Includes bibliographical references (pages 323-349) and index.

1. Personal beginnings -- Part I. The Changing Arctic -- 2. The Arctic Messenger -- Part II. Working Together -- 3. The Arctic Messenger gains a voice : the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme -- Part III. What Is the Present State of Knowledge? -- 4. Radioactivity -- 5. Heroic efforts -- 6. Acidification and Arctic haze -- 7. Stratospheric ozone depletion -- 8. Persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals (including mercury) -- 9. Conducting marine science in the Arctic -- 10. Climate change in the Arctic -- Part IV. What Does This All Mean? -- 11. Thoughts on education, the training of Arctic scientists and Arctic research -- 12. The long and short of it : has the Arctic message been noticed? -- 13. Epilogue: keeping the Rovaniemi flame alive.

"This accessible and engagingly written book describes how national and international scientific monitoring programmes brought to light our present understanding of Arctic environmental change, and how these research results were successfully used to achieve international legal actions to lessen some of the environmental impacts. David P. Stone was intimately involved in many of these scientific and political activities. He tells a powerful story, using the metaphor of the 'Arctic Messenger'--an imaginary being warning us all of the folly of ignoring Arctic environmental change. This book will be of great interest to anyone concerned about the fate of the Arctic, including lifelong learners interested in the Arctic and the natural environment generally; students studying environmental science and policy; researchers of circumpolar studies, indigenous peoples, national and international environmental management, and environmental law; and policymakers and industry professionals looking to protect (or exploit) Arctic resources"--