Both the Arctic and Antarctica are being affected by world environmental problems, such as global warming. Evidence of global warming – lessened snow cover, weather changes and rising sea levels – may mean that ecosystems could face change as some species may be forced out of their habitat (possibly to extinction).
Polar bear
Scientists have found evidence that polar bears are drowning because climate change is melting the Arctic ice shelf. Although polar bears are strong swimmers, they are adapted for swimming close to the shore. As they are being forced into long voyages because the ice floes from which the feed are melting, their lengthening sea journeys leave them vulnerable to exhaustion, hypothermia or being swamped by waves.
Weddell seal - POAC Andy Johnson
To predict the future state of Antarctica’s ecosystem, computer models need be developed that are capable of simulating change in the Southern Ocean. BAS (British Antarctic Survey) is currently developing such predictive models and providing up-to-date information on the state of the ocean ecosystem, along with predictions of future climate change to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the international body that manages sustainable fishing in the Southern Ocean.
Life in the Southern Ocean
