Arctic Ocean

Adding to the dangers, an increasingly open Arctic Ocean invites extreme waves.

This new nitrogen source could also influence how much carbon dioxide the Arctic Ocean takes in.

"After a few years at sea I've grown more scared of the Arctic Ocean, but I've also come to respect and value it for all its power and beauty."

When the Arctic Ocean has less than 1 million square kilometers of ice, scientists say the Arctic is ice free.

The paper, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is entitled: "Vulnerability of Arctic Ocean microbial eukaryotes to sea ice loss."