SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AT OUR OCEAN CONFERENCE RECEPTION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Reception Remarks at Our Ocean Conference

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Sant Ocean Hall

Washington, DC

June 16, 2014

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Thank you very much. I remind all of you that Winston Churchill said the only reason people give a standing ovation is they desperately need an excuse to shift their underwear. (Laughter.) He really – he said that, I promise you. But I know you had a much more noble cause in mind. (Laughter.)

Anyway, I was really baffled standing up here for a moment. I’m staring at this elephant. I kept looking around for the donkey. I can’t find the donkey in here. (Laughter.) Let’s rectify that, don’t you think? (Applause.) I’m an equal stuffed animal opportunity guy. (Laughter.)
I walked into the hold room back here where I had a chance to say hi to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen and His Serene Highness and others, and at least they had the goodness to put us in a room where the sign above it said “mammals,” so I felt right at home.

Wayne, thank you very much for not just your kind introduction, but thank you for making this extraordinary national asset of ours, this museum, available to this group, which has come together to fight for the preservation, if not survival, of our oceans. And we are deeply, deeply grateful – very grateful to you, to Kirk Johnson, the director of the Natural History Museum, for hosting us here tonight in this remarkable place.

I also – thank you. (Applause.) I also want to say a special thank you in absentia to Roger and Vicki Sant. So many of you know Roger and Vicki. They have been truly our patrons of all of our initiatives with respect to the ocean. And they couldn’t be here tonight, but their daughter Shari is here, and I wish everybody would say thank you for what they have done to contribute so much to this museum’s ability to be able to give millions of visitors a year a better understanding of our relationship with the ocean. Shari, please take back to your parents our gratitude. I don’t know where she is, somewhere here. (Applause.) Thank you.

We’re in for a great treat tonight. I’m not going to give a speech about the oceans, et cetera, but we are going to do a few special things. And one of them is master chef Barton Seaver has developed a terrific menu of entirely sustainable seafood for all of us to devour. And I understand that he first became interested in sustainable seafood years ago when he spent time in a small village on the coast of Morocco. And he learned about generations-old fishing methods that the locals were using, and he saw firsthand how they linked the local economy of that entire region to the ocean. This is what made him realize that sustainability is not only an ecological imperative, but it’s a humanitarian one. And he will tell you a little bit more about that and the food that we will be eating tonight in a few moments.

We’re also going to hear from Ted Danson. Ted reminded me a few minutes ago we met 25 years ago, I think he said. I thought it was slightly less. (Laughter.) But that’s okay. I’ll accept it. And we were talking about the oceans way back then. It was when he was beginning his efforts on the oceans, and he’s a long-termer, long-timer at this effort.

We also got to know each other because Cheers was not too many blocks away from where I hung out in Boston. And on one occasion, I was walking by at night heading home. And the producers, they were shooting this scene outside, and I think Norm and someone were out there. I can’t remember who else – Cliff. I think Norm and Cliff were in the thing or something. But anyway, they stopped me on the way and they said, Senator, we got to put you in this thing. So we literally ad-libbed this thing on the spur of the moment. And they were hanging out outside and they had me walk up and they said, hey, can we get your autograph? And I started to sign the autograph very proud and peacocked because I was being asked for an autograph. And then they start talking to each other and say, God, we really liked that weather report you did the other day on the news. It was so terrific. (Laughter.) And then I said, who do you think I am? And they said, you’re so-and-so, the local weatherman. And I said, no, I’m Senator Kerry. And they both shrug and walk away. (Laughter.) So it was a great lesson in humility, and the residuals have gone to a charity for years. But thank you, Ted, for helping me to support the charity. I’m very appreciative. (Applause.)

Ted has had, as everybody here knows, an extraordinary career. And he started out with his work to create the Oceans Campaign in 1987, and has provided consistent leadership. He provides leadership in Oceana to this day, and his deep interest in what has brought all of us together has made an impact, and we’re grateful to him.

Right now, though, it’s my privilege – let me just say one quick word. I really want to thank again – I said it earlier, but I think Cathy Novelli and our team have done an absolutely superb job of putting this together. (Applause.) And tomorrow we will not only have more vibrant discussion and I think the kind of interactivity and visual presentations that have been made have really sort of excited people and given us a reminder of what this is all about, and I wish every person in the nation could stop cold and see and hear all of it. But our job is to continue to do that over the course of these next months and years. But tomorrow it’s important we really come together to do the action agenda. If we don’t leave here with a sense of a plan and direction, shame on us, and I think we can do that.

