Polar bears on the sea ice of the Arctic ocean, near the North Pole. While changes in Earth ecosystems from predicted warming have been reported in nearly all biomes (biological communities), recent climate change seems to be impacting the Arctic region the most. As Arctic temperatures rise, precipitation rates, and snow/ice cover volumes, begin to change as well. In some cases, this has lead to an increase in vegetation (shrub and grasses), which can have the beneficial effect of reducing atmospheric CO2, but which can also cause a disruption in the

trace gas exchange (such as with methane, CH4) between earth and atmosphere. Also, many of these climate change impacts produce imbalances within ecosystems (the web of interactions between species, and between species and their environments) and these can and do jeopardize long-term species survival; some species (such as reindeer) gain advantage (at least in the short term) from these alterations, while others (like the ringed seal) are threatened by them. Read more of this story »

Excerpt from: 
Impacts of Climate Change on Arctic Wildlife and Ecosystems