People living in the Bang Pakong river basin need to come up with means to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change, says Greenpeace.
Climate change would lead to a 3 to 3.5 Celsius increase in temperature and heavy rainfall in the eastern community 90 years from now, a Greenpeace study released yesterday said.
Greenpeace has selected Bang Pakong river basin in Chachoengsao province as a study site to determine the impact of climate change. The study uses a mathematical model and 30 years of statistics on rainfall and temperature to predict the effects.
Ply Pirom, Greenpeace's coordinator,said as well as rising temperatures, climate change would trigger a 15% increase in annual rainfall at today's levels.
"Bang Pakong residents will be in trouble if there is no adaptation plan to respond to global warming," Mr Ply said.
Greenpeace yesterday discussed its climate change study with villagers in the Bang Pakong river basin to educate them about global warming and encourage them to think about adapting to the changing environment.
The activity was part of Greenpeace's campaign in the lead up to the Bangkok climate change talks from Sept 28 to Oct 9.
Tara Buakamsri, Greenpeace's campaign manager, called on government agencies to assist people, especially those in the agricultural sector, to adapt to climate change. The farm sector would be hardest hit by climate change effects,which range from rising temperatures and changing rainfall volume to natural disasters.
The Bang Pakong river basin supports around 1.25 million people who rely heavily on the region's fertile soil to grow rice, fruits and other crops. Villagers also depend on fish stocks from the Bang Pakong River, which are now under threat from water pollution and seawater intrusion, he said.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Carbon Fund likely to be set up by Q1
Thailand's Carbon Fund is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2010, structured as a high net worth trust as recommended by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The SEC is in the process of imposing regulations to facilitate establishing the Carbon Fund.
MFC Asset Management is ready to play a key role in setting up, said Sopida Luveeraphan, the company's first executive vice-president for private equity and financial advisory business.
"The SEC expects to complete the work by the first quarter of 2010 but with the clear mandate from the government, the process could be completed by the end of this year," she said yesterday at a conference hosted by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation (TGO).
MFC, majority-owned by the Finance Ministry, conducted a study of the Carbon Fund for the TGO.
The plan is subjected to a final endorsement by the National Climate Change Committee chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Similar to a mutual fund, the high net worth trust will mainly raise funds from institutional or high-profile investors interested in the carbon business.
The SEC earlier this year announced that active or passive trusts may be established to facilitate investment in real estate, manage exchange-traded funds or issue Sukuk securities.
The Carbon Fund will be able to invest in the equity of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, buy carbon credits in the form of certified emission reduction (CER), or acquire the projects under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)concept, Mrs Sopida said.
The CDM allows developed countries that have obligations under the Kyoto Protocol to make emission reductions overseas in non-Kyoto nations and count those reductions against their own legal commitments.
"The private sector, including those with obligations to cut emissions, and companies which want to buy credits to support their corporate social responsibility policies, will be major investors in the Carbon Fund. The government will also have a minor role in fund raising,"Mrs Sopida said.
The size of the fund will vary from 500 million baht to one billion baht with fewer limitations in terms of the ownerships in each project, she said.
To date, several foreign investors from Japan, including the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and Europe have expressed keen interest in taking part in Thailand's Carbon Fund.
"Local investors have limited understanding in the carbon trading business with the Export-Import Bank of Thailand the only active player to date," she said.
The TGO is hopeful the Carbon Fund could be set up this year so that Thailand can cash in on the expected greater CDM opportunities after December's climate change talks in Copenhagen, in Denmark,said deputy executive director Prasertsuk Charmornmarn.
The SEC is in the process of imposing regulations to facilitate establishing the Carbon Fund.
MFC Asset Management is ready to play a key role in setting up, said Sopida Luveeraphan, the company's first executive vice-president for private equity and financial advisory business.
"The SEC expects to complete the work by the first quarter of 2010 but with the clear mandate from the government, the process could be completed by the end of this year," she said yesterday at a conference hosted by the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation (TGO).
MFC, majority-owned by the Finance Ministry, conducted a study of the Carbon Fund for the TGO.
The plan is subjected to a final endorsement by the National Climate Change Committee chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Similar to a mutual fund, the high net worth trust will mainly raise funds from institutional or high-profile investors interested in the carbon business.
The SEC earlier this year announced that active or passive trusts may be established to facilitate investment in real estate, manage exchange-traded funds or issue Sukuk securities.
The Carbon Fund will be able to invest in the equity of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, buy carbon credits in the form of certified emission reduction (CER), or acquire the projects under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)concept, Mrs Sopida said.
The CDM allows developed countries that have obligations under the Kyoto Protocol to make emission reductions overseas in non-Kyoto nations and count those reductions against their own legal commitments.
"The private sector, including those with obligations to cut emissions, and companies which want to buy credits to support their corporate social responsibility policies, will be major investors in the Carbon Fund. The government will also have a minor role in fund raising,"Mrs Sopida said.
