butterbin 35,000 walruses are swarming Alaskas shore — because their sea ice is vanishing Pacific walruses have long relied on floating sea ice in the Arctic. They use it as a resting place between dives as they forage for shrimp, worms, and mollusks on the ocean floor. Female walruses also give birth on these ice platforms and raise their pups there. AS THE SEA ICE RECEDES, WALRUSES ARE HAULING OUT ON LAND INSTEAD But thanks to global warming, all that Arctic sea ice is dwindling. And so, in recent summers, many walruses have been seeking refuge on the northern shores of Alaska and Russia instead. This September, scientists observed one of the biggest land haul-outs in recent memory in northern Alaska — with an estimated 35,000 walruses crowding the shore of a remote barrier island near Pt. Lay. Surveyors from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration photographed the event on September 13 during their annual aerial survey of Arctic marine mammals: How has global warming affected the world so far?
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 05:00:00 +0000
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