Robbie Brown · Arctic Fellowship
A bearded seal resting on the ice

The Animals

Seals

Already struggling to reproduce, simply because there isn't enough strong ice to give birth on.

Header photo credit: Birgit Lutz

In order to survive, an animal needs to be able to reproduce. Already, seals are struggling to reproduce simply because there isn't enough strong ice to give birth on. As the ice disappears more and more quickly, there will be less time and space for seals to give birth. Babies that aren't born on ice will quickly drown.

Sea ice drifting in Svalbard waters
Pack ice and open water in the Arctic
A spotted seal in the water

Seal photo credit: Janelle Lugge

The fish they depend on

Additionally, the survival of seals depends heavily on the Arctic fish populations. These fish are increasingly struggling with warmer climates, new predators driven north by warming, and lack of food sources.

Credit: William Drumm (YouTube)

Krill and plankton

One such food source is krill and plankton. Many of these tiny creatures require ice cover or kelp to develop. As these decline, the food sources and eventually fish populations will follow suit. Then, the drop in fish populations will continue on to hurt the seals.

Krill — a key Arctic food source
Plankton frozen in the ice
Ice algae

Credits: Øystein Paulsen, Paul Nicklen, and Twitter / @CKatlein

Currently, Antarctic krill and phytoplankton populations are experiencing similar issues too. In turn, the penguin populations there are struggling as well. For more info, feel free to read the articles below.

Life in Antarctica Relies on a Shrinking Supply of Krill — National Geographic→ Huge Colonies of Emperor Penguins Saw No Chicks Survive as Sea Ice Disappears — CNN→

Another animal bound to the ice

Walruses →