WILDLIFE IMPACTS

Few species have made more headlines lately than the North Atlantic right whale, shown above in the Bay of Fundy, off New Brunswick’s coast. Increased fishing traffic in the whales’ northeastern range, which has caused many to become entangled in fishing gear or be struck by ships, combined with ocean acidification that stresses the marine ecosystem means this species is on the brink of extinction. Elsewhere across the country, changes in weather patterns caused by climate change — such as drought in some places and greater precipitation in others — will surely affect other wildlife, but those impacts will manifest differently depending on the species and its habitat. Yet scientists are certain that northern species such as the polar bear, which the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada lists as of special concern, will be especially affected by the dramatic decline of sea ice and permafrost.