10,000 walrus come ashore

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10,000 walrus come ashore
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An estimated 10,000 walrus unable to find sea ice
over shallow Arctic Ocean water have come ashore
on Alaska's northwest coast. The walrus have been
coming to shore since mid-September. The
gathering of walrus on shore is a phenomenon that
has accompanied the loss of summer sea ice as the
climate has warmed. Pacific walrus spend winters
in the Bering Sea. Females give birth on sea ice
and use ice as a diving platform to reach snails,
clams and worms on the shallow continental shelf.
However, in recent years, sea ice has receded
north beyond continental shelf waters and into
Arctic Ocean water 10,000 feet deep or more where
walrus cannot dive to the bottom. Environmental
groups say the loss of sea ice due to climate
warming is harming marine mammals.
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