What 35,000 Walruses Forced to the Beach Tell Us About Global Warming

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Wednesday, October 01, 2014

by Common Dreams

What 35,000 Walruses Forced to the Beach Tell Us About Global Warming

As sea ice recedes amid warming oceans, Pacific walruses crowd onto beaches to rest and forage for food

by Sarah Lazare, staff writer



Federal biologists have discovered an unusual phenomenon on a beach in northwest Alaska: a massive gathering of walruses—35,000 of them—crowded onto a small strip of shore.

This swarm, which was sighted in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aerial survey on Saturday, is a direct result of a warming climate and declining sea ice, say scientists.

Pacific walruses, who live in the Bering Sea during winter, require floating sea ice to meet their survival needs, using them for rest in between journeys to forage for food, such as clam, snails, and worms, as well as for giving birth and caring for their young. But as the oceans warm, this sea ice is receding, especially near coastal areas, forcing these walruses to take to the beach for resting and foraging, according to an explanation from the NOAA.

"The walruses are telling us what the polar bears have told us and what many indigenous people have told us in the high Arctic, and that is that the Arctic environment is changing extremely rapidly and it is time for the rest of the world to take notice and also to take action to address the root causes of climate change," said Margaret Williams, managing director of the group’s Arctic program, in a statement.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/01/what-35000-walruses-forced-beach-tell-us-about-global-warming

[Judi Lynn]

1. 35,000 walruses chill on Alaska shore as ice melts

35,000 walruses chill on Alaska shore as ice melts
REUTERS | 02 October, 2014 11:04

Fast-melting Arctic sea ice has forced some 35,000 Pacific walruses to retreat to the Alaska shoreline, scientists from several federal agencies said on Wednesday.

Walruses are accomplished divers and frequently plunge hundreds of feet to the bottom of the continental shelf to feed. But they use sea ice as platforms to give birth, nurse their young and elude predators, and when it is scarce or non-existent they haul themselves up on land.

"One of the differences between this haul out and other ones is the sheer size and number of animals coming to shore," said U.S. Geological Survey ecologist Chadwick Jay.

Such haul outs in areas of the Chukchi Sea, which polar bears also use as platforms for hunting, were first observed along Russia's coasts until Pacific walrus masses began appearing on Alaska's coastline in 2007, U.S. scientists said.

More:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2014/10/02/35000-walruses-chill-on-alaska-shore-as-ice-melts

[Nihil]

2. Sad photo.

The ones in the sea risk exhaustion from expending energy trying to find somewhere to land.

The ones high up on the shore risk exhaustion, predation & starvation from being unable to get
back to the sea.

The ones in the middle risk suffocation & crushing from the others trying to get through them,
especially if something stampedes the herd.

Tragic.