Birth

• During the breeding season, pregnant seals look for solid, firmly packed ice on which to give birth to their pups. Without enough ice, female seals are sometimes forced to give birth in the water, causing many of the young to drown.
  
  

Weaning

• Once the seal pups have been born, they need to remain with their mothers for about two weeks. Melting ice can cause the once-solid ice block where the pups were born to split into two pieces, separating the mother from her offspring.
  
  

Examples

• Experts at Nsidc.org point out that both these scenarios occurred between the years of 1989 and 2002. In both cases, seal populations suffered greatly because many of the young did not survive.
  
  

Hunting

• In addition to the high risk mortality rates among pups, melting ice also puts adult seals at risk. A decrease in habitat space forces seals to be in closer proximity to their predators, making them easier targets for hunting.