A three week Greenpeace scientific expedition to the retreating Arctic ice pack, completed on July 31st,has uncovered new evidence that climate change appears to be impacting on the wildlife and ecology of the region, particularly walrus young.
The Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise with an international crew and scientific research team from ten countries (UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Russia, NZ, Australia, US, Canada, Japan, and Spain) travelled along the edge of the polar ice pack in the Chukchi Sea between Alaska and Russia counting and ageing groups of walrus, and observing polar bears and black guillemots(birds dependent on arctic ice).
"Preliminary results indicate that the walrus population isn't doing so well," said Dr Brendan Kelly, from the University of Alaska and head of the research team. "Although we saw more calves than last year, the last several years have seen low juvenile survival rates, clearly indicating that this is a population in decline. We don't have enough data to say how rapid a decline it is, but the early signs of climate change such as the retreat of the sea ice and the changes in the food supply for these animals, do not bode well for the walrus."
Dr. Brendan Kelly headed the research team, which included Dr. Gennady Smirnov of Chukotka's Marine Mammal Research Group, senior researcher Lori Quakenbush of the University of Alaska, and Clarence Waghiyi from the Alaska Eskimo Walrus Commission. The main body of research was on the Pacific walrus, and the team of nine scientists surveyed nearly 5000 animals during the three week expedition, using unique methods developed by Dr. Kelly and his associates.
The melting of the polar pack is the most obvious impact of climate change in the western Arctic, which is warming at a rate 3-5 times faster than the rest of the globe. While the sea ice was heavy during the spring of 1999, July saw an extremely rapid melt-out of the ice in the Chukchi Sea, which retreated nearly 300 miles in some places during the three weeks of the expedition.
Walrus, polar bears, seals, seabirds and other uniquely Arctic animals are dependent on the sea ice for their survival and so are immediately affected by any change to the ice. The walrus is a mainstay of the diet for Alaska Native communities in the Bering and Chukchi seas.
The expedition witnessed an extremely rare event - an attack by a polar bear on an adult male walrus hauled out on the ice. Adult walruses are generally at least twice as large and heavy as polar bears, with extremely thick, tough skin, and are not considered common prey for the bears. The expedition also visited Herald Island, a major polar bear denning area. Polar bears are also under threat from the retreating sea ice and ecosystem changes which could threaten their food supply. "The signs of climate change are all around us," said Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace spokesperson aboard the Arctic Sunrise.
"Climate change is caused by humans burning fossil fuels. It's time to stop pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and phase out the use of fossil fuels in favour of cleaner forms of energy such as solar and wind power."
