Photograph by @nickcobbing on the Arctic Ocean sea ice. This ivory gull circled the ship I was working from, eventually coming close enough to photograph it from the deck. The birds aren’t super common so it’s always a buzz to see one. Unlike the polar bear and walrus, the ivory gull hasn’t become 'famous'. I think it’s just as important, being part of the ecosystem that has adapted to use sea ice in order to live. According to the IUCN red list of threatened species, the birds are ‘near threatened’ and thought to be decreasing in numbers across the Arctic region. Just last week the National Snow and Ice Data Centre (supported by NASA) released the figures for the minimum extent of the summer ice over the Arctic Ocean. The ice is still losing cover and thickness, which means a diminishing and fragmented habitat for all the ice associated animals. by natgeo

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