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Impacts on animal life
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Species quite specifically adapted to the arctic climate are especially at risk including many species of mosses and lichens, lemmings, voles, arctic fox and snowy owl. Marine species dependent on sea ice, including polar bears, ice-living seals, walrus, and some marine birds, are very likely to decline, with some species facing extinction. The ranges of many plant and animal species are projected to shift northward, resulting in an increased number of species in the Arctic. Some currently widespread arctic species are likely to suffer major declines.
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Polar bears depend on sea ice
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Polar bears are intimately tied to the sea ice, where they hunt ringed seals and other ice-associated seals, and use ice corridors to move from one area to another.
Pregnant females build their winter dens in areas with thick snow cover on land or on sea ice. When females emerge from their dens with their cubs, the mothers have not eaten for 5 to 7 months. Their seal hunting success, which depends on good spring ice conditions, is essential for the family's survival. Changes in ice extent and stability are thus of critical importance.
Projections of sea ice decline in the future spell trouble. Forecasts of summer sea ice from a range of climate models suggest reductions of 50 % or more by 2050, with some models projecting the complete disappearance of summer sea ice in a similar time frame. Such reductions in sea ice will drastically shrink marine habitat for polar bears. It is difficult to imagine the survival of polar bears in the absence of summer sea ice.
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Impacts on Arctic vegetation
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Coming soon
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