Changes from 2007 to 2015 on the release of radium in the Arctic

Diminishing sea ice near the Arctic coast leaves more open water for winds to create waves. The increased wave action reaches down and stirs up sediments on shallow continental shelves, releasing radium and other chemicals that are carried up to the surface and swept away into the open ocean by currents such as the Transpolar Drift. A new study found surprising evidence that climate change is rapidly causing coastal changes in the Arctic that could have significant impacts on Arctic food webs and animal populations. (Illustration by Natalie Renier, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)