Chapter 1
Unprecedented warming and exceptionally low levels of sea ice are imposing dramatic, rapid and disruptive change on marine ecosystems in the far north. The Bering Sea has been nearly ice-free for two winters in a row. The warmer water has caused marine species to move farther north impacting vital commercial fisheries and indigenous subsistence harvests. There has been a cascade of impacts on the marine food web - from microscopic creatures to large marine mammals. Massive die-offs of seabirds and other animals were seen. This years-long pattern of climate warming and ice loss in the Arctic is likely to continue, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods - with far reaching global implications.


Chapter 2
The loss of ice, snow and permafrost in the Arctic is causing damaging changes to the northern landscape. In 2019 the Greenland ice sheet continued melting at a dramatic rate. This will inevitably contribute to widespread coastal flooding in the years to come. Thawing of permafrost ecosystems in the Arctic is now releasing carbon to the atmosphere at a rate of up to 600 million metric tons per year, accelerating climate change. Changing growing conditions including warmer summers, decreasing snow cover, and permafrost instability, lead to alterations in the vegetation of the Arctic landscape. This can strongly affect habitat for caribou, birds, and other wildlife, putting further pressure on northern ecosystems and communities.


Chapter 3
Indigenous communities along the Bering Sea are on the front lines of climate change. As sea ice disappears, so does hunting access to seals, whales, walrus, and other marine life. There is less and less snow, and there is less and less ice. And that means trouble, not only us hunting and fishing, but the animals that we depend on. We're seeing a lot of birds die-off every summer. It's really gotten worse within the last five years. The lack of ice really hurts our food chain. More open water exposes shorelines to storm surges, flooding, and increasing erosion. Despite the stresses of climate change, resilience is also a way of life for the region's indigenous peoples. There's a lot to protect today before a total disaster happens.