There is constant brine flushing and constant change in albedo and heat flux from ocean to atmosphere based on the thickness of the ice. Sea ice is very dynamic and understanding these dynamics is important to our understanding of the effects of ice on climate. The length and extent of fast ice depends on how much the sea ice compresses into the shore. It is believed that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean plays a significant role in controlling deep water formation and thus the conveyor belt of oceanic circulation. In the important fisheries of the Bering Sea region, ice has significant controls on fish habitat.
Ice also allows for nutrient transport and creates whale habitat through openings in the ice.
Contaminants in Russia River runoff are transported around the Arctic by sea ice, as is air pollution, acid deposition, and particulate matter. In all of these ways, ice acts as a conveyor and the provider of key feedbacks to climate through atmospheric and oceanic circulation. For example, the melt back of ice creates pools of bottom water and the relative heat of that water determines the longevity and growth rate for pollock. As a result, the pollock fishery in the Bering Sea has been extremely productive since the 1970s. This is an example of how climate effects involving sea ice move all the way up the food chain.