Global warming and walruses by Gray Daitch
Thousands of Pacific walruses have again gathered on the northwest shore of Alaska as the Chukchi Sea approaches it’s annual sea ice minimum. People in Inupiaq village of Point Lay on Aug. 22nd reported hearing walruses. Those who took part in the annual marine mammal survey on Aug. 30th photographed walruses on a barrier island near Point Lay. They estimated 25,000 were there. Walruses over the last decade have come to shore on sides of the Chukchi Sea as ice diminishes because of global warming. Walruses use sea ice to rest as they dive to the ocean floor to hunt for clams and snails. When ice recedes north of the shallow continental shelf, walruses head to beaches to rest. They lie shoulder to shoulder and can be startled by a polar bear, airplane, or hunter. Calves born earlier in the year, are vulnerable to being crushed in stampedes if the herd suddenly seeks refuge in the ocean. Ships try not to get too close to the herd. Unfortunately, each year biologists see around 30 carcasses on the beach. Walruses spend winters along the edge of ice in the Bering Sea. Mature males remain in the sea all year and forage from shore. In the spring, adult females, and many calves migrate north all the way through the Bering Strait to feeding areas in the Chukchi Sea, often staying near the ice edge or pack ice as it recedes north. Sea ice usually melts to it’s summer minimum sometime in September, it has gone as late as Sept. 21st in previous years.
https://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2018-10-13/as-sea-ice-melts-agency-says-harm-to-walruses-not-proven
How can we stop global warming and save their home?
Do you think other animals are being affected by this?
Why do you think they get startled so easily?
Walruses should be just as much of a priority as penguins, polar bears, and other animals being affected by this. Their habitat is something that we should protect, not destroy.
ReplyDelete- Ashley Herman
I think that the Walruses are getting startled so easily because they are either: not used to human interaction, have associated humans and planes with being harmed, or they just don't understand what humans are.
ReplyDelete- Noah Brockmann
They need to set up a protection system so people don't scare and or kill them trying to get their tusks. Even though it's a valuable resource doesn't mean you have to kill them. ~Gray Daitch
DeleteI feel as if they are having their habitats enclosed so they feel more of a fight for resources so they could be possessive and easily startled. I'm sure this is the same situations of other species of animals as they all want to be able to maintain habitat, food sources and life. -caroline
ReplyDeleteI think the animals are affected by habitat degradation, lack of fish, and contaminated fish.
ReplyDeleteberto
Deletemaybe they are being startled because when they see these planes they might associate it with hunters
ReplyDeleteI think they're are a lot of animals that are being effected by this but we tend to focus on big ones like polar bears and penguins and even they don't get enough media attention -kennedy
ReplyDeleteI think that some other animals are affected by this because this can affect the food chain ad what the other animals around do or react. - Jason
ReplyDeleteOne way to try to solve the problem of global warming is to reduce our carbon footprint, which will in turn help the walruses. -Jeffrey
ReplyDeletei do believe other animals are effected by this, they are apart of the arctic ecosystem and any other animal living in the same area will be effected by their ice home melting.
ReplyDeleteThis is bad
ReplyDeleteI believe other animals are effected by this , because they're apart of the ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteThere are alot of animals that live in the icy waters and why the ice is melting I guess that effects lots of animals because they be in water alot and they cant sleep on ice because its melting - Brandon Mckinley
ReplyDelete