Walruses Gather On Alaskan Beach In A Record Number Of 35,000; Dwindling Arctic Ice Resulting From Climate Change Forced Animals Onto Land [PHOTO]

Photos taken by scientists working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this past Saturday showed more than 35,000 walruses gathered on a beach near the village of Point Lay, on the Chukchi Sea in northwest Alaska. Numbers of converging walrus have never been this big before, and the congregation has been attributed to dwindling Arctic ice.

As climate change warms the atmosphere, Arctic ice diminishes. According to Think Progress, Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point this year in mid-September, and NASA reported it to be the sixth-lowest record since 1978. It is likely that the walruses were stranded due to a lack of preferred sea ice outposts.

Andrea Medeiros, a spokeswoman for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, reported that walrus populations were first spotted on the beach on September 13, and have since been moving on and off shore. Last week, around 50 carcasses were spotted - likely due to stampedes. Unlike seals, walrus need breaks from swimming and often gather in large groups.

Though this is the largest number of congregating walrus to date, similar events have occurred in the past. CNN reports that a NOAA survey from last year counted roughly 10,000 walruses on the beach near Point Lay. Furthermore, in 2011 roughly 30,000 walrus came ashore. Large haul-outs such as these were first noticed in 2007.

Margaret Williams, the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) managing director of the Arctic program, stated, "The massive concentrations of walruses onshore - when they should be scattered broadly in ice-covered waters - is just one example of the impacts of climate change on the distribution of marine species in the Arctic," suggesting that ice loss in the Arctic could lead to more similar events.

Lou Leonard, vice president for climate change at the WWF, stated, "We are witnessing a slow-motion catastrophe in the Arctic...as this ice dwindles, the Arctic will experience some of the most dramatic changes our generation has ever witnessed. This loss will impact the annual migration of wildlife through the region, threaten the long-term health of walrus and polar bear populations, and change the lives of those who rely on the Arctic ecosystem for their way of life."