The effects of changing polar climates on the world's ecosystems

            For the past 10-20 years, the shrinking of the polar ice caps has been an important ecological issue. These sheets of ice provide important services to many arctic and Antarctic animals.  The shrinking caps have endangered the livelihoods of many mammals such as polar bears, which rely on the ice sheets to be able to hunt in the Arctic Ocean.  New studies have estimated the total amount of ice that has been lost over the past 20 years.

            According to studies that have taken place from 1991 to present, both the Arctic and Greenland ice sheets have lost humungous amounts of ice.  To be exact, the Antarctic ice cap has lost 1,320 billion metric tons while the Greenland ice sheet has lost 2,940 billion metric tons.  This has caused the oceans to rise 11.1 millimeters, which constitutes 1/5^th of the total sea level change over that time period. This doesn’t even factor in the losses taken on by ice sheets in Alaska, Canada, and Patagonia. In addition to the sheer amount of ice being lost, this shrinking process has accelerated to five times what it was in the 1990’s.  These changes made me think about the effects they might have on both arctic and aquatic ecosystems.

            The first effect that these changes will likely have is to decrease the temperatures of the oceans, albeit ever so slightly. The higher volume of water will heat at a slower rate than before. Additionally, there will be even less energy that makes it all the way to the benthic zones of the oceans, as the distances from ocean surface to bottom increases.  This eventual cooling of the oceans should have an impact on terrestrial climates as well; many climatic functions are affected by oceanic temperatures and cells that are created by air rising off of the ocean.  This decrease in temperature could potentially lead to colder temperatures at night in coastal regions, as well as cooler breezes during the day.

            While it is still too early to know the exact effects of the melting ice sheets at the poles, there is no doubt that there will be noticeable changes to numerous ecosystems across the globe. As these changes begin to take place, it will be extremely important both ecologically and economically to try and find solutions to any of the negative effects that these changes bring.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/346733/description/Shrinking_polar_ice_caused_one-fifth_of_sea_level_rise