http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tundra/ The Tundra Biome. Read the latest research on the tundra including information on tundra ecology, energy resources and the effects of climate change on this biome. Full articles, photos, free. en-us Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tundra/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133056.htm Arctic sea ice is rapidly retreating. Within a few decades the North Pole could be completely ice-free in summer. How will that affect our weather? In the research project "Seasonal Predictability over the Arctic Region" (SPAR), scientists in Norway have made some discoveries that may lead to more reliable seasonal forecasts. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213133056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209152816.htm Scientists are using computer models to help unravel the mystery of a record-setting snowfall in the Washington, DC area in early 2010. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209152816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206214226.htm A new study provides compelling evidence that the arrival of the invasive non-native harlequin ladybird (ladybug) to mainland Europe and subsequent spread has led to a rapid decline in historically-widespread species of ladybird in Britain, Belgium and Switzerland. The analysis is further evidence that harlequin ladybirds are displacing some native ladybirds, most probably through predation and competition. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206214226.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105126.htm Even if the current weather situation may seem to go against it, the probability of cold winters with a lot of snow in Central Europe rises when the Arctic is covered by less sea ice in summer. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:51:51 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201105126.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171913.htm Two decades after the United Nations established the Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to "prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system", the Arctic shows the first signs of a dangerous climate change. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130171913.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131509.htm Scientists suggest that the Little Ice Age was triggered by an unusual, 50-year episode of four massive volcanic eruptions. This led to an expansion of sea ice and a related weakening of Atlantic currents that caused the cool period to persist for centuries. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131509.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131503.htm According to a new study, the Little Ice Age began abruptly between A.D. 1275 and 1300, triggered by repeated, explosive volcanism, and was sustained for centuries by a self- perpetuating sea ice-ocean feedback system in the North Atlantic Ocean. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130131503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232818.htm Killer whales are the top marine predator. The increase in hunting territories available to killer whales in the Arctic due to climate change and melting sea ice could seriously affect the marine ecosystem balance. New research has combined scientific observations with Canadian Inuit traditional knowledge to determine killer whale behavior and diet in the Arctic. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120129232818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm New research demonstrates that one suggested method of geoengineering the atmosphere to deal with climate change, injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere, probably would have limited success. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:22:22 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125142212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119133759.htm Extraordinarily cold temperatures in the winter of 2010/2011 caused the most massive destruction of the ozone layer above the Arctic so far: The mechanisms leading to the first ozone hole above the North Pole have now been investigated. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120119133759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193430.htm Scientists have offered up a convincing explanation for the harsh winters recently experienced in the Northern hemisphere: increasing temperatures and melting ice in the Arctic regions creating more snowfall in the autumn months at lower latitudes. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134054.htm Scientists have developed two new standard reference materials for measurements of human exposure to environmental toxins. The new reference materials replace and improve older versions, adding measures for emerging environmental contaminants such as perchlorate, a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency has targeted for regulation as a contaminant under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134054.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104153749.htm A hemisphere-wide phenomenon -- and not just regional forces -- has caused record-breaking amounts of freshwater to accumulate in the Arctic's Beaufort Sea, researchers have found. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104153749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104142117.htm A new study allays concerns that melting Arctic sea ice could be increasing the amount of freshwater in the Arctic enough to have an impact on the global "ocean conveyor belt" that redistributes heat around our planet. Researchers detected a previously unknown redistribution of freshwater during the past decade from the Eurasian half of the Arctic Ocean to the Canadian half. Yet despite the redistribution, they found no change in the net amount of freshwater in the Arctic that might signal a change in the conveyor belt. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:21:21 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104142117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111204144700.htm Life scientists have produced the most comprehensive mathematical model ever devised to track the health of populations exposed to environmental change. