The melting ice in the arctic is already having an effect on the people, wildlife and plants that call it come. According to the NRDC, when the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf cracked, the fresh water lake it enclosed drained out into the sea. Polar bears, whales and other animals that relied on the fresh water for survival had to alter their feeding and migration patterns. That, in turn, made such animals scarcer in the region, so people who relied on them for food now have a harder time finding prey to hunt. Plus, the Environmental Protection Agency notes that the sparse roads, pipelines and industrial facilities in the area may become stabilize as the ice under which they were built turns to water.
While global warming is partly to blame for the melting of ice in the world's coldest regions, the melting ice is also exacerbating global warming. That's because intact ice creates a protective barrier over the ground that keeps it cold. When that cover is gone because the ice has melted, the sun's rays can more easily heat the ground. The same goes for the ocean. When ice glaciers disappear, there is no barrier between the sun and the water, according to a 2008 article in the Christian Science Monitor. Changed weather patterns will affect food production, since farmers of specific crops need specific temperatures for their goods to flourish.
Melting glaciers result in rising sea levels. For areas of the world that are already low-lying, this is a serious threat that is causing beach erosion and coastal flooding. Even freshwater supplies near the sea can become contaminated by salt water as ocean levels rise. According to the NRDC, countries places like the Maldives are at special risk. However, more than half of the world's island nations sit less than six feet over sea level. In the United States, scientists estimate that by 2100, rising sea levels will flood about 22,400 square miles, including the Louisiana, Texas and Florida shorelines.