Contaminating the Arctic Reading Answers

Jan 4, 2023

Contaminating the Arctic Reading Answers is a discussion about how the Arctic region is getting polluted. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “Target Band 7 IELTS Academic Module - How to Maximize Your Score (Fourth Edition)”. The topic named Contaminating the Arctic Reading Answers comes with 13 sets of questions. Two types of questions are included in the topic which is, True/False/Not Given, and complete the following sentences. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. Similar kinds of topics like Contaminating the Arctic Reading Answers are included in the IELTS reading practice papers, which the candidates can take into their consideration for performing a good score in this section.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Contaminating the Arctic Reading Answers

Our perception of the Arctic region is that its distance from industrial centers keeps it pristine and clear from the impact of pollution. However, through a process known as transboundary pollution, the Arctic is the recipient of contaminants whose sources are thousands of miles away. Large quantities of pollutants pour into our atmosphere, as well as our lakes, rivers, and oceans on a daily basis. In the last 20 years, scientists have detected an increasing variety of toxic contaminants in the North, including pesticides from agriculture, chemicals and heavy metals from industry, and even radioactive fall-out from Chernobyl. These are substances that have invaded ecosystems virtually worldwide, but they are especially worrisome in the Arctic.

Originally, Arctic contamination was largely blamed on chemical leaks, and these leaks were thought to be “small and localized.” The consensus now is that pollutants from around the world are being carried north by rivers, ocean currents, and atmospheric circulation. Due to extreme conditions in the Arctic, including reduced sunlight, extensive ice cover and cold temperatures, contaminants break down much more slowly than in warmer climates. Contaminants can also become highly concentrated due to their significantly lengthened life span in the Arctic.

Problems of spring run-off into coastal waters during the growth period of marine life are of critical concern. Spring algae blooms easily, absorbing the concentrated contaminants released by spring melting. These algae are in turn eaten by zooplankton and a wide variety of marine life. The accumulation of these contaminants increases with each step of the food chain or web and can potentially affect northerners who eat marine mammals near the top of the food chain. Pollutants respect no borders; transboundary pollution is the movement of contaminants across political borders, whether by air, rivers, or ocean currents. The eight circumpolar nations, led by the Finnish Initiative of 1989, established the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) in which participants have agreed to develop an Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). AMAP establishes an international scientific network to monitor the current condition of the Arctic with respect to specific contaminants. This monitoring program is extremely important because it will give a scientific basis for understanding the scope of the problem.

In the 1950’s, pilots traveling on weather reconnaissance flights in the Canadian high Arctic reported seeing bands of haze in the springtime in the Arctic region. It was during this time that the term “Arctic haze” was first used, referring to this smog of unknown origin. But it was not until 1972, that Dr. Glenn Shaw of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska first put forth ideas of the nature and long-range origin of Arctic haze. The idea that the source was long range was very difficult for many to support. Each winter, cold, dense air settles over the Arctic. In the darkness, the Arctic seems to become more and more polluted by a buildup of mid-latitude emissions from fossil fuel combustion, smelting and other industrial processes. By late winter, the Arctic is covered by a layer of this haze the size of the continent of Africa. When the spring light arrives in the Arctic, there is a smog-like haze, which makes the region, at times, looks like pollution over such cities as Los Angeles.

This polluted air is a well-known and well-characterized feature of the late winter Arctic environment. In the North American Arctic, episodes of brown or black snow have been traced to continental storm tracks that deliver gaseous and particulate-associated contaminants from Asian deserts and agricultural areas. It is now known that the contaminants originate largely from Europe and Asia.

Arctic haze has been studied most extensively in Point Barrow, Alaska, across the Canadian Arctic and in Svalbard (Norway). Evidence from ice cores drilled from the ice sheet of Greenland indicates that these haze particles were not always present in the Arctic, but began to appear only in the last century. The Arctic haze particles appear to be similar to smog particles observed in industrial areas farther south, consisting mostly of sulfates mixed with particles of carbon. It is believed the particles are formed when gaseous sulfur dioxide produced by burning sulfur-bearing coal is irradiated by sunlight and oxidized to sulfate, a process catalyzed by trace elements in the air. These sulfate particles or droplets of sulfuric acid quickly capture the carbon particles, which are also floating in the air. Pure sulfate particles or droplets are colourless, so it is believed the darkness of the haze is caused by the mixed-in carbon particles.

