Ice platforms in the Arctic are a critical resource for the survival of Arctic animals. Seal pups nurse and rest on the ice platforms for the first six weeks of life. Recent data suggests that warming sea water and air temperatures will melt 20 percent or more of the Arctic sea ice over the next 40 years, disrupting the Arctic food web.
Based on the partial Arctic food web, melting sea ice might lead to a decrease in the number of —
A. polar bears
B. Arctic cod
C. Arctic birds
D. phytoplankton