I want to welcome someone who has been a friend and partner in the State Department’s effort to champion ocean conservation at the international level, and that is the Foreign Minister of New Zealand Murray McCully. (Applause.) Murray and I have done a duet here in Washington before. We’ve had a chance to see each other along the way here and there, but I called him because I knew that as the steward of an island nation in the Pacific, he really has as good an understanding about this as anybody around. And like other island nations, New Zealand is obviously on the frontlines of climate change and the other challenges that are facing the marine world.

Murray has spent a career pushing for safeguards to preserve the ocean and to preserve the many species that are really unique to New Zealand’s waters. And he and I have worked closely on the environmental priorities that we share, including our efforts to move forward a proposal that would establish the world’s largest marine protected area in Antarctica’s Ross Sea. And we will continue to do that. (Applause.) I am really delighted that he made the long trek here to Washington so he could be with us tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome with me my colleague, my counterpart, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand Murray McCully. (Applause.)

DEPUTY AG COLE'S REMARKS AT 2014 EARTH DAY EVENT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT D

Remarks as Prepared or Delivery by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole at the Environment and Natural Resources Division Event Commemorating Earth Day 2014

Washington, D.C. ~ Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Thank you Bob [Dreher] for that kind introduction and for inviting me to join you for the 44th anniversary of Earth Day.

Let me begin by saying that the Attorney General and I greatly appreciate the work you do in the Environment and Natural Resources Division.  Your work helps protect our nation’s air, land and water and promotes responsible stewardship of America’s wildlife and natural resources.  If that weren’t enough of a responsibility, you also ensure that oil and Superfund waste are cleaned up, defend vital federal programs, and protect tribal rights and resources.  All of which are especially important today, at a time when we face significant environmental challenges: challenges from climate change, in developing alternative and sustainable sources of energy, and in combatting pollution and the public health risks that stem from it.

This past year alone, you defended the EPA actions addressing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.  You fought to uphold the Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to protect polar bears under the Endangered Species Act.  You secured changes in Safeway’s operations that will reduce the use of ozone depleting substances in their refrigeration equipment.  You successfully prosecuted criminals trafficking rhino horns and ivory, and defended challenges to more than 25 cases involving solar and wind projects.  And just last week, you successfully defended an EPA rule that will substantially reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic materials from power plants across the country.

While I am only skimming the surface with these examples, they are tremendous accomplishments that will have an impact for generations to come.  The breadth and scope of the work that the Division handles is truly extraordinary.  In my experience and from the frequent praise I hear from client agencies that are impressed with the Division’s work, I know that you represent the Department of Justice and the United States with the utmost skill, professionalism, and integrity.  
Just two weeks ago I had the privilege of announcing the $5.15 billion settlement with the Kerr-McGee Corporation and its parent company Anadarko.  $4.4 billion of that settlement will go toward cleaning up the mess left by Kerr-McGee’s toxic businesses all over this country. This is the largest payment for the clean-up of environmental contamination in history - and it demonstrates the Justice Department’s firm commitment to securing environmental justice.

Earth Day is another reminder to me of that commitment, a commitment that the Department of Justice is dedicated not only to protecting the people of our country, but also to protecting its natural resources.  Earth Day may have originated as a day of awareness of the environmental challenges we face, but it is also a day of action.  So today, we celebrate the actions you take every day to secure environmental justice across this country.

I am privileged to be here in Marvin Gaye Park, to join the community in the important work they do to protect and conserve their environment for future generations.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge the graduates of the Green Corps program, as well as volunteers and employees of Marvin Gaye Park, and especially Steve Coleman, for their dedication to protecting our environment.

Thank you for having me here.  It is a pleasure to join you.  Keep up the good work!

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS ON POLLUTION IN BEIJING, CHINA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks at Cummins-Foton Joint Venture Plant
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Cummins-Foton Joint Venture Plant
Beijing, China
February 15, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. Thank you very much, Steve Chapman, Vice President of Cummins-Foton. And I’m very, very grateful to Foton and Cummins for inviting us here today, and thank you all for taking a few minutes to be with us.

