James White, of the University of Colorado at Boulder, told fellow researchers to use simple words and focus on the big picture when describing their research to a wider audience.

"Stop speaking in code. Rather than 'anthropogenic,' you could say 'human caused,'" said Prominent U.S. climate scientist Robert Corell.

The scientists were discussing two new reports issued by the Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme (AMAP), a scientific body set up by the eight Arctic rim countries.

The first report "Climate Change and POPs: Predicting the Impacts" warns of Arctic warming twice the global average in recent decades, leading to revised projections of dramatically higher sea levels.

The second report "Arctic Pollution 2011" shows that Global mercury emissions could grow by 25 percent by 2020 if no action is taken to control them, posing a threat to polar bears, whales and seals and the Arctic communities who hunt those animals for food.