The ice density 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 ice towards this point . Both impacts come from rapid warming in the Sea of Okhotsk , which has a greater intensity of sea ice generation than any other single continent in the Arctic Ocean or Antarctica , but is also one of the fastest - growing 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.