Global Outlook for Ice & Snow

Photo: Bjørn Frantzen

Seabirds tend to aggregate at ice edges or in marginal ice zones where suitable prey is abundant and easily availa- ble. Wind-driven upwelling along ice-edges often concen- trates important invertebrate and fish prey and thus im- proves foraging conditions. Diving seabirds also exploit the fauna associated with the subsurface of sea-ice as well as other sorts of prey found in leads deep inside the ice. In the Arctic, species such as ivory gulls and little auks are very likely to be negatively impacted by reductions in sea ice and the subsequent changes to the communities in which they live 96 . Ivory gulls in the Canadian Arctic have shown significant declines in recent years and these de- clines have been attributed to changes in sea-ice cover 97 . In the Antarctic, species such as the emperor penguin, the snow petrel and the Antarctic petrel are likely to be negatively impacted if sea-ice extent changes markedly in the Southern Oceans 98 . However, as with polar ma-

rine mammals, reductions in sea-ice cover will also ben- efit many seabird species as new feeding areas become available and primary production increases 99 .

Impacts of sea-ice changes on culture and livelihoods of Arctic Indigenous Peoples

Environmental and seasonal cycles are an integral part of the human-environment system in Arctic regions, and the peoples of the north have a long tradition of adapting to shifting environmental conditions. However, the rapidity and pervasiveness of current and projected climate change pose new and unprecedented challenges to the adaptive capacity of local communities and Arctic societies 31 . Nearly four million people live in the Arctic today, in- cluding indigenous and non-indigenous people. Some are hunters and herders living on the land, and others are city dwellers. Many indigenous groups are exclusive

CHAPTER 5

ICE IN THE SEA

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