The Importance of Sea Ice: An Overview

摘要: Following the initial freezing of sea water, ice is profoundly modified by theinteraction physical, biological and chemical processes to form an extremelyheterogeneous semi-solid matrix. Ocean, atmospheric continental inputs all serve toinfluence formation, consolidation subsequent melt when returns water.Probably most important property that, despite it being solid, lessdense than seawater therefore floats.During course a year, tremendous aerial expanses in Arctic,the Southern but also Baltic other Seas such as Caspian andOkhotsk undergo cycle melting. In winter, covers area upto 7% earth’s surface, clearly one largest biomes on Earth(Comiso, Chapter 4).With exception Inuit, who over several thousand years adapted lifeclosely associated Arctic ice, until turn last century was simply ahostile environment obstruction navigation routes hunting ofbirds mammals (Fogg, 1992; Weeks, 1998). It only past 200 years, andmostly 100 that adventurous expeditions visited Polar Oceans andour understanding significance global context, begin develop.Today we know annual formation degradation notonly plays pivotal role governing world’s climate, influence inthe oceans down abyss. The life cycles marine plants animals ranging frommicro-organisms whales even man are influenced large scale ofice formation. Sea recognised fundamental component system Earth, whichcannot be ignored environmental discussions predictions offuture climate conditions.Recently, disturbing headlines from high latitudes regarding effects ofozone holes, collapsing sheets rising temperatures seem indicate rapidclimate change underway. seeming inevitability shrinking ArcticOcean for instance would infer threat indigenous way local humancommunities, hard times ahead birds including polar bears,and ice-free Nothwest passage (Smith et al., 2002; Kerr, 2002). Antarcticsignificant changes extent distribution cover attributed globalclimate warming. These closely related obvious ecological krill