Sea ice cover is in a downward spiral and may have the point of no return with a possible ice free Artie Ocean by the summer of 2030. Alaska’s walrus, especially breeding females, in summer and fall are usually found on the Artie ice peak. Starting in July a thousand walrus abandoned the ice peaks for gathering spots between Barrow and Cape Lisbane, a remote 482kms stretch of the Alaska coastline.
Conservationist is calling this a dramatic consequence of global warming melting the Artie Sea ice. Walrus feed on clams, snails and other bottom dwellers. “It looks to me like animals are shifting their distribution to find prey” said Tim Ragen, executive director of the Federal Marine Mammal Commission. “The big question is whether they will be able to find sufficient prey in areas where they are looking for,” he added.
According to the national snow and ice data centre at the University of Colorado, September 2008 the sea ice was 39% below the long – term average from 1979 to 2000 and put sea ice far north of the outer continental shelf. The world needs to awaken before it is too late. Conservation of the environment is the responsibility of each and every citizen of the globe.