Melting Arctic ice changing Mid-Atlantic ecosystems
Another canary in the climate has been identified by researchers at Cornell University. Their study indicates that the melting of Arctic freshwater ice has caused ecosystem changes all the way down to the Mid-Atlantic coast of the US.
As illustrated by this graphic from the Cornell study, the cold, recently melted freshwater enters the ocean’s currents and travels southward down the east coast of North America. This creates a counterintuitive effect. Normally one might assume that climate change would cause the oceans to heat up, and therefore drive species to the north, looking for colder waters. However, since the freshly melted Artic ice is so cold and is being caught in the southward currents, this is causing cold water marine life to actually migrate southwards towards what were previously warmer waters.
According to the study, a microscopic algal species from the Pacific Ocean, which had not seen in the North Atlantic for over 800,000 years, has shown up there in the past decade.
Additionally, the introduction of new fresh water into the ocean “has extended the growing seasons of phytoplankton and tiny drifting animals, like copepods, which make up the base of the marine food chain.” The study also noted that while the Atlantic Cod population was decimated in the 20th century from over fishing, the increase in cold water has prevented their ability to rebound. This, in turn, has allowed prey species like crustaceans to overpopulate.
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