Monday, September 20, 2010

Walruses Face The Sandy Beach in Point Lay Alaska





"In recent weeks, tens of thousands of walruses have flocked to the coastline of Alaska's Chukchi Sea, an unusual occurrence that has scientists worried for their future. The behavior is a result of the widespread retreat of sea ice, critical habitat for the species, which is at its second lowest extent in the satellite record, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

According to a recent study by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) the Pacific walrus has a 40 percent chance of being classified as vulnerable, rare or extinct by the year 2095. In arriving at this conclusion, researchers conducted population modeling to estimate the impact of a variety of factors on the species." - Sea Web Ocean Update

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