Disappearing Wildlife

All this melting seems to have caused problems for humans from all over the world. This time, I'm going to have a look at how wildlife is also on the receiving end of some of these shifts in the cryosphere.

Source: WWF

Walrus' are just one example of a species which is threatened due to the retreat of Arctic sea ice. They use floating ice as a platform from which they can dive for the clams that they rely on for food. As the ice retreats away from the continental shelves to deeper areas, the availability of clams decreases due to the depth. This is coupled with the fact that walrus' use the ice as a resting point, and often use it to travel long distances. In its absence, the walrus have to swim further, with less rest to move from one feeding ground to another,  (Smetacek and Nicol (2005), and once there, food availability has declined in comparison to previous seasons. Furthermore, being based on floating ice for much of the year gives them some protection and isolation from potential predators (USGS). Again, this is a benefit that they will no longer be able to utilise as sea ice levels decline.

Polar bears are (perhaps for good reason) the most iconic of the species that we think of when discussing climate change (and indeed, ice loss). They hunt and give birth on sea ice, and they need it to travel between regions. The survival of the cubs is dependent on the hunting successes of their mothers, which in turn depends on the stability and extent of sea ice (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), (2004).

Source: Endangered Polar Bear

However, it's not just animals which are dependent on sea ice that are under pressure from the disappearing cryosphere, there are plenty of examples of animals which are dependent on other forms of ice. 

The shrinking/disappearance of permafrost also has its impacts on wildlife. Many closed basin lake systems have disappeared as water can now much more readily percolate into the ground surface when that surface is not frozen.

Source: All about birds

 As a result, there is a reduction in the habitat available for the wildlife which such as waterfowl and shorebirds such as rare pied-billed grebes. This evidently has further impacts on those whose livelihoods depend on such birds.

Source: US Environmental Protection Agency

The examples illustrated are diverse but not exhaustive. The same processes are happening in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (think penguins). It seems that the only form of melting ice that has little impact on animal life is the mountain glaciers such as those of the Himalaya. This is because the wildlife in such areas is not dependent on the glaciers themselves - they source their food an shelter elsewhere so the retreat of the glaciers does not deprive them of a vital resource such as in the examples illustrated above.