Arctic Sea Ice Reduction Causes Migration of Species

Arctic Sea Ice Reduction Causes Migration of SpeciesWashington, Jun 28. -Several marine species, including gray whales and a tiny plankton, have migrated from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean due to the reduction of sea ice.

The plankton came across a marine corridor in the northwest, the authors note in the journal Nature. Its appearance in the Atlantic can be counterproductive, because of the negative impact on the marine food network.

The so-called Neodenticula seminae is a microscopic algae that became extinct thousands of years ago in the North Atlantic, noted in their article the researchers of the Clamer project, a collaboration of 17 marine institutions from 10 European countries.

This is the first evidence of a migration from the Arctic in modern times related to plankton. A geographical shift of this kind can transform the biodiversity and functioning of marine ecosystems of both oceans.

The gray whale is another species that reached the Atlantic, absent from those seas for three centuries due to excessive hunting, say the experts.

There are also now tiny animals called copepods, whose presence changes and threatens species such as cod, herring and mackerel, the scientists say.

Referring to these behaviors, Carlo Heip, director general of the Clamer Project, said that migration is an example of how conditions produced by climate change lead to changes in the lives of the species. (Prensa Latina)