The impact of the haze on Arctic ecosystems, as well as the global environment, has not been adequately researched. The pollutants have only been studied in their aerosol form over the Arctic. However, little is known about what eventually happens to them. It is known that they are removed somehow. There is a good degree of likelihood that the contaminants end up in the ocean, likely into the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea and possibly the Bering Sea — all three very important fisheries.

Currently, the major issue among researchers is to understand the impact of Arctic haze on global climate change. The contaminants absorb sunlight and, in turn, heat up the atmosphere. The global impact of this is currently unknown but the implications are quite powerful.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 15 - 21

Read the passage about alternative farming methods in Oregon again and look at the statements below.

In boxes 15 - 21 on your answer sheet write:

TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the reading passage.

Industry in the Arctic has increased over the last 20 years.
Arctic conditions mean that the breakdown of pollutants is much accelerated
Pollution absorbed by Arctic algae can eventually affect humans.
The AEPS has set up scientific stations in the Arctic to monitor pollution.
Arctic pollution can sometimes resemble US urban pollution.
Evidence that this smog has only occurred in the 20th Century has been found in the ice on the polar ice cap.
Research has shown that aerosol arctic pollutants remain the air indefinitely.

Question 15.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: No relevant information regarding this statement has been provided in the passage. Hence, the statement is considered an invalid one.

Question 16.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: Due to extreme conditions in the Arctic, including reduced sunlight, extensive ice cover, and cold temperatures, contaminants break down much more slowly than in warmer climates.
Keyword: conditions, Arctic, contaminants
Keyword location: Paragraph B, lines 4-7
Explanation: Paragraph B imply that Most scientists now agree that rivers, ocean currents, and air circulation are transporting pollution. They transport pollution from all around the world to the north. Pollutants spread out at a slower pace than in warmer climatic conditions. They are spread for the reason of acute and severe climatic conditions in the Arctic region. For the approximately longer lifespan in the Arctic region, the contaminants actually become highly concentrated or intense. Hence, it is a FALSE statement.

Question 17.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: Spring algae bloom easily, absorbing the concentrated contaminants released by spring melting.
Keyword: algae, absorbing, contaminants
Keyword location: Paragraph C, lines 2-6
Explanation: Lines 2-6 of paragraph C implies that the concentrated pollutants released by spring melting are easily absorbed by the abundant algae that grow in the spring. In turn, zooplankton and a diverse range of marine organisms consume these algae. Northerners who consume marine mammals near the top of the food chain may be affected by the buildup of these toxins at each stage of the food chain or web. So, the statement is considered to be a TRUE one.

Question 18.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: No pertinent information in order to justify this statement has been provided in the passage. Therefore, it is an invalid statement.

Question 19.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: When the spring light arrives in the Arctic, there is a smog-like haze, which makes the region, at times, look like pollution over such cities as Los Angeles.
Keyword: spring light, spring light, Los Angeles
Keyword location: Paragraph D, last 3 lines
Explanation: Last three sentences of paragraph D portray that by the end of winter, a layer of thick haze the size of Africa covers the Arctic. At the time of the occurrence of the spring light in the Arctic region, a smog-like haze develops. This smog-like haze resembles the pollution in Los Angeles. Thus, the statement is regarded as a TRUE one.

Question 20.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: Evidence from ice cores drilled from the ice sheet of Greenland indicates that these haze particles were not always present in the Arctic, but began to appear only in the last century
Keyword: Evidence, ice sheet, Greenland
Keyword location: Paragraph E, lines 7-9
Explanation: Paragraph E portrays that in Point Barrow, Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, and Svalbard, the effects of Arctic haze have been researched the most (Norway). the haze particles were not always prevalent in the Arctic. It is according to data from ice cores taken from the Greenland ice sheet. They just started to show up in the last century. Hence, the statement can be taken as a FALSE one.

Question 21.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: The pollutants have only been studied in their aerosol form over the Arctic.
Keyword: pollutants, aerosol, Arctic
Keyword location: Paragraph F, lines 2-4
Explanation: Lines 2-4 of paragraph F suggest that insufficient research has been done on the effects of the haze on Arctic ecosystems and the environment as a whole. The details of the pollutants can only be viewed from over the Arctic region. Although, very less is known about the happenings of those pollutants rather than the idea that they had been anyway removed. Therefore, we can consider the above statement as a FALSE one.

