Overview: Ice Sheets and Polar Deserts—Ice of Life

Abstract

Abstract Life near the poles is tough but vulnerable. The very adaptations that allow both marine and terrestrial life to survive the bitterly cold winters and short, cool summers can become liabilities in a rapidly warming world. Ecological patterns and long-term species associations are already starting to break down in some Arctic regions. Thus far, the marine biota of Antarctic waters has not experienced such high rates of environmental change, but incursions of warm water caused by changes in wind patterns and ocean circulation will wreak havoc if they melt the sea ice and cause changes in krill distribution patterns.