A boat skims through melting ice in the Ilulissat fjord on the western coast of Greenland. AFP

Mostafa Al Zoubi, Gulf Today

A new study on the arctic environment revealed that the last remaining safe haven in the region for ice-loving animals escaping high temperatures has started to collapse.

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The study was conducted at an American university in Washington.

Scientists said the last glacial area of the Arctic north of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic archipelago, normally covered with ice all year round, has been affected by climate change.

According to scientists, animals such as polar bears rely on permanent ice cover to build their dens, where they raise their young, and use them as platforms to search for food, but rising global temperatures mean the ice-covered areas in and around the Arctic Ocean have become fewer and scattered.

"Scientists found that in other parts of the Arctic, ice has been gradually declining over the past few years," said study co-author Christine Laider.

According to scientists, about 80% of the melt was due to weather-related factors, such as wind and global warming.

The study also clarified that winds pushed some sea ice out of the area, and that water played an important role in warming the ocean by allowing more sunlight to pass through.