Background Information Sea ice is one of the largest ecosystems on Earth and is home to many different organisms and influences adjacent marine and terrestrial ecosystems (Arrigo 2013; Post et to 2013). Polar sea ice covers between 3.9 and 4.3% of the Earth's total surface area throughout the year (Arrigo 2013), and a substantial decline in Arctic sea ice has been recorded in recent years (Fig. 1) ( Johannessen and Miles 2011; sea ice hosts a variety of microorganisms, provides habitat for numerous vertebrates and also has a large impact on terrestrial diversity and productivity in the Arctic, with 80% of the tundra low that lies within 100 km of the seasonally ice-covered ocean (Bhatt et al. 2010; Post et al. 2013) Over the past three decades, minimum summer ice extent has decreased by about 45%, from 7 ,0-7.5 x106 km2 in the 1980s to 3.5-4.5 x106 km2 between 2007 and 2012 (Arrigo 2013). There is not only a reduction in sea ice reduction in sea ice thickness (Maslanik et al. 2011). This thinner sea ice has led to less rigid ice, thinner snow cover, more melted surface ponds, and less reflection of incoming solar radiation (Nicolaus). et al. 2012). Sea ice loss is not just an indicator of global warming; it is also the result of a feedback mechanism in the Arctic resulting from decreasing surface albedo (Serreze and Barry 2011). Over the past 50 years, average annual surface air temperatures on Earth, especially in the Arctic, have increased (Fig. 2). Bhatt et al. (2008) found that summer sea ice loss is linked to land surface warming in the Arctic. The dramatic loss of sea ice in the Arctic has led to serious impacts on sea ice diversity...... middle of paper ......ResearchLetters. 39:L24501. doi: 10.1029/2012GL053738Post E, Bhatt US, Bitz CM, Brodie JF, Fulton TL, Hebblewhite M, Kerby J, Kutz SJ,Stirling I, and Walker DA. (2013). Ecological consequences of sea ice decline. Science. 341(6145):519-524. doi: 10.1126/science.1235225Schweiger A, Lindsay R, Zhang J, Steele M, Stern H and Kwok R. (2011) Uncertainty in modeled Arctic sea ice. Journal of Geophysical Research. 116: C00D06. doi:10.1029/2011JC007084Serreze MC and Barry RG. (2011). Processes and impacts of Arctic amplification: a research synthesis. Global and planetary change. 77:85-96. doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.03.004Zhang J, Spitz YH, Steele M, Ashjian C, Campbell R, Berline L, and Matrai P. (2010).Modeling the impact of declining sea ice on the Arctic marine planktonic ecosystem . Journal of Geophysical Research. 115:C10015. doi: 10.1029/2009JC005387