How Does Climate Change Affect Polar Bears, Penguins, and Seals in the Arctic (Essay Sample)

Polar bears, penguins, and seals are known as some of the most ice-dependent species in the world. They all reside in the Arctic and are all higher up in the Arctic food chain. Without them, the food chain would alter completely. In order for these predators to hunt, they need sea ice, which does make them vulnerable in some ways. Without sea ice, polar bears would starve to death and seals would become the top predator in the food chain which could lead to near-extinction for some species. Seals would be affected because their pups would have a lower chance of surviving without an appropriate amount of ice, and penguins wouldn’t be guaranteed a reliable food source. Now, in recent years polar bears have slowly been dying off due to climate change which has led to the melting of sea ice. Climate change affects how they hunt for food and determines whether or not they will eat. 

Although it has been proved that polar bears and penguins could survive for a little while without sea ice, they wouldn’t be around for much longer if that were the case. Recent case studies show that polar bears have recently been migrating to colder areas with more sea ice or have been spending more time on land, this shows that they are currently not doing too well in their natural environment. This is all caused by global warming and the melting of sea ice which has also led to polar bears preying on things that do not have the needed amount of nutrients for their bodies. In the Hudson Bay, it has been reported that polar bears have increasingly begun preying on birds and their eggs. If this matter were to continue happening polar bears would adapt to climate change, but some consumers would no longer have a reliable food source and could starve. If polar bears adapted to climate change, they could live in ice-free conditions which would, of course, alter the food chain but it would also benefit them as a species and prevent them from near-extinction. 

Climate change has made Antarctica a more harsh environment for some species to live in. A species that has been experiencing this, besides polar bears, are Adélie penguins. Climate change in the Arctic has been affecting their ability to find food and could affect a baby chick's chance of surviving.  Adélie penguin colonies can be found in the Western Antarctic Peninsula which is where most population declines are taking place. This area of the Arctic has been warming faster and has been experiencing climate change at a quicker pace. The warming has been causing more precipitation and snowmelt. The flooding and excessive snowmelt that has been occurring in the west has caused eggs to become unhatchable and baby chicks to drown or get hypothermia which has led to great declines in the chance of survival. Their population percentages have greatly decreased in the past decade and according to researchers, 60% of the current population might be fading by 2099. 

In the Arctic, food source stability is determined by sea ice, wind, water column, and water temperature. All of these factors can contribute to the starvation of some species and can also contribute to breeding success. Research has shown that many population declines in arctic species are due to sea surface temperatures (SSTs) which are associated with inadequate food sources and the quality of nest sites that have been impacted by the change in weather (Cimino, Lynch, Saba, and Oliver, 2022). Sea surface temperatures impact the temperature of the water which may lead to the decrease in fish because as the water warms oxygen is lost. When oxygen is lost, some organisms begin to stress. Adélie penguins and their prey are most impacted by SSTs. Due to the decrease in food, these birds have been abandoning their colonies and migrating to more reliable areas with stability. This has led to recolonization which has become common in this species. 

Seals in the Arctic could be impacted greatly by climate change in many different ways. The climate could shift/change a seal's prey. It could also change their position in the food chain. Without enough polar bears preying on seals in the arctic, their population will increase. Due to seals relying on sea ice for their prey, their resources and habitat will shrink but their population will not. This could cause a number of problems because, with less space and more seals, they may begin to die off. Though, with more seals and a stable amount of sea ice, their prey population will begin to decrease. Currently, seals are dealing with a large loss in sea ice and their prey is shifting which will affect their ecology. Their relations with one another will change and so will their surroundings. 

Based on research and years of data, polar bears have been migrating towards colder areas with greater amounts of sea ice or spending more time on land to increase their chances of survival, indicating that they are not doing well in their native environment. All of this is due to global warming and the loss of ice in the Arctic, which has resulted in polar bears preying on creatures that lack the necessary nutrition for their bodies. Climate change has rendered Antarctica a harsher habitat for a number of animals. Climate change in the Arctic has hampered their capacity to obtain food, which may reduce a newborn pup’s and Adélie chick's chances of survival. As stated previously–Sea ice, wind, water column, and water temperature all influence food supply stability in the Arctic, and SSTs (water temperature) have the greatest influence on Adélie penguins and their prey. Because of the decline in food, these birds have abandoned their colonies and migrated to more stable and trustworthy regions. Climate change might have a significant influence on future generations of polar bears, penguins, and seals in the Arctic in a variety of ways.