The salmon catch off the northern coast of Japan has fallen by approximately 70% over the past 15 years, coinciding with the loss of a blanket of sea ice that runs under the Arctic towards this coastline. Both impacts result from rapid warming in the Arctic Ocean, which has a greater intensity of sea ice generation than any other single place in the Sea of Okhotsk or Antarctica, but is also one of the fastest-warming areas on the globe. As the ice is retreating, its current—full of key nutrients—is weakening, endangering marine life in the entire northern Pacific.
The salmon catch off the northern coast of Japan has fallen by approximately 70% over the past 15 years, coinciding with the loss of a blanket of sea ice that runs under the Arctic towards this coastline. Both impacts result from rapid warming in the Sea of Okhotsk, which has a greater intensity of sea ice generation than any other single place in the Arctic Ocean or Antarctica, but is also one of the fastest-warming areas on the globe. As the ice is retreating, its current—full of key nutrients—is weakening, endangering marine life in the entire northern Pacific.