Where do you go when the land you live on disappears? That is a question some arctic mammals are asking themselves as they watch the ice around them melt into the sea. The shrinking ice sheets impact mammals differently. Some spend a lot of time on the ice and many use it for critical uses.
Polar Bears are highly dependent on sea ice as they require it for hunting. Reduced sea ice can limit their hunting range and the duration of their hunting season which in turn reduces energy stores and impacts reproductive rates.
While sea ice is necessary for all seal species, some of them are more dependent on it than others. Seals use ice for breeding, raising pups, resting, and as a hunting platform.
Whales are also impacted by sea-ice changes. The areas around sea ice are nutrient rich and highly productive and support the plankton, fish, and other species which from the base of the food chain that whales and other species rely upon.
There are some legal protections for individual species such as the polar bear, who is on the endangered species list, but ultimately shrinking ice is an ecosystem impacting event and more needs to be done.