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Title: Melting Ice Turns 10,000 Walruses Into Landlubbers
Source:
NY Times
URL Source: http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/0 ... alruses-into-landlu-39557.html
Published: Sep 14, 2010
Author: Lauren Morello
Post Date: 2010-09-14 14:25:17 by war
Keywords: None
Views: 12917
Comments: 18
For the third time in four years, a dearth of sea ice has forced walruses ashore in Alaska. The lumbering marine mammals normally spend their summers resting on the ice as it floats north, making periodic dives to the ocean floor to forage for food. But this year, as in 2007 and 2009, a lack of ice in the eastern Chukchi Sea has driven thousands of walruses to congregate on land instead. Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Fish and Wildlife Service estimate that at least 10,000 animals have gathered in a dense clump at Point Lay, Alaska. "Our biggest concern right now is stampeding," said Bruce Woods, a spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska regional office. "That's the big risk posed to these animals." That's because the intensely social -- but easily spooked -- animals have congregated in numbers that dwarf their normal groupings of up to 500 animals. The risk of injury and death is greatest for the youngest animals, which are dwarfed by adult female walruses that weigh about 1 ton each. Last year, when walruses sought shelter on the shore of Icy Cape, Alaska, many of the 131 animals that were trampled to death there were juveniles, USGS found. Similarly deadly stampedes have also been reported in Russia in recent years (ClimateWire, Aug. 10). Concerns about a stampede So far this year, there is no evidence of any stampedes at Point Lay, and federal officials are trying to keep it that way. FWS is counseling aircraft traveling through the area to maintain a minimum altitude of 1,500 feet and a lateral distance of a half-mile away from the animals. The agency is also asking ships to maintain a half-mile "buffer zone" from the coast. News of the unusual walrus behavior comes as FWS considers extending Endangered Species Act protection to the animals. The agency has until January to decide whether affording walruses some degree of protection is warranted. Chad Jay, a USGS research ecologist whose work includes tagging and tracking walruses, said it appears the animals started to come ashore late last month. "They were using an area called Hannah Shoals offshore for a number of weeks, but that little bit of ice disappeared, as well," he said. "We had several animals move west and into Russian waters and find some ice over there, but quite a few animals have come to shore in Alaska." USGS researchers had suspected the animals might shelter on shore again this year, since Arctic sea ice has hovered near the historic summer low set in 2007. Jay said scientists had camped at Icy Cape, where walruses came shore in 2007 and 2009, waiting to observe and tag animals. But the walruses surprised them by sheltering at Point Lay, about 50 miles south. Bleak future for ice-loving tuskers "This is the third time in the last four years that this has happened, and we're still learning and looking for patterns," Jay said. "Anything could have happened. In 2008, there was enough ice that stayed over the [continental] shelf that they never did come ashore, but we were kind of betting the odds they would come to shore again this year." Scientists aren't sure how long the walruses will remain at Point Lay. But what is even less clear to them is how the walruses will fare over the long term, with many models projecting the Arctic could see ice-free summers by 2040. At USGS, Jay and his colleagues are increasing the number of walruses they track with radio collars. They've also begun studies to determine whether near-shore areas can provide sufficient food and habitat if the gregarious animals come ashore year after year. One of their initial studies, published last week, found "a clear trend of worsening conditions" for the animals through the end of this century. The USGS scientists say that 22 percent of the Arctic's walruses could be classified as "vulnerable, rare or extirpated" by 2050, a fraction that rises to 40 percent by 2095. "There's quite a bit of uncertainty in all of this, and the model is constructed in a way that attempted to capture as much of that uncertainty as we could," Jay said. Copyright 2010 E&E Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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#1. To: WhiteSands (#0)
PING Whiney
Anyone seen my ice?
The map below shows the range of Walruses around Alaska in dark blue, and the “normal” NSIDC ice extent as the pink line. Note that all of the Alaskan Walruses live in areas that are normally ice free in the summer. Walruses need ice during the winter and spring to reproduce, and there has been plenty of it in that region the last few years. The overlay below is from April 15, 2010. Note that Bering Sea ice was above normal. The picture below is what Wikipedia calls a “Walrus Colony.” (i.e normal) Currently, two of the three walrus subspecies are listed as “least-concern” by the IUCN, while the third is “data deficient”. The Pacific Walrus is not listed as “depleted” according to the Marine Mammal Protection Act nor as “threatened” or “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. There seems to be no limit to the things which someone lacking perspective can worry about.
