Nadja S. Steiner and Cathy M. Reader analyzed data from 11 Earth System Models involved in the CMIP6* project to assess how climate factors, such as temperature, sea ice concentration, oxygen, and ocean acidification, affect Arctic marine ecosystems.

Temperature plays a crucial role in shaping marine biodiversity and species distribution, from primary producers to top predators. In the Arctic, warming oceans shrink habitats for cold-adapted species, while oxygen depletion and acidification reduce the thermal tolerance of marine invertebrates and fishes ability to adapt. These combined stressors—warming, acidification, and deoxygenation—are often referred to as the "deadly trio," disrupting metabolism, physiology, habitats, and food webs.

Arctic acidification, driven by atmospheric carbon dioxide absorption, has been shown to impact species metabolism and physiology.

Last, sea ice loss in the Arctic directly disrupts marine food webs and ecosystem services. It impacts marine mammal habitats and indirectly affects pelagic ecosystems by altering light availability, upwelling, and nutrient supply.

The accelerated shifting environmental conditions in the Arctic could lead to dramatic transformations in marine ecosystems, with significant impacts on Arctic communities and far-reaching global effects.

Read the latest publication by Nadja S. Steiner and Cathy M. Reader to learn more.