Loss of Arctic Sea Leading to Greening of the Arctic: Research

Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks's Geophysical Institute, in the last week of August 2013 revealed that loss of the Arctic sea was leading to greening of the Arctic. Researchers revealed that declining sea ice as well as warming trends are the factors leading to change of vegetation in the Arctic coastal areas.

Uma Bhatt, an associate professor with University of Alaska Fairbanks's Geophysical Institute explained that the researchers wanted to find out if the depleting sea ice was the factor contributing to greening of the tundra along the coastal areas. This was relatively the new idea.
 
The team of researchers analysed 10 years of data as well as research on this subject in order to reinstate the fact. The findings of the study revealed that the loss of sea ice was changing the terrestrial food chain as well as marine food chain. It is also important to note that the disappearance of the sea ice also means that there was a loss of sea ice algae, which in turn meant that there was underpinning of the marine food web.

The researchers also explained that the larger planktons were flourishing and that these were more nutrient dense planktons. Above the water level, the loss of sea ice has also destroyed the old ways of animal migration all across the sea. In the meanwhile, it has also opened the new pathways for the marine animals in the other seas.

The researchers explained that the depleting sea ice will cause more isolation to the plants and the animals. In case of the farthest north and coldest parts of the Arctic, all of the biomes would be lost without the presence of cooling effects of disappearing summer sea ice.