Polar ice the size of India has melted into the oceans in record heat due to our relentless burning of fossil fuels. Climate scientists are very alarmed about this development. They see a buildup of anthropogenic fossil fuel gases as an El Nino weather event this year releases heat from the Pacific Ocean, combining to cause significant damage to the world’s air conditioners.
In a stunning and grim announcement for our biosphere, scientists have announced that sea ice collapse has damaged the stratospheric as well as the lower atmospheric circulations.
Hudson Bay, Canada is experiencing dramatic climate change that portends disaster for the entire circumpolar Arctic, according to scientists attending the ArcticNet conference hosted at the Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada. It was announced there that a “near-catastrophic” plunge (75% since 1996) in the population of ringed seals occurred in Hudson Bay due to sea ice collapse.
Bill Redekop of the Winnepeg Free Press reports:
Ringed seals feast on smaller fish beneath the ice. The food around ice has lots of fat, important in the Arctic where animals need to build up body mass to survive the extreme conditions. Seals also depend on sea ice for molting in late spring when they change their coats.
Bearded seals, which forage under ice for food such as clams, are also likely to be negatively affected, he said.
And in turn, the polar bear population will suffer because seals are the main component of their winter diet. The problem is compounded, as less sea ice means the bears have less area to hunt.
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I don't think polar bears and seals will be able to adapt. I think they'll just die out in places like Hudson Bay. There's little to stop the trend in loss of sea ice, even if we stop producing greenhouse gasses," he said.
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Ferguson said while many people believe climate change is gradual, aerial surveys reveal mammals can disappear in huge numbers in a short period of time.