The Scoop: Accelerated Ice Melt Threatens Life in the Arctic

PetSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:00:35 -0700

Not only does the ice help regulate the earth's temperature, but it also sustains life by giving access to food to many Arctic creatures. Unfortunately, with the ice shelf melting at an alarming rate (about 10 percent per decade), it's having a deadly effect on the Polar Bears native to the region. Kassie Siegel, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity explains:

The Arctic sea ice melt is a disaster for the polar bears. They are dependent on the Arctic sea ice for all of their essential behaviors, and as the ice melts and global warming transforms the Arctic, polar bears are starving, drowning, even resorting to cannibalism because they don't have access to their usual food sources.

But the Arctic ice melt doesn't just affect residents of the north. See how this will affect us here in the US, just read more.

Melting of the Arctic ice not only effects our temperature, but it also means a change in the weather patterns. It could mean less rain for us . . . which means lower crop production. Experts say that the Arctic could be ice free during the Summer within the next five years! Although it's debated that this climate change is a natural occurrence, I'm frightened to see what that Earth would look like without our Arctic friends so soon!

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What Happened on PetSugar This Week (9/21-9/26)?

PetSugar — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:00:13 -0700

This week on PetSugar, we discovered ways to get your pet to the vet without all the stress, I talked about the effect accelerated ice melt has on the animals in the Arctic, and we got a sneak peek at the California Academy of Sciences that opens this weekend!

What else did we talk about this week? Take my quiz and see how well you were paying attention!

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