ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In order to study the effects of reduced sea ice conditions on the pacific walrus population of northwestern Alaska, researchers will attempt to tag 35 walruses with satellite transmitters this month.
The ongoing study is being conducted by the USGS Alaska Science Center, in cooperation with the Native Village of Point Lay.
Walruses spend most of their lives at sea and often rest on shelves of sea ice, but with sea ice receding away from the land and into the deep ocean, the walruses will haul themselves on to beaches in Alaska and Russia.
Walruses came to shore in late August in 2010, but have, reportedly, already been showing up on shores just a few weeks into August this year.
According to the USGS Alaska Science Center, radio-tracking the walruses will provide insights into their behavior in response to changing sea ice conditions.
