WWF in the Arctic: Barents Sea

Climate change

The Arctic is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Nowhere else on earth are the impacts of climate change expected to be more profound. The sea ice has decreased by approximately three percent per decade over the last 30 years, and in the last century temperatures over arctic land areas increased by an average of five degrees Celsius.

The Barents Sea is likely to be the scene of quick changes due to global warming. Almost all climate models project substantial warming and increases in precipitation for the Ecoregion during the coming decades.

Even small changes in temperature may cause large changes in arctic ecosystems, and the list of possible effects of global warming on the Barents Sea is extensive. Reduced sea ice cover is a likely consequence already being observed. As warming occurs and sea ice melts, there will be changes in species composition. The seasonal distribution, ranges, patterns of migration, nutritional status, reproduction and ultimately the abundance and balance of species will be altered.

Extinctions of species dependent on sea ice, or of species particularly sensitive to changes in sea temperatures, are not unlikely.