Sea Ice Export as an Indicator of Changing Arctic Ocean Ecology

摘要

The polar sea ice controls many ecological processes in the Arctic Ocean. Global warming is predicted to shift the ice-edge to the north, decrease the sea ice thickness and surface, and increase ice-free areas. The change may increase the biological productivity and intensify bio-geochemical regeneration processes, especially in the Beaufort Gyre. Less is known about the biological community response to climate in the eastern Greenland Sea, but it may potentially become a key area for monitoring and assessment of ecological change in the Arctic Ocean. Research in the East Greenland ice tongue may establish better estimation and forecasting of ecological effects on higher trophic levels in the North Atlantic marine biological communities including fishes, birds, marine mammals and benthic organisms.