You need to source your shit, Paddy. So, please provide the website from which you cut and pasted the above. Thanks. The fact is, there used to be year round ice...there is no longer. The issue is the fact that the walruses have to migrate. When they migrate, they do not do so in an orderly fashion...kind of like your family at a cross burning....and they kill each other but mostly their young. When the young can't survive...what happens?
Steven Goddard [snicker]
See, this right here invalidates the whole article because everyone knows they're nothing but a group of big goobermint enviro-wacko commies. Since when do so-called scientists know anything? Can't you find something from a legitimate science site like answersingenesis.com?
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
Ha...
You could at least check with an expert like Rush Limbaugh.
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
One article has nothing to do with the other, and if anything shows the credibility of Goddard. The fact is walruses are not in any way threatened and the areas where they live have little or no ice during summer. (snicker to you moonbats)
You could at least check with an expert like Alex Jones.
No, because I think he's a baby killer.
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
Well the whole point here is that this is just normal walrus behavior and only a moonbat kook would think it has anything to do with CO2. ----- http://www.reference.com/browse/Walrus In the non-reproductive season (late summer and fall) the walrus tends to migrate away from the ice and form massive aggregations of tens of thousands of individuals on rocky beaches or outcrops. The nature of the migration between the reproductive period and the summer period can be a rather long distance and dramatic. In late spring and summer, for example, several hundred thousand Pacific Walruses migrate from the Bering sea into the Chukchi sea through the relatively narrow Bering Strait.
A) I just pointed out to you why they are threatened. It's from the FACT that they have to migrate. Stating that animal migration is not dangerous is stupid. Stating that animal migration is not dangerous for an aquatic animal whose habitat outside of water is on ice but are now forced to live on land is even stupider. B) Goddard would disagree with you about the little to no ice.
Well that's a flat out lie. Wlaruses in this region live on ice floes not land.
Wrong again, kook. Same walruses: In the non-reproductive season (late summer and fall) the walrus tends to migrate away from the ice and form massive aggregations of tens of thousands of individuals on rocky beaches or outcrops. The nature of the migration between the reproductive period and the summer period can be a rather long distance and dramatic. In late spring and summer, for example, several hundred thousand Pacific Walruses migrate from the Bering sea into the Chukchi sea through the relatively narrow Bering Strait. This is where the Pacific walrus normally, and during summer months, it is normal for them to gather on land. BZZZT. thanks for playing
That's why I said we need to only reference legitimate science sites like answersingenesis.com. They don't get roped in by this BS.
"Our quest for the lesser evil has arrived at an impasse. On one hand we have a world-class Doublethinker who expects us to thank him for keeping promises he has vigorously broken and to accept the cynical notion that war is peace. On the other we have a mob of flesh-eating galoots who promise to give us Orwell’s Hate Week 52 weeks a year for as long as it takes them to bring about Armageddon. " — Jeff Huber
You would not be able to debunk anything I posted from aig. But that website really isn't applicable to this.
Let's see...whom to believe...Padlock channelling known Kook and Consistently Wrong Steven Goddard or the people who actually track walrus behavior...? Hmmmm...hard choice...
#2. To: All (#0)
#3. To: war (#0)
Because moonbats will believe anything
#4. To: no gnu taxes (#3)
(Edited)
The map below shows the range of Walruses around Alaska in dark blue, and the “normal” NSIDC ice extent as the pink line. Note that all of the Alaskan Walruses live in areas that are normally ice free in the summer.
#5. To: no gnu taxes (#3)
#6. To: war (#0)
(Edited)
Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Fish and Wildlife Service
#7. To: Skip Intro (#6)
#8. To: war (#7)
#9. To: war (#5)
#10. To: Skip Intro (#8)
#11. To: no gnu taxes (#10)
You could at least check with an expert like Alex Jones.
#12. To: Skip Intro (#11)
#13. To: no gnu taxes (#9)
The fact is walruses are not in any way threatened and the areas where they live have little or no ice during summer.
#14. To: no gnu taxes (#12)
Well the whole point here is that this is just normal walrus behavior
#15. To: war (#14)
#16. To: no gnu taxes (#12)
Well the whole point here is that this is just normal walrus behavior and only a moonbat kook would think it has anything to do with CO2.
#17. To: Skip Intro (#16)
answersingenesis.com
#18. To: no gnu taxes (#15)
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