... an important habitat for birds and mammals (e.g., penguins, polar bears, walrus, and seals) that use the ice as a foraging platform or breeding habitat. Arctic and Antarctic polar marine ecosystems ... in certain areas; the Antarctic Peninsula has warmed five times faster than the global average, and the warming of the southern ocean and associated loss of sea ice has resulted in a shift in ... gases lead to changes in the planetary energy balance (changing latitudinal gradients and heat re-tained near the surface), which has further impacts on air temperature, ocean temperature and...