Arctic Region

The Arctic marine environment is a vast polar region covering nearly 15 million km² and spanning both the eastern and western hemispheres. It is eliptical in shape with waters from the Pacific entering the Arctic through the Bering Sea and exiting into the Atlantic through the Norwegian and Greenland Seas. It is also fed by several of the largest rivers in the world, including seven in Russia, and has an extensive shelf system that in places extends several thousand kilometres, particularly along the eastern edge.

Throughout much of the year, most of the Arctic marine region is covered in ice with the exception waters around Iceland, the Faeroes and the west coast of mainland Norway which are warmed by the North Atlantic current, the northern branch of the Gulf Stream. Arctic sea ice exists as permafrost on the ocean bottom, as the permanent pack ice of nearly 7 million km² floating atop the Arctic Basin and as the seasonal pack ice around the periphery of the Arctic Ocean and its water bodies. The Arctic is in a state of near-darkness for half the year and in the spring, when the sun returns, there is an annual explosion of phyto- and zooplankton along the rim of the melting pack ice (also known as the "Ring of Life", that in turn powers the entire Arctic marine food-chain.

Arctic waters are home to a number of year round residents including the walrus and several species of whales, seals, and hardy seaducks. Arctic ice is vital habitat for seals (where they pup), walrus (as nurseries and feeding platforms) and the polar bear (where it stocks its main prey, the seal). During the summer, the Arctic waters are home to hundreds of thousands of migratory marine mammals and seabirds. An important feature of the Arctic marine environment are areas of open water or "polynyas" and "leads" in the pack ice. Some open sporadically and some are open year round. They act as lifelines for over-wintering wildlife or as stopovers on long migration routes. Contrary to some perceptions, species richness in Arctic waters is surprisingly high. For example, studies of Arctic benthic communities show species numbers comparable to observations in tropical regions. Over 450 species of fish are found in Arctic waters and occur in particular abundance in the Bering and Barents Seas which form two of the world's most important fisheries.

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples have inhabited the coastal areas of the Arctic and used its marine resources for subsistence. In North America, the major coastal groups include the Innu, Innuvialuit and Inuit. The Saami are the dominant group in the Nordic countries. In Russia, the main coastal groups include the Koryak, Chukchi, Yakut, Evens, Dolgan, Nganasans, Enets, and Nenets. The Aleut and Yupik peoples inhabit both the coastal areas of Alaska and Russia. Each Arctic indigenous group has its own language and culture although many are increasingly adopting the cultures and languages of Europens, Russians or North Americans either by choice or economic or political necessity. Over the past century or so, the number of indigenous peoples in Russian coastal communities has been shrinking as a proportion of total population and now represents only a small fraction. In North America, the indigenous population in Canada's and Greenland's coastal communities are still the dominant groups and many still depend to a significant degree, on marine resources for their livelihood.

Traditionally, many of the Arctic's non-indigenous coastal communities were established by whalers who nearly drove most native species to extinction and for centuries, fisheries has been the engine driving the Arctic marine region economy. More recently, oil and gas exploration and development is the driver particularly in Alaska and Russia which has the world's largest natural gas deposits. Shipping is also increasing dramatically as global warming opens up the Northern Route along the Arctic coast of Russia and the North West passage along the Arctic coast of North America.

In terms of threats, the major one is global warming which is threatening the survival of several Arctic marine species as the ice on which they depend retreats. The Polar Bear and Walrus are but two. Over-hunting and over-fishing is an additional pressure. With the increase in shipping comes the threat of the introduction of alien species which can upset the fine balance of the Arctic marine ecosystem. The Arctic is a vast repository of minerals, hydrocarbons and methanol trapped on the seabed. As the earth's resources in less-remote areas dwindle and technology advances are made, accessing these resources becomes increasingly attractive and if not done properly, can cause catastrophic impacts in the Arctic.