from the very-large-canaries-in-very-large-numbers dept.
Common Dreams reports:
Federal biologists have discovered an unusual phenomenon on a beach in northwest Alaska: a massive gathering of walruses — 35,000 of them — crowded onto a small strip of shore. This swarm, which was sighted in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aerial survey on Saturday, is a direct result of a warming climate and declining sea ice, say scientists.
Pacific walruses, who live in the Bering Sea during winter, require floating sea ice to meet their survival needs, using them for rest in between journeys to forage for food, such as clam, snails, and worms, as well as for giving birth and caring for their young. But as the oceans warm, this sea ice is receding, especially near coastal areas, forcing these walruses to take to the beach for resting and foraging, according to an explanation from the NOAA.
"The walruses are telling us what the polar bears have told us and what many indigenous people have told us in the high Arctic, and that is that the Arctic environment is changing extremely rapidly and it is time for the rest of the world to take notice and also to take action to address the root causes of climate change", said Margaret Williams, managing director of the group's Arctic program, in a statement.
[...]similar large aggregations of walruses have been seen in and near the area in recent years. The [World Wildlife Fund] tracked 20,000 walruses on the shore at Ryrkaipiy on the Chukchi Sea in Russia in 2009
Related:
Earth Has Lost 50% of All Wildlife Creatures Over the Last 40 Years
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The number of wild animals on Earth has halved in the past 40 years, according to a new analysis. Creatures across land, rivers and the seas are being decimated as humans kill them for food in unsustainable numbers, while polluting or destroying their habitats, the research by scientists at World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London found.
“If half the animals died in London zoo next week it would be front page news,” said Professor Ken Norris, ZSL’s director of science. “But that is happening in the great outdoors. This damage is not inevitable but a consequence of the way we choose to live.” He said nature, which provides food and clean water and air, was essential for human wellbeing.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Friday October 10 2014, @08:04PM
The haul-outs of walruses is nothing new.
Further this gathering happened in the middle of summer, which is normally ice free at those latitudes.
I've seen these haulouts myself, even photographed them, and been down wind of them. (Not pleasant).
When Ice comes, they will haulout on Ice, having very little choice in the matter. But when Ice is not there they use land. It bothers them not in the least. They are actually closer to their shallow water food sources than they would be if they were fenced off by 50 miles of sea ice.
Seeing 35k of them in one place says more about the health of their population than anything else.
Not every unusual animal behavior spells impending disaster. Its a warm summer day, the cows are fertile, lets party boys!
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by jcross on Friday October 10 2014, @08:16PM
> Its a warm summer day, the cows are fertile, lets party boys!
It took me a second there to figure out you were quoting the walrus bulls, and until then I was imagining this was a dairy farmer talking to his buddies. Unusual animal behavior indeed.
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by aristarchus on Friday October 10 2014, @08:57PM
One of the better written and persuasive global warning denial posts I have read! Nothing to see here! Move along, especially because of the smell.
( I have always wondered if BP and Exxon pay individually, or is there a pooling of resources for good blog posts? And do they pay by the post, or is it more like being on retainer? Of course, the fact that people post global warming denying posts on blogs in no way means that there is any shilling going on. It could just be nice summer day, with cows.)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 10 2014, @09:15PM
What the hell are you on about? If the walrus the gathering happens and has happened before, how is that a GW denial post? It just seems to point out that this is not a proof of GW. And your BP, exxon rant is just weird.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday October 10 2014, @10:05PM
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Saturday October 11 2014, @04:35AM
I don't think that "goring" was what the Walrus bulls had in mind. But your objection is noted. And your check is probably in the mail. I know nothing about such thing, but if you want to take on the NOAA, be my guest. (You climate denier, you!) Besides, to quote another walrus from Alaska, "Do you know who I am?"
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday October 11 2014, @04:45AM
I know nothing about such thing
Then shut the fuck up until that state changes.
but if you want to take on the NOAA, be my guest. (You climate denier, you!)
What makes them any different than say the NSA in terms of telling the truth? They're pursuing their self-interests with a story that just so happens to pander to a voting bloc that Obama needs in order to retain control of the US Senate.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Saturday October 11 2014, @04:55AM
Are you, or are you not, taking money from petroleum companies to post on Soylent News? (if you are doing this for free you are a sucker!). And do you or do you not live in the great state of Montana? And further, do you, or do you not, know who Aristarchus of Samos was (or is, in his Soylent incarnation)?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday October 11 2014, @10:38AM
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday October 11 2014, @12:55PM
Second, such a demand ignores the practical side of blogging propaganda. What exactly does an oil company gain by shilling on Soylent News? Sway the hearts and minds of perhaps a few hundred basement dwellers? Maybe some weird SEO angle? I don't see the value.
And how much are they going to pay to maintain an SN account which probably already has a few hundred posts to it, most in completely irrelevant areas? Even if they're paying US minimum wage, that's hundreds to perhaps a few thousands of dollars for yet another flaming blowhard on the internet. Again, I don't see the value when such effort would be better spent trolling news sites and more popular blogs.
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Sunday October 12 2014, @08:39AM
So, . . . you're not from Montana?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday October 12 2014, @11:04AM
(Score: 2) by tathra on Friday October 10 2014, @11:29PM
denialists don't use well thought-out or persuasive arguments, they simply repeat the same crap thats been torn apart repeatedly. a lot of evidence for AGW already exists, but that doesn't mean that everything blamed on AGW is actually a result of it. this may or may not support it, but don't simply call everyone who says it doesn't a denialist until its actually been proven that is a result of AGW.
science depends on skepticism, but skepticism isn't the same thing as denialism. skeptics ask for more evidence, while denialists say the evidence doesn't exist and shift goalposts when they're forced to.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 11 2014, @06:32AM
skepticism isn't the same thing as denialism
...or, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan said:
"You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts."
Anyone who has seen video of 2 mature male marine mammals fighting for dominance knows that any pup who happens to get in the way can get crushed.
It happens all the time on beaches.
A mom having a nice quiet place for to give birth and to park her kid while he's putting on some weight is nice.
Having a platform where you can rest up after hunting--without having to swim 10 miles to dry land--makes life a lot less stressful.
I found this item about the Antarctic:[1] [googleusercontent.com] (orig) Page 3 of the PDF [nerc.ac.uk]
The Southern Ocean has an area of 35 million [sq km] and is covered by 60% sea ice in winter and 20% during the summer
[...]
There are many regions where large volumes of sea ice also persist into the summer months
If someone can say that isn't true for the other polar region and why that is, I would be interested in that.
[1] I have substituted a hyphen in that name everywhere a %20 appears in the original.
Don't you just hate fuckwits who put "spaces" in filenames?
-- gewg_
(Score: 1) by curunir_wolf on Friday October 10 2014, @09:04PM
The walruses are telling us what the polar bears have told us and what many indigenous people have told us in the high Arctic...
Well the walrus population is fine, correctly done studies tell us that the polar bear population is increasing, and I don't speak Inuit, but I hear a lot of people in colder climes dealing with even colder winters for the last couple of years. So I think Margaret is just telling us what she wants to say, not what the entities that can't speak for themselves are saying.
I am a crackpot
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 10 2014, @11:37PM
> 35,000 Walruses On One Beach
The inspiration for Kim Kardashian's new perfume.