Under-ice species at risk as Arctic warms: Researchers investigate sea's microscopic organisms off northern Canada

"Specialist" lifeforms that live under Arctic sea ice are at risk as the ice retreats, new research shows. Scientists studied microscopic organisms in four environments—open ocean, river mouths, coasts and under sea ice—in the Beaufort Sea off northern Canada. The under-ice mix of species was the least diverse—instead being made up of specialist plankton and microbes adapted to these harsh conditions.