( behind. That same evaporation process i...)Pond in High Artic Drying Up Due to Global Warming,Health

behind. That same evaporation process is taking place with these ponds, he said. So there is a rise in the concentration of salt in the remaining water.

Weather records show there has been no decline in rain and snowfall in the region but Environment Canada has reported that Arctic temperatures have been rising, and 2006 was the warmest year on record for that part of the Arctic.

Some arctic ponds have drained when the permafrost melted beneath them, these ponds sit above bedrock.

But Cape Herschel had existed for millennia ice for 10 months of the year and liquid in July and August in depressions in the bedrock, so the water could only have evaporated as temperatures rose, they believe.

Changes set in about a century ago, he said, with more mosses growing and shorter periods of ice, followed by lowering water levels and increasing salinity until some dried up completely. In addition to the ponds, the researchers also reported a drying of nearby wetlands.

"The ecological ramifications of these changes ... will cascade throughout the Arctic ecosystem. ... Lower water levels will have many indirect environmental effects, such as further concentration of pollutants," the researchers wrote. The ponds are the most common source of surface water in many polar areas, and part of the Arctic ecosystem. They provide habitat for waterfowl, drinking water for animals and homes for tiny invertebrates like shrimp, which are a food source for larger animals.

"It's really interesting to see how quickly it is happening. We could see this trend had started a while ago but at no time did we expect it to accelerate," said Douglas. In the 1980s they often needed to wear hip waders to make their way to the ponds, they noted, while by 2006 the same areas were dry enough to burn.


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