The Value of Sea Ice

We hear a lot about melting sea ice in the Arctic and the sad effects this is having on polar bears and other wildlife. Clearly, melting sea ice is bad news, but we don’t always hear about why. 

According to Defenders’ Alaska Program Director Karla Dutton, sea ice is more than just a convenient platform floating out on the ocean. It is actually a living entity, ever-changing and in constant motion, and in natural sync with the Arctic wildlife that depend on it. 

How is sea ice “alive”?

Think of sea ice as a kitchen (with a freezer!), stocked full of different food for a variety of animals. Within the ice are important nutrients, along with microscopic plants and animals, such as plankton, that feed on the nutrients. These plankton attract fish, which in turn attract birds, seals, foxes and polar bears. An entire food chain tied to frozen sea water.

How is sea ice changing?

Sea ice naturally fluctuates according to season: expanding in winter and melting in summer. It drifts with ocean currents and winds, sometimes coming together in a large mass creating pack ice.

Polar bears and other wildlife depend on sea ice.

How does wildlife depend on sea ice?

We’ve already learned about the living nature of sea ice and how it forms part of the Arctic food chain. But sea ice is also an essential piece of the Arctic landscape, just as trees in the forest or dry soil in the desert. Sea ice provides places for polar bears and other wildlife to feed and rest –  in essence, a lifeline. 

Faced with the disappearance of such important habitat, we strive to find ways to protect and preserve it. Sadly there is no substitute for sea-ice, no manmade structure we can put in its place when it’s gone – at least not any that would stand up to the forces of nature or adequately meet the needs of wildlife. The best way is to curb climate change and the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to it. We all can do our part, “bearing” responsibility for the changes affecting these magnificent animals.

Read more about polar bears and Defenders’ plan of action to protect their sea ice habitats in our report, Sea Bear Under Siege.