The Loss Of Arctic Ice: Decline In The Arctic Ocean

Decline in the Arctic ice may also affect the productivity in the Arctic Ocean, which is apparent from changes in phytoplankton abundance. The fresh cold water resulted from melting ice in the Arctic spreads to the north east Atlantic and North Sea and causes a decline in phytoplankton abundance (Hughes, 2000). These findings further support the idea that melting Arctic ice has mostly detrimental effects on Arctic biology. However, there are some instances of adaptation to the loss of arctic ice among some species. Algae grow beneath some of the sea ice and small crustaceans or amphipods feed on these algae, while they are now less dependent on the widespread sea ice than they used to be (Schiermeier, 2012). These crustaceans and amphipods
are able to sink to the bottom of the ocean so that “pole-ward currents” carry them farther north, where surviving sea ice can be found and colonized (Schiermeier, 2012).