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The Arctic Is Rapidly Turning Green, and Its a Serious Problem
https://futurism.com/the-arctic-is-rapidly-turning-green-and-its-a-serious-problem/Based on their findings, it seems that only a small fraction, around 3 or 4 percent, of the Arctic sea ice would allow phytoplankton growth 20 years ago. By 2015, almost 30 percent of the sea ice was thin enough to allow phytoplankton to thrive in the summer.
This nearly 10x increase of thin ice could radically shift how the affected ecosystem works. If conditions beneath the ice of the Arctic sea continue to become more hospitable for phytoplanktons, they could eventually opt to grow under the icy waters and make themselves unavailable to sea creatures that depend on them as a food source.
“All of a sudden, our entire idea about how this ecosystem works is different,” Horvat said in the press release. “The foundation of the Arctic food web is now growing at a different time and in places that are less accessible to animals that need oxygen.”
This nearly 10x increase of thin ice could radically shift how the affected ecosystem works. If conditions beneath the ice of the Arctic sea continue to become more hospitable for phytoplanktons, they could eventually opt to grow under the icy waters and make themselves unavailable to sea creatures that depend on them as a food source.
“All of a sudden, our entire idea about how this ecosystem works is different,” Horvat said in the press release. “The foundation of the Arctic food web is now growing at a different time and in places that are less accessible to animals that need oxygen.”
FYI, some far-right/denier websites are touting this as a good thing, because all they see is more growth = more stuff for fish to eat.
