... expected 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 ... dominant tree species white spruce (Picea glauca), Alaska birch (Betula neoalaskana), and black spruce (Picea mariana), are now experiencing severe drought stress and accelerated disturbance ... decreases and changes in traditional food sources, disappearance of permafrost food storage in Arctic villages, and wide-scale coastal erosion. The Antarctic region is an important regulator of...