What 35,000 Walruses Forced to the 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