4. Polar marine biology

• Main Author: Mladenov, Philip V.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2020
• Subjects: Antarctic; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Indian; Pacific; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Climate change
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780198841715.003.0005

Flourishing marine biological systems are present in the extreme environments of the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions of the planet. Both these regions are characterized by constantly cold sea temperatures, ice-covered oceans, and extreme seasonal fluctuations in light levels, but ‘Polar marine biology’ explains how they have evolved strikingly different and unique marine ecosystems. The Arctic Ocean is largely landlocked while the Southern Ocean surrounds the Antarctic continental land mass and is in open contact with the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. The impact of human-induced climate change is also discussed, which will affect the Arctic and Antarctic food webs in profound ways.