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Inuktitut OASIS Cree Not much is known about the chemistry in
the air over the Arctic Ocean, and what happens to important
chemicals is hardly studied by the scientific community because
of the difficulty of working in this cold, inhospitable
environment. There is some evidence that many important
processes occur right at the ice surfaces and ice/open water
regions of the Arctic Ocean. This has to be confirmed and
understood if we are to explain how chemicals are deposited from
the air to the ice or water and how that might affect fish,
marine mammals and eventually human health. For example, mercury
(a toxic pollutant which can affect health) and ozone (an
important gas causing chemical reactions) can change properties
when exposed to salt from sea water in the Arctic. Carbon
dioxide (CO2), one of the most important greenhouse gases can be
trapped by the Arctic Ocean. Cloud covers the sky above the
Arctic Ocean and this is influenced by chemicals emi