New York Times publishes op-ed, co-authored by Gay Sheffield, on how sea ice loss imperils life in Alaska

The New York Times published a column by Vera Trainer, Rick Thoman and Gay Sheffield today about the dramatic extent of sea ice loss in Alaska and how it is affecting everything from plankton to whales and the residents who rely on marine resources for their wellbeing. Read the New York Times op-ed here.

It was published on the same day the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report that projected catastrophic sea-level rise by 2100 unless major action is taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The report says it is virtually certain that the global ocean has warmed unabated since 1970, and that since 1992, the rate of ocean warming has likely more than doubled. Read highlights of the IPCC report here.

Vera Trainer is president of the International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae. Rick Thoman is a climate expert at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. And Sheffield, an associate professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is a marine mammal biologist who serves as Alaska Sea Grant’s Marine Advisory agent in Nome, located above the Arctic Circle in western Alaska.