News Ecosystems

Shrinking sea ice threatens natural highways for caribou, plants

Both furry and flowery travelers face trouble in a warmer world

Left: Peary caribou; Right: mountain avens flowers

ICE TRAVELERS  Shrinking sea ice matters to land dwellers too, as ice bridges and transport dwindles for migrating Peary caribou (left) and seed dispersing mountain avens flowers (right). 

From left: L. David Mech/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0); Steinsplitter/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

As warming breaks up the sea ice that serves as great frozen highways for Arctic wildlife, caribou and even wildflowers face route shutdowns, long detours or outright strandings.