Questions 22 – 27

Complete the summary relating to Arctic Haze below.

Choose your answers from the box below the summary and write them in boxes 22 – 27 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more words than spaces, so you will not use them at all.

Example Answer

............................. that the origins of spring, arctic haze, Theories

first seen over the ice cap...

(eg) ______________________ that the origins of spring, arctic haze, first seen over the ice cap in the 1950s, came from far away were at first not (22) _______________ _______. This haze is a smog formed in the dark, arctic winter by pollution delivered to the Arctic by storms (23) ______________________ in Europe and Asia. It is known to be a recent phenomenon as proof from (24) ______________________ shows it only starting to occur in the 20th Century. The smog consists of sulphates and carbon, the latter creating the (25) ______________________ of the haze. Due to lack of research, the final destination of the pollution is unknown but it probably ends up in the (26) ______________________ and therefore into the food chain. Scientists are presently more worried about the (27) ______________________ effect it has on climate change.

Question 22.

Answer: certain
Supporting Sentence: It was during this time that the term Arctic haze was first used, referring to this smog of unknown origin.
Keyword: 1950s, reconnaissance flights, haze
Keyword location: Paragraph C, lines 1-4
Explanation: The first four lines of paragraph C suggest that pilots doing weather reconnaissance flights in the high Canadian Arctic in the 1950s. They claimed to have spotted bands of haze during the springtime in the Arctic area. It was at this time that the phrase Arctic haze, which described this mist of uncertain origin, was first employed.

Question 23.

Answer: originating
Supporting Sentence: It is now known that the contaminants originate largely from Europe and Asia.
Keyword: known, contaminants, Europe and Asia
Keyword location: Paragraph E, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph E states that a continental storm track transports gaseous and particulate-associated pollutants from Asian deserts. Also, agricultural areas have been linked to periods of brown or black snow in the North American Arctic. Europe and Asia are the places from where the contaminants or pollutants came on a very large scale. Therefore, ‘originating’ will be the right answer here.

Question 24.

Answer: ice cores
Supporting Sentence: Evidence from ice cores drilled from the ice sheet of Greenland indicates that these haze particles were not always present in the Arctic, but began to appear only in the last century.
Keyword: Evidence, drilled, ice sheet
Keyword location: Paragraph E, lines 7-9
Explanation: Paragraph E depicts that in Point Barrow, Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, and Svalbard, the effects of Arctic haze have been researched the most (Norway). As per the evidence from the ice crores of Greenland, the presence of haze particles was not always prevalent in the Arctic. However, these particles appear in the last century only.

Question 25.

Answer: darkness
Supporting Sentence: Pure sulfate particles or droplets are colorless, so it is believed the darkness of the haze is caused by the mixed-in carbon particles.
Keyword: sulfate particles, colorless, darkness
Keyword location: Paragraph E, lines 13-16
Explanation: Lines 13-16 of paragraph E states that the smog-like sulfate particles capture the particles of carbon, which also remain floating in the air. These sulfate particles are basically without color, and it is thought that the added carbon particles are what give the haze its dark hue.

Question 26.

Answer: sea
Supporting Sentence: There is a good degree of likelihood that the contaminants end up in the ocean, likely into the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea, and possibly the Bering Sea — all three very important fisheries.
Keyword: likelihood, contaminants, ocean
Keyword location: Paragraph F, lines 4-6
Explanation: Lines 4-6 of paragraph F imply that the North Atlantic, Norwegian Sea, and maybe the Bering Sea are all three extremely important fisheries. Hence, there is a good chance that the toxins will end up in the ocean.

Question 27.

Answer: unknown
Supporting Sentence: The global impact of this is currently unknown but the implications are quite powerful
Keyword: global, currently, unknown,
Keyword location: Paragraph F, last line
Explanation: Paragraph F clarifies that understanding the effect of Arctic haze on global climate change is currently the main concern among experts. The pollutants heat up the atmosphere by absorbing sunlight. What will be the global impact due to these pollutants remained unknown to scientists. This is a matter of uncertainty for scientists all over.

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