future polar seals is becoming increasingly uncertain. Although specimens of some species still number in the hundreds of thousands, climate change, predators and human activities are drastically reducing their habitat by melting sea ice and snow. A group of scientists collaborated to find conservation formulas that ensured the survival of animals. They are part of the ancient culture of the Eskimos..
Marine ecologist Brendan P. Kelly, scientific director of the Arctic Environmental Change Research and professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and his team have spent three decades studying the behavior and movements of these marine mammals, particularly the subspecies known as the Saimaa ringed seal.pusa hispida saimensis).
At a recent conference, Kelly said that seals have existed for millions of years. brave evolution step, because getting out of the water meant being vulnerable to predators. But this isn’t the biggest danger they face, as humans and climate change have severely impacted the Arctic.
“Greenhouse gases are increasing and are causing our climate to warm. Warming in the Arctic is happening more than twice as fast as the global average. The ice sheet is like a giant mirror that reflects sunlight back into space, and once it disappears, dark ocean water heats up faster and faster,” Kelly explained.
Seals are perfectly adapted to the harsh habitats they occupy: spend 80% of the time in the water they can breathe under the snow and in the snow caves they dig.
puppies in danger
One of the problems affecting seals is that the cubs’ fur provides little insulation against the cold. When mothers come to feed their young, they warm the snow-covered den, but if the snow cover is too thin, the offspring will face poaching and freezing. In addition, artificial shelters are difficult to build in the Arctic due to extensive ice habitats.
Eskimos are very worried about the future of seals, which are an essential part of their diet and culture. For example, they are restless because:Protected areas declared by governmentsHE denying their access to these marine mammals.
Peoples living in the Arctic have hunted seals for thousands of years, so they know an enormous amount of information about how these animals lived.
Kelly’s team argued that this information should be more readily available to politicians and decision-makers in the Arctic. protection measures Think of everyone involved.
“Academics have a terrible habit of hiding information: we have to get better at communicating our knowledge in simple language and through stories. On this front, we still have a lot of work to do,” Kelly admitted. Joint effort to understand the Eskimos and at the same time ensure the future of the seals.
Better GPS signal than scientists
Among the discoveries these scientists have made in recent years, for example, during the breeding season stands out. Female seals often dive more than 100 meters into the water in search of food.males make shallower dives near the females’ breathing holes.
Satellite tracking of the seals shows: a male can swim 2,500 kilometers and then return to his original habitat. “The seals’ GPS signal is better than us scientistsKelly stressed.
Climate change is one of the seals’ main enemies. First of all, it encourages drastic decline in fish species, which are the main food source.
Warming of the North Atlantic over the past half century has significantly reduced ice cover in closing breeding areas and higher mortality rates in offspringas various scientific studies have revealed.
Research shows that Seasonal sea ice cover has decreased by up to 6% per decade since 1979the year in which satellite recordings began.
Most seals require stable sea ice in winter to give birth and suckle their young until they can swim and hunt on their own. Female seals often search for the thickest and oldest ice sheets in subarctic waters.
Seals aren’t the only arctic animals whose future is at stake. Among others, Polar bear (ursus maritimus), HE arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), beluga whale (delphinapterus leucas) And pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus). These four types in danger of extinction.
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