After three million years of being frozen out, mollusks and other marine creatures in the North Pacific will be able to move into the Arctic Ocean thanks to global warming. Researchers from the University of California and the California Academy of Sciences say warmer waters and ice-free conditions will likely allow Pacific species of mussels, barnacles, snails and sea mollusks to spread through the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean and on to the North Atlantic.

Marine ecologist Geerat Vermeij and paleontologist Peter Roopnarine found evidence in Greenland fossil records that a similar migration occurred during a warming period more than three million years ago.  

The researchers believe this current warming will bring changes in the composition and dynamics of North Atlantic animals and plants, but not necessarily extinction of the native species. Vermeij and Roopnarine said the effect on fisheries and on the human population is “an open question.” At least, they have warned people who make their living from marine life on the coasts that an invasion is on the way.

The study “The Coming Arctic Invasion” was reported in the August 8 issue of Science magazine.