Alaska’s ice is continuously melting, putting some residents’ food and jobs at risk. Based on satellite data, ocean temperatures in the Chukchi and North Bering seas are over 10 degrees Fahrenheit (five degrees Celsius) above normal. Rick Thoman, a climate specialist from the University of Alaska, pointed out that there are immediate local and commercial consequences along the state’s western and northern beaches. “The seas are extraordinarily warm. It is impacting the ability for Americans in the region to put food on the table right now.” With the sustained warm sea temperatures, algal blooms are growing, which can make the waters dangerous to bird and marine species. “The northern Bering & southern Chukchi Seas are baking,” Thoman wrote on Twitter.

Many coastal Alaska towns that depend on fishing are facing a growing issue. “Much of what the people eat there over the course of the year comes from food they harvest themselves,” said Brian Brettschneider, a climatologist at the International Arctic Research Center. “If people can’t get out on the ice to hunt seals or whales, that affects their food security. It is a human crisis of survivability.” Researchers warn that events like this, wherein weather patterns clash to produce severe effects, are proof of a rising global problem.