“Specialist” lifeforms that live under Arctic sea ice are at risk as the ice retreats, new research shows.
“Specialist” lifeforms that live under Arctic sea ice are at risk as the ice retreats, new research shows.
Scientists studied microscopic organisms in four environments – open ocean, river mouths, coasts and under sea ice – in the Beaufort Sea off northern Canada.
The under-ice mix of species was the least diverse – instead being made up of specialist plankton and microbes adapted to these harsh conditions.
The Arctic is warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the planet, causing sea ice to melt and raising the risk of an ice-free Arctic summer.
Read more at University of Exeter
Photo Credit: AlKalenski via Pixabay
