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> loss of marine ice
Bob Woolf, science teacher in Ga
post May 3 2006, 07:30 PM
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We keep hearing that summer ice in the Arctic has diminished in extent considerably in the last half century and that its thickness is 60% of what it was 40 years ago. The elders here on Saint Lawrence Island have observed significant changes in marine ice and are worried that their traditional harvests of walrus, bowhead whale, seal, and polar bears, which has been the foundation of their culture for thousands of years, is severely threatened by this loss of sea ice. Is the research conducted on the Healy helping us to understand these changes? What does the research, your own and that of other investigatiors, predict for likely changes in the local abundance of walrus, bowhead, seals and polar bears? By local, we mean in the vincinity of Saint Lawrence Island.

Bob Woolf and his science students, Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island in the norther Bering Sea
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Lee_Cooper
post May 6 2006, 10:09 PM
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Hi, Bob and students in Gambell,

I think there are going to be continued changes in the northern Bering Sea system, and that means the ice is tending to form later and leave earlier, so hunting seasons will shift and food resources for important animals like walrus will change. You of course already know a lot of this living in Gambell, but part of our work is to document that so that other scientists will understand those changes and will try to put the whole picture together. We think that the research we do will help document the changes in the ecosystem that are underway, with fish moving north and figure out what the fish are eating, but we can't provide all of the information in one research cruise. One of the things we need to do a better job of is hearing about changes in the system from people who live on St. Lawrence Island, so that everyone involved can anticipate and adapt to the possible changes. I hope that is helpful. Scientists don't have all the answers and one research cruise such as this and the one we will do next year are only a piece of what needs to be done to understand all of the ecological changes that are likely as a result of the probable warming that is going to affect the Arctic in this century.

Thanks and keep those questions coming.

Lee Cooper

QUOTE(Bob Woolf, science teacher in Ga @ May 3 2006, 07:30 PM) *

We keep hearing that summer ice in the Arctic has diminished in extent considerably in the last half century and that its thickness is 60% of what it was 40 years ago. The elders here on Saint Lawrence Island have observed significant changes in marine ice and are worried that their traditional harvests of walrus, bowhead whale, seal, and polar bears, which has been the foundation of their culture for thousands of years, is severely threatened by this loss of sea ice. Is the research conducted on the Healy helping us to understand these changes? What does the research, your own and that of other investigatiors, predict for likely changes in the local abundance of walrus, bowhead, seals and polar bears? By local, we mean in the vincinity of Saint Lawrence Island.

Bob Woolf and his science students, Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island in the norther Bering Sea
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Bob Woolf, science teacher in Ga
post May 8 2006, 04:58 PM
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QUOTE(Lee_Cooper @ May 6 2006, 10:09 PM) *

Hi, Bob and students in Gambell,

I think there are going to be continued changes in the northern Bering Sea system, and that means the ice is tending to form later and leave earlier, so hunting seasons will shift and food resources for important animals like walrus will change. You of course already know a lot of this living in Gambell, but part of our work is to document that so that other scientists will understand those changes and will try to put the whole picture together. We think that the research we do will help document the changes in the ecosystem that are underway, with fish moving north and figure out what the fish are eating, but we can't provide all of the information in one research cruise. One of the things we need to do a better job of is hearing about changes in the system from people who live on St. Lawrence Island, so that everyone involved can anticipate and adapt to the possible changes. I hope that is helpful. Scientists don't have all the answers and one research cruise such as this and the one we will do next year are only a piece of what needs to be done to understand all of the ecological changes that are likely as a result of the probable warming that is going to affect the Arctic in this century.

Thanks and keep those questions coming.

Lee Cooper


Thanks for your interesting and meaningful reply. From what we understand of your research, it seems that you are concerned about fish competing for the benthic organisms now eaten by walrus, gray whales, spectacled eiders, ugruk (called mukluk here, bearded seal), etc. Are you expecting that walrus and ugruk might not visit here as much, as warming continues?
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