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Young World
Disaster strikes
COMPILED BY R. KRITHIKA
Disappearing sea ice: Causing a walrus stampede.
Even as the climate change conference in Bali winds to a close. Here’s more news of the damage global warming causes. Around 3000 walruses died in stampedes off the Bering Strait, when sea ice disappeared and caused a huge crowd on the shore. Walruses need to rest while in the sea since they cannot go on swimming. Usually, they use sea ice or certain spots on land as “haulouts”, where they recoup for few weeks before setting off on the next phase. This ye
ar, changing weather patterns including a warm summer, ocean currents and winds from the east caused the ice in the Chukchi Sea to disappear. Walruses have also started coming ashore earlier and also stay longer, say biologists. Point Shmidt, which has not been a haulout spot for about 100 years, saw a congregation of about 4,000. Most of those that died were calves born in the spring. Scientists also say that if summer sea ice continues to disappear the walruses may ravage coastal areas in search of food leading to a further decline in numbers.
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