Walruses Research Papers

Topic
Global warming is becoming a big issue of concern for walruses and seals. Earth’s temperature has risen by 1.5°F over the past century, it is predicted to rise another .5 to 8.6°F over the next hundred years (Climate Change: Basic Information). Small changes in the average temperature can cause large and potentially dangerous shifts in the climate and weather. Oceans and glaciers experienced tremendous changes. As oceans are warming they are becoming more acidic, ice caps are melting, and sea levels are rising. These factors pose threats to walruses and seals. Human activities are releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The majority of gases are coming from the burning of fossil fuels.
Those animals are credential to the seals and walruses food. They are the base to the oceans food chain. The impact of climate change in the seas ecosystem shows the reduction in of food for the animals. The change in the reduction of food affects both the seals and the walruses. Walruses tend to dive into the ocean all the way to the bottom. They dive to the bottom to eat clams, snails, crabs, shrimp, and worms (Walrus Latest To Be Threatened By Warming). Diminished sea ice and warmer water decreases plankton, which those animals the walruses feed on need in order to survive. When those animals cannot feed off plankton because they are not existent, the walruses starve and are impacted severely. An adult walrus can eat 200 pounds of clams a day. If the walrus population stays 30 miles inshore, they can over harvest (Walrus Latest To Be Threatened By Warming). The most significant impact of climate change on seals is the loss of Artic ice, which they highly depend on. They need that ice in order to access their food sources. As the ice continues to melt away earlier and earlier each year, more pups are being separated from their mothers prematurely. This results in high mortality rates for baby seals (Mosher). The seals depend on cool air currents to bring plenty of food. When the water becomes warm, the seals struggle to find food on their own. Then, the seal population
Researchers found evidence of rapidly melting ice where walruses feed. The development of the ice is significant because walruses use sea ice as a resting platform, for pups and their mothers (Butler). If walruses cannot adapt to caring for their young without sea ice the population will plummet. In order for seals to cope with global warming, they need to shift their territories to suitable ice conditions (Ringed Seals and Climate Change). Seals desire to breed is altered by warmer temperature. The seals are not having as much offspring because the average pup survival rate is