I’m delighted to be joined up here by the American Ambassador to China, who is leaving in a few days, and we’re very grateful for his work – Gary Locke, thank you very much. (Applause.)

I’m also here with a very important individual who helps to make many of the decisions that help to advance the issue of climate change response, and he is the Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. I’m delighted to see Vice Chairman Xie here. Thank you very much for being with us. (Applause.)

And I want you to know – excuse me – I want you to know that just now, as we were here, we’d been completing our meetings and Vice Chairman Xie made some very important phone calls and succeeded in completing our agreement with respect to some steps we are going to take to move the climate change process forward. And I’m very grateful to him and the leaders of China for their rapid and important response on this issue.

Jim, you may want to twist that up a little towards you. There you go.

And we’re also pleased be here and I thank him for his help in making this possible – the Foton Chairman Xiu. Thank you very much, sir. (Applause.) Thank you.

And finally, we have our special – the American special representative on climate change, who represents me in all of our – and the President in all of our negotiations, and that’s special representative Todd Stern, and I thank him for his important work here. (Applause.)

One of the most important challenges that we all face here in China, in America, in Europe and other countries, particularly where there’s a lot of industry and development, is how do we improve the quality of the air that we breathe and at the same time reduce the greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change? To be successful, it is going to take the cooperation of China and the United States – not just our governments, but also our industries. I just toured this amazing facility, and let me tell you, what you have built here is really a blueprint for the businesses of the future. Not only is the facility modern and clean and state-of-the-art, but the workers are well paid and the benefits are good, and there is collaboration between what happens here and what happens in the United States.

I learned that this past year, the Foton-Cummins plant received a huge shipment of equipment from Michigan. And for that to happen, before any of that equipment gets here, there are people back in Indiana, in the United States, who are doing research and development. In fact, hundreds of people in the United States and right here in Beijing – all of you – have jobs because of what is going on here at this facility.

So we’re not just improving lives by building cleaner engines, which you see right here, and making it easier for people to breathe; we’re not just transforming the way we use and produce energy – we are also creating jobs and strengthening our economies by moving towards clean energy, clean technology, alternative and renewable fuels.

But here’s the truth that we all need to think about: In order to meet the global and the economic challenge of climate change, undeniably all of us are going to have to do more. China and the United States together are the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gas. Together we account for almost 40 percent of all of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. President Xi and President Obama have joined in agreeing that we both have a special role to play in reducing those emissions. And we all know that air quality is really a fundamental part of a decent quality of life for people.

We know where the problem starts. Approximately 22 percent of the air pollution here in Beijing, and more than 25 percent of climate pollution in the United States, comes from cars, trucks and buses that are on the road. Now, a lot more comes from power plants and the fuel that’s used, depending on what the fuel is, for those power plants. But we have to come at this issue step by step. And one of the big steps that we can take is to build cleaner engines, like you are building here at Foton-Cummins.

So we have to build cleaner engines that run on cleaner fuels. And how does that happen? It happens through innovation – innovation that the Foton-Cummins plant makes happen every single day. Innovation like making a cleaner engine. Innovation like making a car or a truck that can go farther, a longer distance on fuel with fewer pollutants coming out of it. Innovation like finding ways to take an old truck or an old car and change the way that it provides its power and can run on clean fuels.

Above all, innovation depends on governments sending the right signals. China has already committed itself to ambitious fuel-quality standards so that the engines run on cleaner fuel. During Vice President Biden’s most recent visit, we agreed to move even more aggressively in reducing emissions and cleaning up air pollution that comes from heavy-duty vehicles. And when these cleaner fuel standards are fully implemented, everyone in China will benefit.

People everywhere, in every country, whether it’s in Beijing or in the streets of Washington, D.C., people want healthy air for themselves and for their children. Last year, when I was here, we joined together with our – with China’s leaders in what we call the Strategic & Economic Dialogue. Within this dialogue, we have launched five initiatives as part of our Climate Change Working Group. I’m very pleased to report today that we have completed implementation plans for those five initiatives on heavy-duty vehicles, on smart grid for the delivery of energy, on carbon capture, utilization and storage, on energy efficiency, and finally on collection and management of data.

