The last two centuries of climate warming have drastically affected many species in the High Arctic. Species that survived in extreme cold are becoming threatened as the average temperature in the Arctic increases.

Researchers have found that serious changes have occurred in High Arctic lakes and ponds over the last two centuries. They discovered that the diatom and chironomid populations began to change drastically starting in the 19th century. These changes were much more extreme than changes in the last several thousand years. Overall, these changes demonstrate that warming has cascading effects that can change multiple layers of the food web of the High Arctic.