Reasons for Concern Regarding Survival at the North Pole
Global warming is a very real issue that is affects ecosystems around the world. At the North Pole the rapid melting of the ice cap threatens the survival of arctic animals as well as the indigenous people who have lived on polar ice for centuries.
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Ice Melt
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Antarctica has experienced some ice melt, but the ice on the South Pole covers land. North Pole ice covers an ocean and is more susceptible to global warming. In some places, such as Hudson Bay, the ice pack has almost disappeared (Reference 1).
Permafrost Melt
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Permafrost is permanently frozen soil. In the arctic, the permafrost is melting and possibly accelerating global warming through the release of huge amounts of carbon dioxide and methane (Reference 2).
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Dangerous Hunting
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The thinning ice has made it more difficult and dangerous for the Inuit, an indigenous people, to reach their traditional hunting grounds. Not only is navigation more difficult, but hunters have been killed by falling through ice at places that were once safe (Reference 3).
Loss of Infrastructure
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The melting of ice and permafrost has caused contamination of drinking water, erosion and landslides. Airports, pipelines and roads have been damaged, sometimes requiring entire Inuit villages to be moved (Reference 3).
Polar Bears
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Polar bears use the pack ice for den areas as well as for traveling while in search of seals. The lack of ice forces them to swim more, which burns energy and can chill smaller cubs, decreasing their chance of survival (Resource 1).
Human Interaction
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Polar bears are increasingly being forced to seek dens and food on land, and are coming into contact with humans more often. Nearly 1,000 bears have invaded the town of Churchill, Manitoba on the Hudson Bay in Canada. It has brought an increase in tourism for this town, but sometimes these encounters do not have happy endings (Resource 2).
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of monado
