Arctic Ice Caps

Global warming is a major topic of concern in todays society, as it not only effects the environment on a surface level, but it is a detriment to the animals that inhabit the earth. Particularly, the animal species residing in the arctic region have been hit with a heavy dose of negative global warming effects over the years. With rising temperatures, ice caps are melting, leaving these arctic animals with less hunting and living space. First, as a result of the ice caps melting, arctic animal species have become endangered. As people, we must do our part to live sustainably and preserve resources in order to halt global warming. However, a large portion of the issue is the fact that many people and politicians refuse to believe global warming …show more content…
The ice caps are an essential element to the lives of all polar bears. From using the ice caps to raise their offspring to hunting for food to feed themselves and their families, they need these ice caps to survive. The polar bear population has been rapidly declining because as the temperatures have been rising the ice has been melting earlier than usual. When the ice melts early, the polar bears do not have substantial time to build up their fat reserves in order to comfortably nourish themselves until the next winter when the ice freezes up again. When there is less ice, the bears are also forced to swim farther distances looking for food and shelter, between each ice cap. Not only are they loosing energy, but they are drowning as a result, and starving to death looking for food because other animals are also dying due to the lack of ice. Some have already started to rely on cannibalism. Even though the polar bears are at the top of the arctic food chain, they are being greatly effected by the declining population numbers of the lower food chain species. The melting of the ice caps is causing an upward domino effect, starting with the species at the low end of the food chain all the way up to the top end. For example, seal populations are decreasing as well due to the lack of ice, so even if polar bears could adapt to a life without ice, their main source of food would disappear and cause their unlikely fate. Polar bears even provide help to other low end species, such as the Arctic fox. Once a polar bear kills a seal, the carcass acts as a beneficial food source for the fox. In summation, the biological community will become completely manipulated if humans do not take action. As species die off one by one, the food chain becomes smaller and one day humans may have less options to choose from. Ironically, humans