Melting Sea Ice and Drooping Corals
Arctic experts and Jeju Islanders share concerns over warming ocean waters.
Melting Sea Ice and Drooping Corals
Arctic experts and Jeju Islanders share concerns over warming ocean waters.
Ruth Teichroeb | May 26, 2025
Like the Arctic, the waters surrounding Jeju Island, South Korea are under tremendous stress from climate change. As the ocean warms, soft corals near the subtropical island are melting in an eerie parallel to the vanishing sea ice of the Arctic.
Shared concerns about the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems provided plenty of common ground when a group of northerners from Alaska and Nunavut traveled to Jeju Island last month to meet with members of the Paran Institute, a non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting the Jeju Sea.
“Although we’re from such different parts of the world, we saw many parallels,” said Hilu Tagoona, senior Arctic advisor at Oceans North. “That was the most amazing part of this exchange.”
The Jeju visit was jointly sponsored by Oceans North and Ocean Conservancy and included Tagoona, from Baker Lake, Nunavut; Cyrus Harris from Kotzebue, Alaska; and ‘Wáahlaal Gíidaak from Juneau and Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, as well as support staff.
During the exchange, Jeju Islanders and northerners shared stories about how the warming ocean is affecting Indigenous communities that rely on the sea.
A stark reminder of the impact of climate change came during a visit to nearby Morado Island, where the visitors stayed at the guest house of a haenyo diver – women who for centuries have made their living by free diving in the sea to catch seafood and harvest seaweed.
“The haenyo diver told us about how she noticed weird formations on the seaweed a few years ago and within five years, all of the seaweed disappeared from their ocean,” said Gíidaak, vice-president of Arctic Conservation for Ocean Conservancy.
Image – Northerners Cyrus Harris, ‘Wáahlaal Gidaag and Hilu Tagoona shared their perspectives with Jeju Island counterparts.
Credit – Scott Highleyman
The loss of seaweed was especially alarming to Gidaag, who said black seaweed and kelp are an important part of the traditional diet in southeast Alaska, providing minerals, vitamins and iron. “I can’t imagine our children and grandchildren not being able to harvest seaweed in the future,” she said.
Both Koreans and Alaskans rely on fishing for their livelihoods and the warming ocean threatens both fishing-related jobs and the source of food they provide, Gíidaak said. “It is the same ocean and we’re seeing many of the same things. The Koreans’ diet and our diet is very similar. As the ocean changes, we are experiencing the same stress levels in many communities.”
When the visitors went snorkeling off Jeju Island, they were able to see changes in the soft corals, which are deteriorating and even melting in some areas because of higher ocean temperatures. “It looked like the bottom of their ocean was scraped dry in places,” Gíidaak said.
Image – The Paran Institute took visiting northerners to snorkel at one of the sites where they track and record changes to coral diversity and condition every month.
Credit – Eunmi Hwang
The islanders were very interested in hearing about how the loss of sea ice in the Arctic is affecting Inuit communities and the animals they depend on.
“The sea ice is no longer reliable so the caribou can’t get to their summer islands and the polar bears can’t get to where they harvest seals,” Tagoona said. “We told them how the loss of ice will open up the Central Arctic Ocean to shipping, deep-sea mining, oil and gas, and tourism.”
Oceans North and Ocean Conservancy are working on an international campaign to protect the 2.8-million-square-kilometre Central Arctic Ocean that will culminate in an agreement to pause seabed mining, offshore oil and gas development and transpolar shipping through this region.
“Indigenous people need a seat at the table. Consultations have never been enough,” Tagoona said.
Image – The water was cold but seeing the impact on coral life up close and personal was priceless.
Credit – Eunmi Hwang
During the Jeju visit, a video was filmed that included interviews with three representatives from Paran and the three northerners sharing their concerns about the warming ocean. Staff from Oceans North and Ocean Conservancy returned to South Korea at the beginning of May to attend the Our Ocean Conference in Busan, where they used the video to highlight the importance of the Arctic’s connection to that country.
“I think it’s only the first step towards a long-term relationship,” Tagoona said. “The people were so friendly and giving to our group. Everybody was so genuinely good to us. That was a beautiful takeaway.”
Jeju islanders were also interested in finding out more about a new coalition called the Federation of United Pacific Peoples that will advocate for ocean protection, Gíidaak said.
“There are lots of opportunities to join forces and use our collective voice to protect our ocean,” she said.
Ruth Teichroeb is a regular contributor to Oceans North and former communications director. She is based in Sidney, B.C.