A changing Arctic Ocean

[Introduction]: "The Arctic is the fastest changing region on the planet. It is also intrinsically tied to global processes, whether they are climatic, environmental or socio-economic. The impacts of climate change on the vast and multiple interacting Arctic systems are inherently complex, although can be broadly summarised as an increase in temperature and the subsequent loss of sea-ice cover. This will ultimately result in the emergence of new physical and ecological states. The rapidity with which the Arctic is reacting to global climate change is extraordinary. It is leading to scales of environmental change that society is unprepared for and is currently largely at a loss on how to manage or mitigate. We are witnessing a catastrophic restructuring of the ecology and biogeochemical processes traditionally used to define the rivers, lakes, ocean, glaciers, tundra and permafrost that collectively make up what we call the Arctic (Thomas 2021)."