Melting Arctic May Open New Passages for a Tide of Invasive Species

Invasive species can cause a host of issues for ecosystems across the world. They can drive out native species with the absence of natural predators. Now, scientists have found that the melting Arctic sea ice could spell big problems for this phenomenon. It could open passages for a large wave of invasive species.

Two new shipping routes have actually opened in the Arctic recently: the Northwest Passage through Canada and the Northern Sea Route, which is a 3,000-mile stretch along the coasts of Russia and Norway that connects the Barents and Bering seas. While these new routes can provide new commercial opportunities, they could also mean an influx of invasive species.

Ships can carry a host of invasive species. In fact, many species are introduced into new areas after hitching a ride on either the hulls of ships or in water carried in ballast water inside the hulls themselves. Now that ships have a shorter and easier passage, species could potentially survive the voyage and cause environmental damage.

"Trans-Arctic shipping is a game changer that will play out on a global scale," said Whitman Miller, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The economic draw of the Arctic is enormous. Whether it's greater access to the region's rich natural resource reserves or cheaper and faster inter-ocean commercial trade, Arctic shipping will reshape world markets. If unchecked, these activities will vastly alter the exchange of invasive species, especially across the Arctic, north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans."

In fact, traffic through the Northern Sea Route has been rising rapidly since 2009. At the current rate, it could continue to rise 20 percent every year for the next quarter century; this doesn't take ships sailing into the Arctic itself, either. In addition, the shorter voyage length could mean a higher rate of species survival.

"The good news is that the Arctic ecosystem is still relatively intact and has had low exposure to invasions until now," said Greg Ruiz, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This novel corridor is only just opening. Now is the time to advance effective management options that prevent a boom in invasions and minimize their ecological, economic and health impacts."

The findings are published in the journal Nature Climate Change.