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Changing ocean conditions led to decline in Alaska's sea lion population
March 23, 2007A new study out of Alaska points out the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems, and the need for increased research and stronger science based management to address future concerns.
Studies by a team of scientists at the North Pacific Universities Marine Mammal Research Consortium http://www.marinemammal.org/ revealed that a sudden ocean climate change 30 years ago changed today's Alaska marine ecosystems, and may be a leading factor in the decline of Alaska's endangered western stock of Steller sea lions.
Theories why the Steller sea lion population declined by more than 80 percent during the 1980s include pollution, commercial fishing, and subsistence harvesting. The new study points instead to a climate regime shift—a natural event in the ocean's climatic cycle—in the late 1970s that may be responsible for current regional population of about 40,000, compared with 235,000 in the 1970s.
The publication, entitled Bottom-up forcing and the decline of Steller sea lions in Alaska: assessing the ocean climate hypothesis found that climate change affected water temperatures and ocean currents determining the abundance of available fish for the sea lion's to eat. Changes in prey led to a decline in the sea lion population. Using interdisciplinary research methods was key in determining the root cause of the sea lion decline.
The need for such research is echoed in a related report: "Conserving Alaska's Oceans," prepared by Natural Resources Consultants. The report outlines 30 years of improved ocean conservation in the waters off Alaska with recommendations for future action. The report makes ten recommendations for continued improvement, including the need to address climate impacts, embrace the goals of ecosystem based fishery management, and the need to strengthen science programs to address future uncertainty.
Marine Conservation Alliance
The publication, entitled Bottom-up forcing and the decline of Steller sea lions in Alaska: assessing the ocean climate hypothesis found that climate change affected water temperatures and ocean currents determining the abundance of available fish for the sea lion's to eat. Changes in prey led to a decline in the sea lion population. Using interdisciplinary research methods was key in determining the root cause of the sea lion decline.
The need for such research is echoed in a related report: "Conserving Alaska's Oceans," prepared by Natural Resources Consultants. The report outlines 30 years of improved ocean conservation in the waters off Alaska with recommendations for future action. The report makes ten recommendations for continued improvement, including the need to address climate impacts, embrace the goals of ecosystem based fishery management, and the need to strengthen science programs to address future uncertainty.
Marine Conservation Alliance
Climate Change Current Events and Climate Change News RSSPast regional cold and warm periods linked to natural climate drivers
Intervals of regional warmth and cold in the past are linked to the El Niño phenomenon and the so-called "North Atlantic Oscillation" in the Northern hemisphere's jet stream, according to a team of climate scientists. These linkages may be important in assessing the regional effects of future climate change.
Peat fires drive temperatures up
Peatlands, especially those in tropical regions, sequester gigantic amounts of organic carbon. Human activities are now having a considerable impact on these wetlands.
Traditional indigenous fire management techniques deployed against climate change
A landmark Australian project that mitigates the extent and severity of natural savannah blazes by deploying traditional Indigenous fire management techniques is being hailed as a model with vast global potential in the fights against climate change and biodiversity loss, and for protecting Indigenous lands and culture.
Caltech scientists explain puzzling lake asymmetry on Titan
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) suggest that the eccentricity of Saturn's orbit around the sun may be responsible for the unusually uneven distribution of lakes over the northern and southern polar regions of the planet's largest moon, Titan.
Making sense of greenhouse gas accounting
Waste management is increasingly gaining the recognition that it deserves as a major contributor to mitigating climate change.
Climate change could boost incidence of civil war in Africa
Climate change could increase the likelihood of civil war in sub-Saharan Africa by over 50 percent within the next two decades.
We're off then: the evolution of bat migration
Not just birds, but also a few species of bats face a long journey every year. Researchers at Princeton University in the U.S. and at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, Germany studied the migratory behaviour of the largest extant family of bats, the so-called "Vespertilionidae" with the help of mathematical models.
Researchers establish common seasonal pattern among bacterial communities in Arctic rivers
New research on bacterial communities throughout six large Arctic river ecosystems reveals predictable temporal patterns, suggesting that scientists could use these communities as markers for monitoring climate change in the polar regions.
Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol
Surplus biomass from the production of flax shives, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol.
Aquatic creatures mix ocean water
Understanding mixing in the ocean is of fundamental importance to modeling climate change or predicting the effects of an El Niño on our weather. Modern ocean models primarily incorporate the effects of winds and tides. However, they do not generally take into account the mixing generated by swimming animals.
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