Tens of thousands of walruses have come ashore in northwest Alaska because the sea ice they normally rest on has melted. United States Government scientists say this massive move to shore by walruses is unusual in the US.
But it has happened at least twice before, in 2007 and 2009. In those years Arctic sea ice also was at or near record low levels.
The walruses "stretch out for one mile or more. This is just packed shoulder-to-shoulder", US Geological Survey biologist Anthony Fischbach said from Alaska.
Scientists are most concerned about the 1 tonne females stampeding and crushing each other and their smaller calves near Point Lay, Alaska, on the Chukchi Sea. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is trying to change airplane flight patterns to avoid spooking the animals. The federal government is in a year-long process to determine if walruses should be put on the endangered species list.
During normal summers, the males go off to play in the Bering Sea, while the females raise their young in the Chukchi. The females rest on sea ice and dive from it to the sea floor for clams and worms.
"When they no longer have a place to rest, they need to go some place and it's a long commute," Fischbach said. "This is directly related to the lack of sea ice."
Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colorado said last year was a slight improvement over previous years but there had been a long-term decline that he blamed on global warming. "There is no sign of Arctic recovery," he said.
Source: nzherald.co.nz
No comments:
Post a Comment