Going Extinct.......

[Laura902]

Study: High Arctic's biodiversity down 26 percent since 1970

By John Platt

Mammals,birds and fish living in the High Arctic experienced an average 26 percent drop in their populations between 1970 and 2004 due to the loss of sea ice, according to a new report from The Arctic Species Trend Index, "Tracking Trends in Arctic Wildlife."

The 2010 report, commissioned and coordinated by the Whitehorse, Yukon–based Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP), was presented Wednesday at the State of the Arctic Conference in Miami. It covers 965 populations of 365 species, representing 35 percent of all known vertebrate species found in the Arctic.

The Arctic region is broken into three floristic zones (High, Low and Sub Arctic), referring to the amount of plant life that exists within the regions' boundaries.

Outside of the High Arctic, the news wasn't all bad: The study found that Low Arctic species populations increased 46 percent between 1970 and 2004 (aided by several conservation efforts, such as tighter restrictions on hunting bowhead whales), whereas Sub Arctic populations remained stable during that time period.

Among the specific findings: Low Arctic fish species such as pollack have benefited from rising ocean temperatures, which is why their populations have increased. Populations of lemmings, caribou and red knot (a shorebird) have all decreased. Migratory birds that pass through the Arctic have decreased an average of 6 percent, although that number is skewed by a "dramatic increase" in some populations of migratory geese.Furthermore, brown bear populations have dropped as much as 50 percent in the last 15 years.

The report avoids direct mention of polar bear populations, but notes that the greatest losses in Arctic sea ice on which the polar bear relies occurred in 2008 and 2009, outside the range of this study.

The CBMP is now calling for increased efforts to count and catalogue Arctic species because many, especially those in the High Arctic, lack detailed population indices.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=study-high-arctics-biodiversity-dow-2010-03-17

(I just thought this was a nice picture of the polar bears, it's not from this article)

[sharp_stick]

1. But we got lots of snow this winter

therefore the whole idea of global warming is absolutely proven false QED.

I'm so sick of the pricks at the oil companies playing the moron brigade that is Mr. and Mrs. Average American for patsies.

I really do weep for the planet. Wall-E is going to be a documentary sooner than we think.

[Warpy]

3. This has been a particularly rough winter in the more temperate

latitudes, while the higher latitudes have been quite warm.

If this turns into a new pattern instead of a one year aberration, we might be looking at the development of completely new climate zones.

If we live through it, it will be very interesting to watch.

[kimmerspixelated]

4. Touche'!!!

Wall-E depressed me so much as a real possibility.

[theoldman]

2. I just listened to a guy on NPR.

If I heard him correctly the number of animals is increasing. The number can be distorted if a person want s to make a point. For example, if predators are reduced their prey will increase for a few years. In the long run both will be decreased.

[Jim__]

5. Yes, and number of animals is not the same as number of species. - n/t