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111204144700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130215740.htm As global temperatures continue to rise at an accelerated rate due to deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, natural stores of carbon in the Arctic are cause for serious concern, researchers say. A survey of 41 international experts shows models created to estimate global warming may have underestimated the magnitude of carbon emissions from permafrost over the next century. Its effect on climate change is projected to be 2.5 times greater than models predicted, partly because of the amount of methane released in permafrost, or frozen soil. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130215740.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130161535.htm As the Arctic warms, greenhouse gases will be released from thawing permafrost faster and at significantly higher levels than previous estimates, according to a survey of international experts. Permafrost thaw will release approximately the same amount of carbon as deforestation. However, the effect of thawing permafrost on climate will be 2.5 times greater because emissions include methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130161535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111120134753.htm A reconstruction of plants' productivity and the amount of carbon stored in the ocean and terrestrial biosphere at the last ice age has just been completed. The research greatly increases our understanding of natural carbon cycle dynamics. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 13:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111120134753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110130106.htm Evergreen trees at the edge of Alaska's tundra are growing faster, suggesting that at least some forests may be adapting to a rapidly warming climate, says a new study. While forests elsewhere are thinning from wildfires, insect damage and droughts partially attributed to global warming, some white spruce trees in the far north of Alaska have grown more vigorously in the last hundred years, especially since 1950, the study has found. Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111110130106.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103120457.htm Biologists have discovered that overturned duck nest boxes can be death traps for wetland turtles. Ordinarily a good thing, duck nest boxes -- a nesting box attached to a pole in the wetland ground -- are often erected in wetlands to provide nest sites for cavity-nesting ducks such as wood ducks and hooded mergansers. However, improper care of these boxes can have devastating effects on wetland turtles. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:04:04 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111103120457.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102161041.htm Both climate change and humans were responsible for the extinction of some large mammals, according to research that is the first of its kind to use genetic, archeological, and climatic data together to infer the population history of large Ice Age mammals. The large international team's research is expected to shed light on the possible fates of living species of mammals as our planet continues its current warming cycle. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102161041.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018111932.htm Microscopic animals that live in soils are as diverse in the tropical forests of Costa Rica as they are in the arid grasslands of Kenya, or the tundra and boreal forests of Alaska and Sweden, according to new research. Scientists have generally accepted that a wider range of species can be found above ground at the equator than at Earth's poles. But this study proves for the first time that the same rules don't apply to the nematodes, mites and springtails living underground. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018111932.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013121709.htm Industrial chemicals are being transported from the industrialized world to the Arctic via air and sea currents. Here, the cocktail of environmental toxins is absorbed by the sea's food chains, of which the polar bear is the top predator. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111013121709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012083442.htm An international research group has just finished sequencing the genome of the brown bear. The researchers will now compare the brown bear sequence to the recently released genome sequences of polar bear and giant panda. The brown bear genome could ultimately be the key to identify genes that are relevant for environmental adaptation. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012083442.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006102617.htm In the central Arctic the proportion of old, thick sea ice has declined significantly. Instead, the ice cover now largely consists of thin, one-year-old floes. This is one of the results that scientists brought back from the 26th Arctic expedition of the research vessel Polarstern. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006102617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006085326.htm Scientists have developed a new, globally unique method for estimating surface albedo in the Arctic sea area solely on the basis of microwave data. Its advantage over conventional optical methods is that neither clouds nor darkness interfere with measurements. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006085326.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084040.htm In recent decades, Arctic sea ice has suffered a dramatic decline that exceeds climate model predictions. The unexpected rate of ice shrinkage has now been explained. Researchers argue that climate models underestimate the rate of ice thinning, which is actually about four times faster than calculations. This model bias is due to the poor representation of the sea ice southward drift out of the Arctic basin through the Fram Strait. When this mechanism was taken into account to correct the discrepancy between simulations and observations, results from the new model suggested that there will be no Arctic sea ice in summer by the end of the century. Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:40:40 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111006084040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004150400.htm Last month the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to the second-lowest extent on record. Satellite data from NASA and the the National Snow and Ice Data Center showed that the summertime sea ice cover narrowly avoided a new record low. The near-record ice-melt followed higher-than-average summer temperatures, but without the unusual weather conditions that contributed to the extreme melt of 2007. Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:04:04 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004150400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004132718.htm Polar bears will be affected by climate change in the Arctic and Antarctic, but so will India's iconic tigers and elephants. Researchers are working to understand what is happening in polar oceans -- and what can be done. Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:27:27 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004132718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003190937.htm A NASA-led study has documented an unprecedented depletion of Earth's protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:09:09 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003190937.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003094402.htm A new study has documented an unprecedented depletion of the Earth's protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring that was caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:44:44 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003094402.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922142010.htm Relatively accurate predictions for summer sea ice extent in the Arctic can be made the previous autumn, but forecasting more than five years into the future requires understanding of the impact of climate trends on the ice pack. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922142010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110915163527.htm The blanket of sea ice that floats on the Arctic Ocean appears to have reached its lowest extent for 2011, the second lowest recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979, according to the University of Colorado Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center. Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110915163527.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914135631.htm In the last few days, the decline in Arctic sea ice extent has slowed. New data show Arctic sea ice extent currently at the second-lowest levels in the satellite record. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914135631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823115651.htm Billions of tons of carbon trapped in permafrost may be released into the atmosphere by the end of this century as the Earth's climate changes, further accelerating global warming, a new computer modeling study. The study also found that soil in high-latitude regions could shift from being a sink to a source of carbon dioxide by the end of the 21st century as the soil warms in response to climate change. Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823115651.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823115221.htm On Aug. 22, 2011, the research icebreaker Polarstern reached the North Pole. The aim of the current expedition is to document changes in the far north. The researchers on board are conducting an investigation of water, ice and air at the North Pole. The little sea ice cover makes the route via the pole to the investigational area in the Canadian Arctic possible. Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823115221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817194235.htm New research indicates that even if Earth warmed enough to melt all polar sea ice, the ice could recover if the planet cooled again. Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817194235.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811162817.htm Ice and frozen ground at the North and South Poles are affected by climate change induced warming, but the consequences of thawing at each pole differ due to the geography and geology, according to a hydrologist. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811162817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811113956.htm Although Arctic sea ice appears fated to melt as the climate continues to warm, the ice may temporarily stabilize or somewhat expand at times over the next few decades, new research indicates. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811113956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110804141706.htm For the last 10,000 years, summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been far from constant. For several thousand years, there was much less sea ice in The Arctic Ocean -- probably less than half of current amounts, according to a new study. Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110804141706.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728162634.htm In a study published in this week's issue of Nature, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) senior scientist Gauis Shaver and his colleagues, including lead author Michelle Mack of the University of Florida, describe the dramatic impacts of a massive Arctic wildfire on carbon releases to the atmosphere. The 2007 blaze on the North Slope of the Alaska's Brooks Mountain Range released 20 times more carbon to the atmosphere than what is annually lost from undisturbed tundra. Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728162634.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727131415.htm After a 10,000-year absence, wildfires have returned to the Arctic tundra, and a new study shows that their impact could extend far beyond the areas blackened by flames. Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727131415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727131407.htm In 2007 the largest recorded tundra fire in the circumpolar arctic released approximately as much carbon into the atmosphere as the tundra has stored in the previous 50 years, say scientists. The study of the Anaktuvuk River fire on Alaska's North Slope revealed how rapidly a single tundra fire can offset or reverse a half-century worth of soil-stored carbon. Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110727131407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110726092956.htm For years, the copepod Metridia has managed to remain hidden from science. However, this spring, during fieldwork at the Arctic Station, for the very first time researchers succeeded in filming how this constantly feeding little crayfish catches its prey. Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110726092956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110719082813.htm Often, the algal bloom in Disko Bay in Greenland has a short burst of just two weeks, this year Disko Bay was filled with plankton alga for more than six weeks. The duration of algal blooms depends on ice conditions, wind, and how much the sun shines. Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110719082813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110714141333.htm Large, marine-calving glaciers have the ability not only to shrink rapidly in response to global warming, but to grow at a remarkable pace during periods of global cooling, according to geologists working in Greenland. Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110714141333.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707121918.htm Polar bears' unique characteristics allow them to survive in one of the most extreme environments on Earth, but that survival is now threatened as rising temperatures and melting ice reshape the Arctic landscape. Now it appears that the stress of climate change, occurring both long ago and today, may be responsible for surprising twists in the bears' history and future as well. Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707121918.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707121914.htm Scientists have discovered that the female ancestor of all living polar bears was a brown bear that lived in the vicinity of present-day Britain and Ireland just prior to the peak of the last ice age -- 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. The research is expected to help guide future conservation efforts for polar bears, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707121914.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705091624.htm Rising air temperatures in the Arctic region have led to an increase in rainfall and a decrease in snowfall, making the sea ice more susceptible to melting, a new study has revealed. Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705091624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705071737.htm Researchers have, for the first time, modeled a climate system with extremely high carbon emissions in an attempt to test the boundaries of the current computer simulation programs that inform us. Tue, 05 Jul 2011 07:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705071737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630073334.htm A study of kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in the arctic region provides the first data on the migratory patterns of this seabird species and analyses its capacity to respond to environmental changes. The kittiwake is one of the most emblematic marine species of the arctic area, and evidence suggests that rising temperatures at the north pole over the coming decades will have a dramatic impact on populations of this bird. Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:33:33 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630073334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110624162250.htm Every winter, weather forecasters talk about the snow cover in the northern US and into Canada as a factor in how deep the deep-freeze will be in the states. A new study indicates they may be looking, at least partially, in the wrong place. Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110624162250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110622102646.htm New research suggests that, in the petroleum-rich Athabaska Oil Sands in northern Alberta, human activity related to oil production and the timber industry could be more important than wolves in the decline of the caribou population. Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110622102646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110621173521.htm An extensive study of the caribou population in the Fort McMurray oilsands region shows the animals' survival isn't as threatened as was perceived in the past. The study recommends efforts to manage human activity around resource development before resorting to the drastic measure of a wolf kill. Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110621173521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110621164757.htm A new report highlights the critical importance of 1.3 million acres of roadless, public lands in Montana's spectacular Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. The report recommends that most of these lands be preserved to protect wolverines, bighorn sheep, westslope cutthroat and bull trout, grizzly bears and other vulnerable species in the face of climate change and other threats. Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:47:47 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110621164757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110619133515.htm Heavy and prolonged snowfall can bring about unexpected conditions that encourage fungal growth, leading to the death of plants in the Arctic, according to experts. A new international study confirms that while snow has an insulating effect which helps plants to grow bigger, heavy and prolonged snow can, in certain circumstances, also encourage the rapid and extensive growth of killer fungal strains. Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110619133515.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615171412.htm A new survey of barrier islands offers the most thorough assessment to date of the thousands of small islands that hug the coasts of the world's landmasses. The study offers new insight into how the islands form and evolve over time -- and how they may fare as the climate changes and sea level rises. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615171412.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110607101944.htm It just takes a pinch. But from a sample of animal fat, a researcher can determine what predators at the top of the food chain are eating, and by extension, how their diet has changed due to changes in ecosystems. Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110607101944.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606112526.htm In parts of the northern Arctic region, the delicate balance of the food chain depends heavily on the the diminutive copepod Calanus glacialis. This herbivorous Arctic zooplankton species is specially adapted to melting sea ice and the blooming of a few small algal species. Researchers in Norway have made new discoveries about the relationship between sunlight, phytoplankton and zooplankton, and about the critical role that sea ice plays for plankton. Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606112526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110601091443.htm Global warming over the next 40 years will cut through the Arctic transportation networks like a double-edged sword, limiting access by land and vastly increasing it by sea, predicts a new study by geographers. Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:14:14 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110601091443.htm