaikkea arktisen alueen ympäristönsuojeluun sekä kestävään kehitykseen liittyviä kysymyksiä. Arktisen neuvoston puheenjohtajuuskaudet noudattavat ennalta määrättyä kiertoa, jossa kukin arktinen jäsenvaltio toimii vuorollaan Arktisen neuvoston puheenjohtajana kahden vuoden ajan. Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan Arktisen neuvoston institutionaalisia toimintatapoja kahden eri jäsenvaltion puheenjohtajuuskausien kautta. Tarkasteltavat puheenjohtajuuskaudet ovat Kanadan vuosille 2013–2015 ajoittunut Arktisen neuvoston puheenjohtajuuskausi sekä Suomen vuosille 2017–2019 ajoittuva puheenjohtajuuskausi. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan, millaisia asiakokonaisuuksia kyseisten kahden maan arktisten puheenjohtajuuskausien suunnitelmien ja toteutusten taustalla on, mitä nämä asiat kertovat Arktisen neuvoston virallisista ja epävirallisista institutionaalisista toimintaperiaatteista sekä miten puheenjohtajan on mahdollista käyttää valtaa Arktisessa neuvostossa. Tutkimuskysymys alakysymyksineen on seuraava: - Miten puheenjohtajamaa pyrkii käyttämään valtaa Arktisessa neuvostossa? - Miten puheenjohtajamaa pyrkii edistämään kansallisia intressejään Arktisessa neuvostossa? - Miten puheenjohtaja huomioi muut toimijat toteuttaessaan Arktisen neuvoston puheenjohtajuuskauden toimia? Tutkimuksen teoreettisena viitekehyksenä toimii rationaalisen valinnan institutionalismi. Tutkimuksen menetelmä on teorialähtöinen sisällönanalyysi, joka pohjautuu käsiteltävien Arktisen neuvoston puheenjohtajuuskausien prioriteettiohjelmiin sekä puolistrukturoituihin teemahaastatteluihin. Tutkimuksen mukaan Arktisen neuvoston puheenjohtaja pyrkii edistämään omia kansallisia intressejään puheenjohtajuuskautensa aikana. Kansallisia intressejä ei kuitenkaan tule edistää ilmiselvästi, vaan aloitteet tulisi muovata siten, että ne voidaan tulkita koko arktista aluetta palveleviksi. Tutkimuksesta selviää myös, että jatkuvuuden varmistaminen toisiaan seuraavien puheenjohtajuuskausien välillä on ensiarvoisen tärkeää Arktisen neuvoston toiminnan jatkuvuuden, tehokkuuden ja toimintakyvyn varmistamisen kannalta. Tutkimuksesta selviää myös, että viime vuosina lisääntyneet jännitteet Venäjän ja lännen välillä eivät ole liiemmin vaikuttaneet Arktisen neuvoston jokapäiväiseen toimintaan.

1. Comprehensive assessments of contemporary diatom distributions across the Arctic remain scarce. Furthermore, studies tracking species compositional differences across space and time, as well as diatom responses to climate warming, are mainly limited to paleolimnological studies due to a lack of routine monitoring in lakes and streams across vast areas of the Arctic. 2. The study aims to provide a spatial assessment of contemporary species distributions across the circum-Arctic, establish contemporary biodiversity patterns of diatom assemblages to use as reference conditions for future biomonitoring assessments, and determine pre-industrial baseline conditions to provide historical context for modern diatom distributions. 3. Diatom assemblages were assessed using information from ongoing regulatory monitoring programmes, individual research projects, and from surface sediment layers obtained from lake cores. Pre-industrial baseline conditions as well as the nature, direction and magnitude of changes in diatom assemblages over the past c.200 years were determined by comparing surface sediment samples (i.e. containing modern assemblages) with a sediment interval deposited prior to the onset of significant anthropogenic activities (i.e. containing pre-1850 assemblages), together with an examination of diatoms preserved in contiguous samples from dated sediment cores. 4. We identified several biotypes with distinct diatom assemblages using contemporary diatom data from both lakes and streams, including a biotype typical for High Arctic regions. Differences in diatom assemblage composition across circum-Arctic regions were gradual rather than abrupt. Species richness was lowest in High Arctic regions compared to Low Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, and higher in lakes than in streams. Dominant diatom taxa were not endemic to the Arctic. Species richness in both lakes and streams reached maximum values between 60°N and 75°N but was highly variable, probably reflecting differences in local and regional environmental factors and possibly sampling effort. 5. We found clear taxon-specific differences between contemporary and pre-industrial samples that were often specific to both ecozone and lake depth. Regional patterns of species turnover (β-diversity) in the past c.200 years revealed that regions of the Canadian High Arctic and the Hudson Bay Lowlands to the south showed most compositional change, whereas the easternmost regions of the Canadian Arctic changed least. As shown in previous Arctic diatom studies, global warming has already affected these remote high latitude ecosystems. 6. Our results provide reference conditions for future environmental monitoring programmes in the Arctic. Furthermore, diatom taxa identification and harmonisation require improvement, starting with circum-Arctic intercalibrations. Despite the challenges posed by the remoteness of the Arctic, our study shows the need for routine monitoring programmes that have a wide geographical coverage for both streams and lakes.

