Climate Change Impacts On Biodiversity In The Arctic
The Arctic, Antarctic and high latitudes have had the highest rates of warming, and this trend is
projected to continue, as the above-mentioned Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 notes (p. 56).
In the Arctic, it is not just a reduction in the extent of sea ice, but its thickness and age. Less ice means
less reflective surface meaning more rapid melting. The rapid reduction exceeds even scientific
forecasts and is discussed further on this site’s climate change introduction.
The polar bear depends on sea ice. (Image source)
In terms of biodiversity, “the prospect of ice-free summers in the Arctic Ocean implies the loss of an
entire biome”, the Global Biodiversity Outlook notes (p. 57).
In addition, “Whole species assemblages are adapted to life on top of or under ice — from the algae
that grow on the underside of multi-year ice, forming up to 25% of the Arctic Ocean’s primary
production, to the invertebrates, birds, fish and marine mammals further up the food chain.” The
iconic polar bear at the top of that food chain is therefore not the only species at risk even though it
may get more media attention.
Note, the ice in the Arctic does thaw and refreeze each year, but it is that pattern which has changed a
lot in recent years as shown by this graph:
The extent of floating sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, as measured at its annual minimum in September, showed a steady
decline between 1980 and 2009.Source: National Snow and Ice Data Center, graph compiled by Secretariat of the
Convention on Biological Diversity (2010) Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, May 2010
It is also important to note that loss of sea ice has implications on biodiversity beyond the Arctic, as
the Global Biodiversity Outlook report also summarizes:

Bright white ice reflects sunlight.

When it is replaced by darker water, the ocean and the air heat much faster, a feedback that
accelerates ice melt and heating of surface air inland, with resultant loss of tundra.

Less sea ice leads to changes in seawater temperature and salinity, leading to changes in primary
productivity and species composition of plankton and fish, as well as large-scale changes in ocean
circulation, affecting biodiversity well beyond the Arctic.
— Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010), Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, May, 2010
Talking about the article:
The article is about the climate change that impacts the biodiversity in the Arctic.
If the climate temperature will keep getting higher and higher like it did in the last couple of
centuries, a lot of species will disappear in the Arctic. For example, the algae that live on the
underside of the ice forms up to 25% of the Arctic’s primary food production. If the algae
disappears due to the ice that is becoming thinner and thinner, the other species that rely on
the algae will disappear too.
I Suppose the loss of different species will make the world some more boring, because if every
living creature would be the same, there would be no possibility to discover new species and I
think everything would become Humdrum. I suppose variety is good and needed on the earth.
Of course there are a lot of solutions to this problem. One example is that people could use
their bikes some more instead of using the car every time, because the emissions from the cars
are extremely bad for the environment and they therefore take a very big part in the climate
change.
Another way to solve the climate change is to switch the light off more often when you are for
example not in a room, this also would lower your electric costs, which is also useful.