What are the Impacts of Melting Icebergs?

By: Dezaray Greene

The dangers of the icebergs melting doesn't just affect humans, it affects the whole world. Animals and other organic organisms are subject to just as much, if not more, harm than humans. The Earth is a shared ecosystem between us humans and every other animal in the world. This means each poor side effect that humans are experiencing, every other animal we share the earth with is sharing a similar burden.

Polar bears make up a large amount of the mammal population surrounding icebergs, and since animals living in that habitat will suffer the most, many polar bears are in grave danger. Polar bears are large predators that hunt for their prey, which is mainly made up of seals that can be found swimming under the ice. The icebergs melting will cause the decrease of ice along the waters where polar bears hunt for their food, causing them to swim further to find more food.

Some animals even find homes in or around icebergs, so the disappearance of these massive pieces of ice would leave many animals without homes or safe places to hide from predators. Animals such as seals and penguins use icebergs as a means of escape to flee from predators like killer whales and polar bears. One small shift in the workings of a food chain would cause over or underpopulation in a number of species as they are thrown off balance by the melting of icebergs. Other species such as Arctic foxes, walruses, owls, and a variety of others will be impacted as their habitats are taken away .

Permafrost, the permanent wedge of ice beneath a layer of dirt and grass

Permafrost, which is ground that is forever frozen, houses methane which is a greenhouse gas that largely contributes to climate change as it is 80% warmer than carbon dioxide. If permafrost were to melt, it would release these gasses into the atmosphere causing planet temperatures to rise even higher. This would inevitably speed up the melting process of the Arctic and other places around the world. Outside of the Arctic, once the sea levels rise, many animals that live in warmer, grassy areas could be put in danger as well. Not as directly as Arctic animals, but via the ecosystem. Many animals rely on fish as a food source, and if the melting of the Arctic disturbs marine life, it may cut off that source. Melting icebergs also affect the currents of the sea which can change the movement of nutrients. However, animals do migrate to new habitats when a change in climate or food access occurs, meaning that animals who once thrived off of the marine life would be forced to flee to different areas. Animals like sea birds, who survey the ocean for fish, would have to migrate even further for food, and this would be the case for a number of animals.

This wont only affect animals. Smaller level organisms like plankton and algae will have their food chains disrupted as well. Every part of marine life will be affected by the ice bergs melting, as will non-aquatic animals. It's a hard thing to stop, but it isn't impossible. People can reduce their carbon emissions by lessening the use of greenhouse gasses which would slow the heating of the planet and keep the icebergs in tact for a while longer. There are many small ways everyone can contribute to stopping the melting of the Arctic, it's important to do your research and urge your government officials to do what they can to help the cause and preserve marine life for as long as possible.