I’m very pleased to also announce today that the leaders of China have agreed to join us in a mutual effort – China and the United States will put an extra effort into exchanging information and discussing policies that will help both of us to be able to develop and lead on the standards that need to be announced next year for the global climate change agreement. This is a unique cooperative effort between China and the United States, and we have hopes that it will help to set an example for global leadership and global seriousness on the issue of next year’s climate change negotiation.

And finally, I’ll end by saying this, and you’ve all been very patient. Thank you. There is a great Chinese proverb that speaks to the question of adapting to change. We would be wise to take it to heart today. The proverb says that, when the wind changes directions, there are those who build walls and there are those who build windmills. Today, not only are we on the side of building windmills, we’re actually building something better. We’re building cleaner engines and making cleaner fuels. We’re building wind turbines and solar panels. We’re building new technologies to help us respond to the challenge of climate change.

Two world powers, the two largest economies in the world – China and the United States – are joining together in order to help power the world in a new way and help to make better quality of life for all citizens.

So we want to thank you, all of you, for being part of this larger challenge, this larger mission. We’re grateful to you for the work you do here, and we thank you for building engines that are moving us forward in more ways than one. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)

KEY PART OF CLIMATE ACTION PLAN BEGINS

FROM:  ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 
EPA Launches Online Green Sports Resource Directory

WASHINGTON — The U. S. Environmental Protection agency (EPA) is unveiling a new online Green Sports Resource Directory that can help teams, venues, and leagues save money and reduce carbon pollution through increased energy efficiency, a key part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan.

Additionally, the new directory contains information that can help teams reduce waste and gain recognition for their programs that reduce the environmental impact of their events. EPA Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe made the announcement today during the third annual Green Sports Alliance summit in New York City.

“As a founding partner of the Green Sports Alliance, EPA is committed to working with its members to help teams and sports venues green their operations, and engage fans,” said Deputy Administrator Perciasepe. “EPA’s new Green Sports Resource Directory will provide easy access to information on Agency tools and programs along with success stories to serve as examples of what can be achieved with a winning game plan for going green.”

Currently, the Green Sports Alliance has more than 180 members and is working with more than 75 teams at both the professional and collegiate levels and over 100 stadiums and sports venues across the country, with participation increasing daily. This week’s Summit includes a number of EPA speakers as well as leaders from across the sports community who recognize the potential for real environmental benefits from greening sports events and venues, and the potential for teams to inspire fans to adopt greener practices in their daily lives.

The Green Sports Resource Directory brings together Agency resources to support teams and their fans, stadiums, and venues, who want to improve their waste management, water and energy conservation, and other sustainability efforts.

EPA compiled a Green "Scoreboard" that highlights a number of winning efforts across numerous sports leagues and some statistics on the environmental and saving benefits. The Scoreboard is available on the Green Sports Resource Directory.

NASA STUDIES INTERATIONS OF POLLUTION AND STORMS

FROM: NASA
NASA Flights Target How Pollution, Storms and Climate Mix

WASHINGTON -- NASA aircraft will take to the skies over the southern United States this summer to investigate how air pollution and natural emissions, which are pushed high into the atmosphere by large storms, affect atmospheric composition and climate.

NASA will conduct its most complex airborne science campaign of the year from Houston's Ellington Field, which is operated by the agency's Johnson Space Center, beginning Aug. 7 and continuing through September. The field campaign draws together coordinated observations from NASA satellites, aircraft and an array of ground sites.

More than 250 scientists, engineers, and flight personnel are participating in the Studies of Emissions, Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) campaign. The project is sponsored by the Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Brian Toon of the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is SEAC4RS lead scientist.

Aircraft and sensors will probe the atmosphere from top to bottom at the critical time of year when weather systems are strong enough and regional air pollution and natural emissions are prolific enough to pump gases and particles high into the atmosphere. The result is potentially global consequences for Earth's atmosphere and climate.

"In summertime across the United States, emissions from large seasonal fires, metropolitan areas, and vegetation are moved upward by thunderstorms and the North American Monsoon," Toon said. "When these chemicals get into the stratosphere they can affect the whole Earth. They also may influence how thunderstorms behave. With SEAC4RS we hope to better understand how all these things interact."

SEAC4RS will provide new insights into the effects of the gases and tiny aerosol particles in the atmosphere. The mission is targeting two major regional sources of summertime emissions: intense smoke from forest fires in the U.S. West and natural emissions of isoprene, a carbon compound, from forests in the Southeast.

