The loss of sea ice in the Bering Sea is having cascading effects on the ecosystem and the people and wildlife that depend on it. The delay in the formation of sea ice and the earlier spring melt is causing damage to coastal communities and property. The loss of sea ice is also affecting the food chain, as ice algae that grows on the underside of the ice is critical to the creatures swimming below and flying above the ice. When ice is gone, ice-associated phytoplankton is, too, and a different kind of phytoplankton blooms, favoring pelagic sea life over the benthic life concentrated on or near the seafloor. Cold-adapted, high-fat species, such as Arctic cod and some species of krill, suffer from the change while other, lower-fat species move in from warmer waters and benefit. The loss of sea ice is also causing die-offs of seals and other species.