Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Foreword and Preface
- Preface
- Summary of the first global integrated marine assessment
- The context of the assessment
- Assessment of Major Ecosystem Services from the Marine Environment (Other than Provisioning Services)
- Assessment of the Cross-cutting Issues: Food Security and Food Safety
- Assessment of Other Human Activities and the Marine Environment
- Assessment of Marine Biological Diversity and Habitats
- Section A Overview of Marine Biological Diversity
- Chapter 36 Overview of Marine Biological Diversity
- Division 36.A North Atlantic Ocean
- Division 36.B South Atlantic Ocean
- Division 36.C North Pacific Ocean
- Division 36.D South Pacific Ocean
- Division 36.E Indian Ocean
- Division 36.F Open Ocean Deep Sea
- Division 36.G Arctic Ocean
- Division 36.H Southern Ocean
- Section B Marine Ecosystems, Species and Habitats Scientifically Identified as Threatened, Declining or Otherwise in need of Special Attention or Protection
- I Marine Species
- II Marine Ecosystems and Habitats
- Section C Environmental, economic and/or social aspects of the conservation of marine species and habitats and capacity-building needs
- Overall Assessment
- Annexes
- References
Division 36.G - Arctic Ocean
from Chapter 36 - Overview of Marine Biological Diversity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 May 2017
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Foreword and Preface
- Preface
- Summary of the first global integrated marine assessment
- The context of the assessment
- Assessment of Major Ecosystem Services from the Marine Environment (Other than Provisioning Services)
- Assessment of the Cross-cutting Issues: Food Security and Food Safety
- Assessment of Other Human Activities and the Marine Environment
- Assessment of Marine Biological Diversity and Habitats
- Section A Overview of Marine Biological Diversity
- Chapter 36 Overview of Marine Biological Diversity
- Division 36.A North Atlantic Ocean
- Division 36.B South Atlantic Ocean
- Division 36.C North Pacific Ocean
- Division 36.D South Pacific Ocean
- Division 36.E Indian Ocean
- Division 36.F Open Ocean Deep Sea
- Division 36.G Arctic Ocean
- Division 36.H Southern Ocean
- Section B Marine Ecosystems, Species and Habitats Scientifically Identified as Threatened, Declining or Otherwise in need of Special Attention or Protection
- I Marine Species
- II Marine Ecosystems and Habitats
- Section C Environmental, economic and/or social aspects of the conservation of marine species and habitats and capacity-building needs
- Overall Assessment
- Annexes
- References
Summary
Introduction
State
The Central Arctic Ocean and the marginal seas such as the Chukchi, East Siberian, Laptev, Kara, White, Greenland, Beaufort, and Bering Seas, Baffin Bay and the Canadian Archipelago (Figure 36G.1) are among the least-known basins and bodies of water in the world ocean, because of their remoteness, hostile weather, and the multi-year (i.e., perennial) or seasonal ice cover. Even the well-studied Barents and Norwegian Seas are partly ice covered during winter and information during this period is sparse or lacking. The Arctic has warmed at twice the global rate, with sea-ice loss accelerating (Figure 36G.2, ACIA, 2004; Stroeve et al., 2012, Chapter 46 in this report), especially along the coasts of Russia, Alaska, and the Canadian Archipelago (Post et al., 2013). Changes in ice cover, ocean warming, altered salt stratification, alterations in water circulation and fronts, and shifts in advection patterns show that oceans within the Arctic are subjected to significant change, and may face even more change in future (Wassmann, 2011 and references within). The Central Arctic Ocean and the marginal seas are home to a diverse array of algae and animals, some iconic (e.g., polar bear), some obscure, and many yet to be discovered. Physical characteristics of the Arctic, important for structuring biodiversity, include extreme seasonality resulting in short growing seasons and annual to multi-annual ice cover. The Central Arctic Ocean has a deep central basin (>4000 m depth) surrounded by the most extensive shelves of all the world's oceans, and is characterized by extensive (albeit declining) ice cover for much of the year. This offers a vast number of different habitats created by the shape of the seabed, latitude, history of glaciations, proximity to the coastline and rivers, oceanic currents, and both the seabed and the ice as a substrate. Barriers for dispersal, such as the ice plug in the Canadian High Arctic, effectively separate stocks of some marine mammals (Dyke et al., 1996). Polynyas, which are open water areas surrounded by ice, provide important foraging and refuge areas and contribute to Arctic biodiversity. Differences in ice cover, mixing between warm- and cold-water currents, or currents with different nutrient content, create a mosaic of nutrient-poor areas which is reflected in species diversity (ABA, 2014, Figure 36G.3).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The First Global Integrated Marine AssessmentWorld Ocean Assessment I, pp. 705 - 728Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2017