According to a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, published in a recent issue of the journal Science under the title "Ecological Consequences of Sea-Ice Decline," the force-multiplying effects of warming trends and sea ice decline are changing the flora in arctic coastal areas.
Two of the ten scientists behind the study – Uma Bhatt, an associate professor with the UAF Geophysical Institute and Skip Walker, a professor at UAF Institute of Arctic Biology – added their expertise to a recent inquiry into the reaction of plants, marine life, and animals to declining levels of Arctic sea ice.
According to Bhatt, "Our thought was to see if sea ice decline contributed to greening of the tundra along the coastal areas. It's a relatively new idea."
In total, the team of scientists analyzed 10 years of data and research on how the loss of northern sea ice affects surrounding areas. The scientists found that sea ice loss is altering marine and terrestrial food chains. Sea-ice loss translates to a loss of sea-ice algae, which is the lynchpin of the marine food chain.
Above the ice, loss has destroyed previous routes of animal migration across the sea ice, but also opened new pathways for marine animals in other spots. Because of this, a selection of animals and plants will become even more isolated. As for the northernmost and coldest regions of the Arctic, complete biomes may be lost with the corresponding loss of cooling effects of vanishing summer sea ice.
An unexpected discovery shows that, even with a general warming and greening of Arctic lands in North America, some lands in northern Russia and on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska are showing recent cooling trends and declines in vegetation productivity.
In response to the puzzling event, Bhatt stated, "We don't know why. It's not a simple story here. I'm an atmospheric scientist and Skip [Walker] is a plant biologist. We have had many conversations to understand each other so we might better understand what's happening in the Arctic."
In synthesizing the final report, the team of ten scientists concluded, "After a decade with nine of the lowest arctic sea-ice minima on record, including the historically low minimum in 2012, we synthesize recent developments in the study of ecological responses to sea-ice decline. Sea-ice loss emerges as an important driver of marine and terrestrial ecological dynamics, influencing productivity, species interactions, population mixing, gene flow, and pathogen and disease transmission. Major challenges in the near future include assigning clearer attribution to sea ice as a primary driver of such dynamics, especially in terrestrial systems, and addressing pressures arising from human use of arctic coastal and near-shore areas as sea ice diminishes."