Forest fire smoke can change the properties of clouds. The particles in the smoke can reflect and absorb incoming solar energy, potentially producing a net cooling at the ground and a warming of the atmosphere. The addition of large amounts of chemicals, such as isoprene, can alter the chemical balance of the atmosphere. Some of these chemicals can damage Earth's protective ozone layer.

The mission will use a number of scientific instruments in orbit, in the air, and on the ground to paint a detailed picture of these intertwined atmospheric processes. As a fleet of formation-flying satellites known as NASA's A-Train passes over the region every day, sensors will detect different features of the scene below. NASA's ER-2 high-altitude aircraft will fly into the stratosphere to the edge of space while NASA's DC-8 aircraft will sample the atmosphere below it. A third aircraft from SPEC Inc., of Boulder, Colo., will measure cloud properties.
One benefit of this thorough examination of the region's atmosphere will be more accurate satellite data.

"By using aircraft to collect data from inside the atmosphere, we can compare those measurements with what our satellites see and improve the quality of the data from space," said Hal Maring of the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters.

The SEAC4RS campaign is partly supported by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. NASA scientists involved in the mission come from NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif.; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt., Md.; Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.; and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.

NASA's Earth Science Project Office at Ames manages the SEAC4RS project. The DC-8 and ER-2 research aircraft are managed by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and based at Dryden's Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif

EPA, DOMINION ENERGY SETTLEMENT TO REDUCED HARMFUL POLLUTION IN THREE STATES

FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Settlement with Dominion Energy Reduces Harmful Pollution in Three States and Downwind Communities

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Dominion Energy has agreed to pay a $3.4 million civil penalty and spend approximately $9.8 million on environmental mitigation projects to resolve Clean Air Act (CAA) violations.

The settlement will result in reductions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter by more than 70,000 tons per year, across three of the utility’s coal-fired power plants, located in Kincaid, Ill., State Line, Ind., and Somerset, Mass.

"Today’s settlement substantially reduces harmful pollution from coal-fired power plants in and around communities with significant air pollution concerns," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Along with the pollution reductions at the three power plants covered by the agreement, the settlement also requires Dominion to invest over $9 million in pollution reducing projects in neighboring communities."

"This settlement will improve air quality in states in the Midwest and Northeast by eliminating tens of thousands of tons of harmful air pollution each year," said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. "These reductions mark the latest step in our continuing efforts, along with EPA, to protect public health and the environment through rigorous enforcement of the Clean Air Act."

Under the settlement, Dominion must install or upgrade pollution control technology on two plants, and permanently retire a third plant. Dominion will be required to continuously operate the new and existing pollution controls, and will be required to comply with stringent emission rates and annual tonnage limitations. The actions taken by Dominion to comply with this settlement will result in annual reductions at the Brayon Point and Kincaid plants of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions by 52,000 tons from 2010 levels. The retirement of the State Line plant will result in an additional reduction of 18,000 tons of Sulfor dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

The settlement also requires Dominion to spend $9.75 million on projects that will benefit the environment and human health in communities located near the Dominion facilities. A total of $9 million will be spent on such projects as ; 1) wood stove changeouts, including $2 million for changeouts in southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and eastern Connecticut; 2) switcher locomotive idle reduction for Chicago rail yards, 3) land acquisition and restoration adjacent to, or near, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, 4) energy efficiency and geothermal/solar projects for local schools and food banks, and 5) clean diesel engine retrofits for municipalities and school districts. Dominion must also pay a total of $750,000 to the United States Forest Service and the National Park Service, to be used on projects to address the damage done from Dominion’s alleged excess emissions.

Reducing air pollution from the largest sources of emissions, including coal-fired power plants, is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiatives for 2011-2013. Sulfor dioxide and nitrogen oxides, two key pollutants emitted from power plants, have numerous adverse effects on human health and are significant contributors to acid rain, smog, and haze. These pollutants are converted in the air to fine particles of particulate matter that can cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular impacts, and premature death. Reducing these harmful air pollutants will benefit the communities located near Dominion facilities, particularly communities disproportionately impacted by environmental risks and vulnerable populations, including children. Because air pollution from power plants can travel significant distances downwind, this settlement will also reduce air pollution outside the immediate region. The total combined sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emission reductions secured from all power plant settlements to date will exceed nearly 2 million tons each year once all the required pollution controls have been installed and implemented.

The settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.

DECLINES IN SEA ICE MAY BE INCREASING AIR POLLUTION IN THE ARCTIC

The following excerpt is from the NASA website:

"WASHINGTON -- Drastic reductions in Arctic sea ice in the last decade 
may be intensifying the chemical release of bromine into the 
atmosphere, resulting in ground-level ozone depletion and the deposit 
of toxic mercury in the Arctic, according to a new NASA-led study. 

The connection between changes in the Arctic Ocean's ice cover and 
bromine chemical processes is determined by the interaction between 
the salt in sea ice, frigid temperatures and sunlight. When these 
mix, the salty ice releases bromine into the air and starts a cascade 
of chemical reactions called a "bromine explosion." These reactions 
rapidly create more molecules of bromine monoxide in the atmosphere. 
Bromine then reacts with a gaseous form of mercury, turning it into a 
pollutant that falls to Earth's surface. 

Bromine also can remove ozone from the lowest layer of the atmosphere, 
the troposphere. Despite ozone's beneficial role blocking harmful 
radiation in the stratosphere, ozone is a pollutant in the 
ground-level troposphere. 

A team from the United States, Canada, Germany, and the United 
Kingdom, led by Son Nghiem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 
Pasadena, Calif., produced the study, which has been accepted for 
publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research- Atmospheres. The 
team combined data from six NASA, European Space Agency and Canadian 
Space Agency satellites, field observations and a model of how air 
moves in the atmosphere to link Arctic sea ice changes to bromine 
explosions over the Beaufort Sea, extending to the Amundsen Gulf in 
the Canadian Arctic. 

"Shrinking summer sea ice has drawn much attention to exploiting 
Arctic resources and improving maritime trading routes," Nghiem said. 
"But the change in sea ice composition also has impacts on the 
environment. Changing conditions in the Arctic might increase bromine 
explosions in the future." 

The study was undertaken to better understand the fundamental nature 
of bromine explosions, which first were observed in the Canadian 
Arctic more than two decades ago. The team of scientists wanted to 
find if the explosions occur in the troposphere or higher in the 
stratosphere. 

Nghiem's team used the topography of mountain ranges in Alaska and 
Canada as a "ruler" to measure the altitude at which the explosions 
took place. In the spring of 2008, satellites detected increased 
concentrations of bromine, which were associated with a decrease of 
gaseous mercury and ozone. After the researchers verified the 
satellite observations with field measurements, they used an 
atmospheric model to study how the wind transported the bromine 
plumes across the Arctic. 

The model, together with satellite observations, showed the Alaskan 
Brooks Range and the Canadian Richardson and Mackenzie mountains 
stopped bromine from moving into Alaska's interior. Since most of 
these mountains are lower than 6,560 feet (2,000 meters), the 
researchers determined the bromine explosion was confined to the 
lower troposphere. 

"If the bromine explosion had been in the stratosphere, 5 miles [8 
kilometers] or higher above the ground, the mountains would not have 
been able to stop it and the bromine would have been transported 
inland," Nghiem said. 

After the researchers found that bromine explosions occur in the 
lowest level of the atmosphere, they could relate their origin to 
sources on the surface. Their model, tracing air rising from the 
salty ice, tied the bromine releases to recent changes in Arctic sea 
ice that have led to a much saltier sea ice surface. 

In March 2008, the extent of year-round perennial sea ice eclipsed the 
50-year record low set in March 2007, shrinking by 386,100 square 
miles (one million square kilometers) -- an area the size of Texas 
and Arizona combined. Seasonal ice, which forms over the winter when 
seawater freezes, now occupies the space of the lost perennial ice. 
This younger ice is much saltier than its older counterpart because 
it has not had time to undergo processes that drain its sea salts. It 
also contains more frost flowers -- clumps of ice crystals up to four 
times saltier than ocean waters -- providing more salt sources to 
fuel bromine releases. 

Nghiem said if sea ice continues to be dominated by younger saltier 
ice, and Arctic extreme cold spells occur more often, bromine 
explosions are likely to increase in the future. 

Nghiem is leading an Arctic field campaign this month that will 
provide new insights into bromine explosions and their impacts. 
NASA's Bromine, Ozone, and Mercury Experiment (BROMEX) involves 
international contributions by more than 20 organizations."