What are the effects of melting glaciers and sea ice loss on humans and wildlife? What happens in these places has consequences across the entire globe. As sea ice and glaciers melt and oceans warm, ocean currents will continue to disrupt weather patterns worldwide.

Polar ice caps are melting as global warming causes climate change. We lose Arctic sea ice at a rate of almost 13% per decade, and over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by a stunning 95%.

Sep 25, 2019 · What should be frozen solid is now thawing and melting away—and communities are already dealing with the consequences. From Alaska to Miami to Bangladesh, learn how ice loss and sea level rise are impacting communities.

Oct 12, 2016 · Melting sea ice is already contributing to rising ocean levels worldwide and opening up new areas of the ocean for risky oil drilling. And polar bears, which depend on that ice to hunt seals, rest, and breed, are now more vulnerable than ever.

Jun 28, 2018 · Throughout the Arctic, melting sea ice is causing Pacific walruses to "haul out" on land in massive groups. To minimize deadly disturbances and minimize human-polar bear conflict, WWF is establishing artificial feeding spots on polar …

Aug 8, 2024 · The melting of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, already underway, which will cause global sea levels to rise by up to 23 feet in the coming centuries. Disappearing ice also means less sunlight is reflected back into space, further warming the atmosphere.

Aug 3, 2023 · Fluctuating sea ice levels around Antarctica directly impact the amount of krill available. Competition is high for these small, semitransparent crustaceans. Baleen whales depend on Antarctic krill, as do many other animals, such as seals, birds and fish.

Priorities for climate-informed polar bear conservation should include identifying and protecting the “last ice areas,” the parts of the Arctic that are projected to retain sea ice farthest into the future.

But, climate change is melting and fragmenting sea ice across the Arctic, forcing more pregnant females to make their dens on land instead. In addition, new oil and gas exploration and drilling threaten vulnerable polar bear populations.

When there is less sea ice, more sunlight is absorbed into the ocean, causing increasing water temperatures. The warmer water then continues to melt the sea ice. As long as climate change persists at the current rate, this cycle will continue. With current levels of emissions, the Arctic could be ice-free in the summer by 2040.