The unique ecosystem of the Arctic: Arctic Ocean

SVALBARD AND JAN MAYEN - JULY 07: An aerial view of a polar bear, one of the Arctic animals, walking on the glacier in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, located in the Arctic, which is home to microorganisms, algae, phytoplankton, thousands of macro- and micro-creatures, and several marine mammals, on July 7, 2024. While the Arctic marine system has many features that make the region unique, shallow water and deep water dynamics in the Arctic, light levels during periodic long periods of light and darkness, and freshwater resources from melting glaciers are very powerful features of the Arctic ecosystem in a global sense, the polar ecosystem also harbors unique endemic species that are found nowhere else on the planet that particularly characterize the Arctic ecosystem. (Photo by Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)