Is Arctic sea ice endangered?

A new report issued Wednesday by the Endangered Species Coalition names Arctic sea ice as one of the top 10 places to save for wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. (Check out "In the Arctic, shrinking sea ice sets early winter record" for the latest on issues with Alaska's sea ice.) The critical status of Arctic sea ice topped a list of 10 areas noted by the coalition as in need of urgent protection. "If we are serious about saving endangered species from global warming, then these are the places to start," said Leda Hula, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition. The non-profit group is a national network of hundreds of conservation, scientific, religious, sporting, outdoor recreation, business and community organizations working to protecting endangered species and their habitat. "The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, and Arctic sea ice is melting faster than any of the climate models predicted," said Rebecca Noblin, Alaska director of the Center for Biological Diversity, which distributed the coalition's list in Alaska. Read more of this story at The Bristol Bay Times.