Frozen Oceans

Arctic ice is diminishing at a visible rate. The melting Arctic doesn’t only have an impact on the polar bears, but also local and global communities as well as the whole ecosystem of the polar ocean. Numerous tiny plant-like creatures – algae - that are more commonly found in ice-free, warmer sea water are beginning to flourish in the Arctic Ocean. How will this affect ocean dwellers? In the long term, the Arctic Ocean is one of the main ‘gears’ that drive the largest water movement on Earth: ocean circulation. How will this affect us?

In the long term, the Arctic Ocean is one of the main ‘gears’ that drive the largest water movement on Earth: ocean circulation. At present, ocean circulation transports a tremendous amount of heat (around 600 times that produced by all the power stations worldwide) from equator to pole, moderating the climate at the high latitudes. This mechanism might be disrupted when large amounts of freshwater are introduced from the melting Arctic. Through explanation of our research, the importance of ocean circulation will be presented to you along with it’s potential impacts.