WALRUSES HAUL OUT

Scientists investigate massive walrus haul-out in Alaska; Scientists fear declining Arctic sea ice may have caused an unprecedented mass migration to dry land
Suzanne Goldenberg, 13 September 2010 (UK Guardian)

"…Researchers from the US Geological Survey (USGS), who have been tracking walrus movements using satellite radio tags, say 10,000 to 20,000 of the animals, mainly mothers and calves, are now congregating in tightly packed herds on the Alaskan side of the Chukchi Sea, in the first such exodus of its kind…The flight of the walrus, first reported by the Alaska Dispatch, has reinforced warnings from scientists that the lumbering animal may be headed for extinction because of climate change.

"Arctic sea ice dropped to its third lowest level in recorded history this month. The USGS study noted that the entire Chukchi shelf could be completely ice-free during August, September and October by the end of the century…The USGS, which has been tracking the walrus since June, put the chances of extinction or serious population decline among walrus at 40% by 2095 because of the rapid and widespread loss of summer sea ice due to warming temperatures."

click to enlarge

"Walrus are not the only animals facing depleted numbers or extinction because of climate change. The Arctic is warming at twice the rest of the world on average, and its seas are growing increasingly acidic because of increased concentrations of carbon dioxide…17 species - from tiny plankton to the weighty narwhal – [are] threatened by the disappearing sea ice and rising seas…In addition to polar bear – whose plight is widely recognised – and walrus, the report from the Centre for Biological Diversity said several species of whale and seal, and land-based animals such as caribou and fox were facing declines.

"…Point Lay [residents said]…the numbers of walruses coming ashore could be much higher than government estimates…The rare onshore mass sightings have raised fears of a grisly repeat of last summer when some 130 of the beasts, mainly calves, were trampled to death as the herd foraged for food…"

There are also reports of polar bears eating their young to survive. (click to enlarge)

"Because of their huge girth, walrus are relatively clumsy in water. During their annual migration, they rely on large floating patches of ice as resting stops or mobile fishing platforms as they make their voyage cross the shallow frigid waters between Alaska and Russia…[T]rampling and death of hundreds of walruses in Alaska and thousands in Russia [ocurred in 2007 and 2009]…

"Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the ocean [is] also depleting the walruses' food supply, making the waters too corrosive for the clams and other shellfish that are their staple…[D]isappearing summer sea ice, due to climate change, [is] likely to spur an increase in shipping traffic through the Chukchi and Bering seas, putting the walruses in further jeopardy…[Due to ] a law suit…[t]he federal government must rule by January 2011 whether to grant endangered species protection to the Pacific walrus, which would put restrictions on offshore oil drilling and shipping routes through the Arctic."