Arctic Cod
The importance of the Arctic cod in its icy, marine ecosystem is no fish story: There is no exaggerating the vital role this small fish plays in anchoring the food web in our planet’s northernmost ocean. Hiding beneath the sea ice and in its cracks and crevices, Arctic cod are the main consumers of...
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| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.230.5593 http://www.defenders.org/resources/publications/programs_and_policy/science_and_economics/global_warming/navigating_the_arctic_meltdown_arctic_cod.pdf |
| Summary: | The importance of the Arctic cod in its icy, marine ecosystem is no fish story: There is no exaggerating the vital role this small fish plays in anchoring the food web in our planet’s northernmost ocean. Hiding beneath the sea ice and in its cracks and crevices, Arctic cod are the main consumers of plankton (microscopic animals and plants) that flourish around sea ice. They are also a primary food source for many Arctic animals at the top of the food chain that are already at risk in habitats damaged by rising temperatures. Sea ice is not just a platform on which animals live, it is also a kitchen of sorts—a place bustling with productivity, where nutrients concentrate, algae thrive and tiny invertebrates, larval fishes and Arctic cod graze. Now, however, the interactions between the sea ice and the ocean floor that sustain this productivity are also threatened by global warming. In the spring, melting sea-ice triggers an explosive bloom of marine plants. Algae start to grow when snow at the seaice surface melts. More algae sprout from the underside of |
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