Arctic Ecosystem
Biological Productivity of the High Arctic Ecosystem
The central Arctic Ocean ecosystem is already undergoing fundamental restructuring. Species that thrive on the continental shelf would be pushed northwards into deep water, losing their basic habitat. The intensity of sunlight is reduced farther north and photosynthesis becomes less efficient. Also, summer conditions are predicted to change much more drastically than winter conditions, creating a new environmental niche. True Arctic species will have to try to adapt to subarctic summers and subarctic species will need to survive Arctic winters if they are to shift northwards and survive.
Although the Arctic Basin is low in nutrients and productivity, there are still fish, birds and mammals there. Removing fish and altering habitat in this sensitive environment could affect the entire food web, including ringed seals, polar bears, and beluga whales. In fact, low productivity coupled with relatively long life spans of many Arctic species means that they are highly susceptible to rapid overharvesting. Such impacts would not be limited to the offshore waters of the central Arctic Ocean. Many of the birds and mammals observed there also migrate to and along the Arctic coast. There, they are important to the subsistence way of life for Arctic coastal peoples who have used these resources for thousands of years.
