Washington (AP) — For most of the last century, the world’s oceans were teeming with marine life that fed the global ecosystem.
Now, those creatures are dwindling as global temperatures rise and more CO2-rich air pollution threatens the Arctic’s wildlife and ecosystem.
In the Arctic Ocean, scientists say a change in the planet’s climate will be devastating.
And for the first time, they say, they’re looking at ways to save it.
The United States is the world leader in the Arctic.
But scientists say if the world is to meet the goal of keeping global temperatures from rising by 2 degrees Celsius, we must reduce the CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
Scientists say the Arctic has the largest ice sheet in the world, with more than 11 billion square kilometers.
It is home to some of the worlds largest marine creatures, including polar bears, walruses, whales and seals.
And scientists say the loss of that ice could have devastating effects on Arctic wildlife.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature says the polar ice is one of the most important and critical components of a healthy marine environment.
Its survival depends on the health of the Arctic ecosystem.
The IUCN says its loss will affect all marine life in the region.
In its first assessment of the impact of climate change on the Arctic in the last 10 years, the IUCNC estimated that the Arctic is already in trouble with sea ice that is shrinking by 3.8 million square kilometers annually.
That’s a 7 percent decrease since 2005.
The IUC’s projections also suggest the ice could disappear entirely by 2060.
It’s a significant decrease in ice cover for the region, and that could lead to sea level rise.
“The Arctic ice sheet is shrinking faster than the rest of the planet,” said Eric Steiner, the lead scientist on the report, which was released Tuesday.
“It’s getting smaller and smaller every year.”
What’s happening?
In the Arctic on average, the ice shrinks by about 1.5 percent a year.
It usually shrinks about 3 percent a decade, and in some years, by more than 4 percent a century.
The researchers also estimate that the ice is losing about 1 percent a day, a number that’s going to keep dropping.
By 2060, the sea ice in the northern part of the ice sheet, the area around the Bering Strait, could disappear by 2.7 million square km.
It could also disappear by as much as 6 million square miles, or a quarter of the entire area.
This is a really large loss.
And the rate of ice loss is increasing, which means that we’re going to have a lot more sea ice going out.
The amount of ice we see going into the ocean is decreasing every year, and it’s not going to be sustainable.
It’s not just a loss in the ice.
The ice also is getting thinner and thinner, which makes it harder to keep the ice in place.
The ice has been melting for a long time, but it has only grown more vulnerable over time, according to a report by scientists from the IARC.
The Arctic sea ice has decreased by as many as 10 percent a million square meters a year since 2000.
The researchers estimate that there’s a 50 percent chance that sea ice will disappear entirely in the next 100 years.
They also say that the loss will have a devastating effect on the region’s ecosystem.
The effects of sea ice loss on the planetAs the ice melts, the oceans absorb more CO 2 and release more carbon dioxide, which traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere.
That heat helps drive global warming, which in turn causes more storms, stronger storms, and more drought.
The report says the oceans are warming and the ice sheets that absorb the extra CO 2 are melting faster and faster.
As the ice loses, the ocean will lose the ability to absorb the CO 2 from the atmosphere, and the ocean, which is already warmed by the heat released from the melting ice, will be less able to absorb it.
“We’re getting more warming,” said Dr. Eric Steins, the report’s lead author.
“The oceans are becoming more sensitive to that.”
The scientists also say the warming of the atmosphere will make the oceans more acidic, meaning the acidity in the water is getting higher and higher.
That will mean the oceans will become more sensitive and more acidic in the future, increasing the likelihood of severe weather, such as storms and floods.
A change in climate could also affect Arctic wildlife and ecosystems, like the seals, walrus, beluga whales and walrus seals.
Steiner said the Arctic was a refuge for walrisses in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Those walrides, which live in the Northern Hemisphere, are now disappearing.
The research was done by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey.
It was sponsored by the U,S.
Fish and Wildlife Service,