Dramatic environmental shifts are occuring throughout the Arctic from climate change, with consequences for the cycling of mercury (Hg). This review summarizes the latest science on how climate change is influencing Hg transport and biogeochemical cycling in Arctic terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. As environmental changes in the Arctic continue to accelerate, a clearer picture is emerging of the profound shifts in the climate and cryosphere, and their connections to Hg cycling. Modeling results suggest climate influences seasonal and interannual variability of atmospheric Hg deposition. The clearest evidence of current climate change effects is for Hg transport from terrestrial catchments, where widespread permafrost thaw, glacier melt and coastal erosion are increasing the export of Hg to downstream environments. Recent estimates suggest Arctic permafrost is a large global reservoir of Hg, which is vulnerable to degradation with climate warming, although the fate of permafrost soil Hg is unclear. The increasing development of thermokarst features, the formation and expansion of thaw lakes, and increased soil erosion in terrestrial landscapes are increasing river transport of particulate-bound Hg and altering conditions for aquatic Hg transformations. Greater organic matter transport may also be influencing the downstream transport and fate of Hg. More severe and frequent wildfires within the Arctic and across boreal regions may be contributing to the atmospheric pool of Hg. Climate change influences on Hg biogeochemical cycling remain poorly understood. Seasonal evasion and retention of inorganic Hg may be altered by reduced sea-ice cover and higher chloride content in snow. Experimental evidence indicates warmer temperatures enhance methylmercury production in ocean and lake sediments as well as in tundra soils. Improved geographic coverage of measurements and modeling approaches are needed to better evaluate net effects of climate change and long-term implications for Hg contamination in the Arctic. Highlights • Current evidence indicates climate change is influencing Hg cycling in the Arctic. • Permafrost thaw, glacier melt, and coastal erosion are increasing Hg export. • Arctic permafrost is a global Hg reservoir, vulnerable to degradation and release. • Experiments show warmer temperatures increase MeHg in Arctic sediments and soils. • Net effects of climate change on Arctic Hg contamination remain poorly resolved.

The Arctic is a rapidly changing ecosystem, with complex ice–ocean–atmosphere feedbacks. An important process is new particle formation (NPF), from gas-phase precursors, which provides a climate forcing effect. NPF has been studied comprehensively at different sites in the Arctic, ranging from those in the High Arctic and those at Svalbard to those in the continental Arctic, but no harmonised analysis has been performed on all sites simultaneously, with no calculations of key NPF parameters available for some sites. Here, we analyse the formation and growth of new particles from six long-term ground-based stations in the Arctic (Alert, Villum, Tiksi, Zeppelin Mountain, Gruvebadet, and Utqiagvik). Our analysis of particle formation and growth rates in addition to back-trajectory analysis shows a summertime maxima in the frequency of NPF and particle formation rate at all sites, although the mean frequency and particle formation rates themselves vary greatly between sites, with the highest at Svalbard and lowest in the High Arctic. The summertime growth rate, condensational sinks, and vapour source rates show a slight bias towards the southernmost sites, with vapour source rates varying by around an order of magnitude between the northernmost and southernmost sites. Air masses back-trajectories during NPF at these northernmost sites are associated with large areas of sea ice and snow, whereas events at Svalbard are associated with more sea ice and ocean regions. Events at the southernmost sites are associated with large areas of land and sea ice. These results emphasise how understanding the geographical variation in surface type across the Arctic is key to understanding secondary aerosol sources and providing a harmonised analysis of NPF across the Arctic.

