1.3 Summary of Section 1

In examining the European name of the polar bear there is an apparent contradiction between its common and scientific names. This is because the polar bear is at home in the natural environments of land, sea and ice. In their search for food, bears can travel huge distances. Chemical analysis of the fat in the bears and their main prey species, the ringed seal, shows that they contain PBDEs – manufactured persistent organic pollutants that do not occur naturally.

In Section 2 you will look at how different flows around the Earth can transport pollutants.