Eventually the ice melts or drifts back out to sea, depending on
the winds. The annual drift ice is vital to the pristine
ecosystem at Shiretoko, a national park and UNESCO World
Heritage site. That's because it carries nutrients that spur
phytoplankton growth in the region. "Plankton are at the base of
the food chain," said Masaaki Aota, director of the Okhotsk Sea
Ice Museum of Hokkaido. The productive waters around Shiretoko
have traditionally sustained a rich diversity of species, such
as Pacific saury, flounder, cod, seals, dolphins, Steller's sea
eagles, and white-tailed sea eagles. But observatory records
show that 2003 was the last time Abashiri had more ice than
average, and observers say the amount of ice reaching the town
has been on a downward trend. A 2007 report from the Japan
Meteorological Agency noted that there is a "gentle tendency
toward a decrease in the amount of ice" in the Sea of Okhotsk as
a whole. (Related: "Shrinking Arctic Sea Ice Thinner, More
Vulnerable" [March 18, 2008].) "If th