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The Arctic receives quite a bit of attention when it comes to climate change, and while dire reports often focus on melting ice, polar bears, and even walruses, a new study suggests that the entire region may be changed forever due to climate change producing different effects in each ecosystem.

The report, published in the latest edition of the journal Science, is the first to take a comprehensive look at the variety of climate studies conducted in the region over the years, and offers us a pretty grim outlook of a potentially irreversible ecological decline.  According to Eric Post of Penn State, who led the international team of researchers:

Species on land and at sea are suffering adverse consequences of human behavior at latitudes thousands of miles away.  It seems that no matter where you look — on the ground, in the air or in the water — we’re seeing signs of rapid change.

While there is obviously concern for the effects of climate change on individual species’ habitats and populations, this study highlights the interconnectedness of each smaller ecosystems within the Arctic and the ripple effects that even a small change can have on other species of animals and plants.  The researchers plan to investigate the changing habitats and migratory patterns to better understand those subtle shifts in dynamics and learn more about what devastating consequences rising temperatures may have on other regions around the world.  Ken Caldeira of Stanford University, one of the researchers, explains:

The Arctic is, unfortunately, a good early laboratory in which to test our predictions of ecosystem response to global change.