An archive of digital 1-min data from Soviet/Russian Arctic magnetic stations has been created, starting from 1983 to the present. The archive includes data from stations deployed along the Arctic coast by various USSR/Russia institutes. All data are divided into daily files, converted into a standard IAGA2002 format, and provided with graphs for quick-look browsing. Some of the data are not included in the existing world data portals (SuperMAG, INTERMAGNET). We give examples of using the database for the Arctic: study of irregular disturbances and waves of the Pc5/Pi3 range exciting intense geomagnetically induced currents; distortion of the pipe-to-soil potential during magnetic storms; ground support for radar observations of the ionosphere. To assess the regions most susceptible to geomagnetic hazard, we calculated a map with normalized telluric fields for a uniform magnetic disturbance with a unit amplitude and periods 100-1000 s. This map shows that the geological structure significantly affects the magnitude of the geoelectric fields generated by magnetic disturbances. The database is made publicly available on the anonymous FTP site [ftp://door.gcras.ru/ftp_anonymous/ARCTICA_Rus].

We use the ECHAM-HAMMOZ aerosol-climate model to assess the effects of black carbon (BC) mitigation measures on Arctic climate. To this end we constructed several mitigation scenarios that implement all currently existing legislation and then implement further reductions of BC in a successively increasing global area, starting from the eight member states of the Arctic Council, expanding to its active observer states, then to all observer states, and finally to the entire globe. These scenarios also account for the reduction of the co-emitted organic carbon (OC) and sulfate (SU). We find that, even though the additional BC emission reductions in the member states of the Arctic Council are small, the resulting reductions in Arctic BC mass burdens can be substantial, especially in the lower troposphere close to the surface. This in turn means that reducing BC emissions only in the Arctic Council member states can reduce BC deposition in the Arctic by about 30 % compared to the current legislation, which is about 60 % of what could be achieved if emissions were reduced globally. Emission reductions further south affect Arctic BC concentrations at higher altitudes and thus only have small additional effects on BC deposition in the Arctic. The direct radiative forcing scales fairly well with the total amount of BC emission reduction, independent of the location of the emission source, with a maximum direct radiative forcing in the Arctic of about −0.4 W m−2 for a global BC emission reduction. On the other hand, the Arctic effective radiative forcing due to the BC emission reductions, which accounts for aerosol–cloud interactions, is small compared to the direct aerosol radiative forcing. This happens because BC- and OC-containing particles can act as cloud condensation nuclei, which affects cloud reflectivity and lifetime and counteracts the direct radiative forcing of BC. Additionally, the effective radiative forcing is accompanied by very large uncertainties that originate from the strong natural variability of meteorology, cloud cover, and surface albedo in the Arctic. We further used the TM5-FASST model to assess the benefits of the aerosol emission reductions for human health. We found that a full implementation in all Arctic Council member and observer states could reduce the annual global number of premature deaths by 329 000 by the year 2030, which amounts to 9 % of the total global premature deaths due to particulate matter.

In this report, results of a regional evaluation on protected areas in the Barents Region are presented. The evaluation was made using the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity as a framework. The Convention on Biological Diversity aims to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2020. The work was done as a part of the Barents Protected Area Network (BPAN) project by national and regional authorities, scientific institutes and nature conservation nongovernmental organisations from Norway, Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia. The aim of the project is to promote the establishment of a representative protected area network in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region to conserve biodiversity of boreal and arctic nature, particularly forests and wetlands. The PoWPA national reporting framework was modified and simplified to make it more suitable to be used as a tool for analysis of the protected area network in the Barents Region. It was used especially to see in which PoWPA goals and targets the Barents Region as a whole had made progress, and in which there was need for further work, and thus make recommendations for future actions in the Region. This enabled also the individual regions to assess in which goals and targets their region had made progress and in which there was need for further development. The reporting framework also provided a common language for interregional discussions and comparisons. A network of existing and planned protected areas is under development in the Barents Region. New protected areas have been established in recent years. However, strong efforts are still needed for strengthening the network of protected areas in order to reach the internationally agreed Aichi Biodiversity Targets.