The size of the fund will vary from 500 million baht to one billion baht with fewer limitations in terms of the ownerships in each project, she said.
To date, several foreign investors from Japan, including the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, and Europe have expressed keen interest in taking part in Thailand's Carbon Fund.
"Local investors have limited understanding in the carbon trading business with the Export-Import Bank of Thailand the only active player to date," she said.
The TGO is hopeful the Carbon Fund could be set up this year so that Thailand can cash in on the expected greater CDM opportunities after December's climate change talks in Copenhagen, in Denmark,said deputy executive director Prasertsuk Charmornmarn.
Why the Copenhagen talks offer us one last chance
Two weeks ago, I visited the Arctic. I saw the remains of a glacier that just a few years ago was a majestic mass of ice. It had collapsed. Not slowly melted - collapsed. I travelled nine hours by ship from the world's northernmost settlement to reach the Polar ice rim. In just a few years, the same ship may be able to sail unimpeded all the way to the North Pole. The Arctic could be virtually ice-free by 2030.
Scientists told me their sobering findings. The Arctic is our canary in the coal mine for climate impacts that will affect us all. I was alarmed by the rapid pace of change there. Worse still, changes in the Arctic are now accelerating global warming. Thawing permafrost is releasing methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.Melting ice in Greenland threatens to raise sea levels.
Meanwhile, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
I am therefore all the more convinced we must act - now.
To that end, on Sept 22 I am convening a special summit on climate change at the United Nations for some 100 world leaders - history's largest-ever such gathering of heads of state and government. Their collective challenge: transforming the climate crisis into an opportunity for safer, cleaner, sustainable green growth for all.
The key is Copenhagen, where governments will gather to negotiate a new global climate agreement in December.I will have a simple message to convey to leaders: the world needs you to actively push for a fair, effective and ambitious deal in Copenhagen. Fail to act, and we will count the cost for generations to come.
Climate change is the pre-eminent geopolitical issue of our time. It rewrites the global equation for development,peace and prosperity. It threatens markets, economies and development gains. It can deplete food and water supplies, provoke conflict and migration,destabilise fragile societies and even topple governments.
Hyperbole? Not according to the world's best scientists.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak within 10 years if we are to avoid unleashing powerful, natural forces that are now slipping out of our control.
Ten years is within the political lifetime of many attending the summit. The climate crisis is occurring on their watch.
There is an alternative: sustainable growth based on green technologies and policies that favour low emissions over current carbon-intensive models. Many national stimulus packages devised in the wake of the global economic downturn feature a strong green component that creates jobs and positions countries to excel in the clean energy economy of the 21st century.
Change is in the air. The key lies in a global climate deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rise to a scientifically safe level. A deal to catalyse clean energy growth.Most urgently, an agreement must protect and assist those who are most vulnerable from inevitable climate impacts.
What is needed is political will at the highest levels - presidents, premiers and prime ministers - that translates into rapid progress in the negotiating room. It requires more trust among nations, more imagination, ambition and cooperation.
I expect leaders to roll up their sleeves and speak with - not past - each other.I expect them to intensify efforts to resolve the key political issues that have so far slowed global negotiations to a glacial pace. Ironically, that expression - until recently - connoted slowness. But the glaciers I saw a few weeks ago in the Arctic are melting faster than human progress to preserve them.
We must place the planet's long-term interests ahead of short-term political expediency. National leaders need to be global leaders who take the long view.Today's threats transcend borders. So,too, must our thinking.
Copenhagen need not resolve all the details. But a successful global climate deal must involve all countries, consistent with their capabilities, working toward a common, long-term goal. Here are my benchmarks for success.
First, every country must do its utmost to reduce emissions from all major sources. Industrialised countries have to strengthen their mitigation targets,which are currently nowhere close to what the IPCC says is needed. Developing countries, too, must slow the rise in their emissions and accelerate green growth as part of their strategies to reduce poverty.
Second, a successful deal must help the most vulnerable to adapt to the in-evitable impacts of climate change. This is an ethical imperative as well as a smart investment in a more stable, secure world.
Third, developing countries need funding and technology so they can move more quickly toward low-emissions growth. A deal must also unlock private investment, including through carbon markets.
Fourth, resources must be equitably managed and deployed in a way that all countries have a voice.
This year at Copenhagen, we have a powerful opportunity to get on the right side of history. It's an opportunity not only to avert disaster, but to launch a fundamental transformation of the global economy.
Strong new political winds now fill our sails. Millions of citizens are mobilised. Savvy businesses are charting a cleaner energy course. We must seize this moment to act boldly on climate change. It may not come again anytime soon.
Change is in the air. Let's seal the deal on a better future for us all.
This article by United National SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon originally appeared in the "International Herald Tribune" on Sept 18.
Scientists told me their sobering findings. The Arctic is our canary in the coal mine for climate impacts that will affect us all. I was alarmed by the rapid pace of change there. Worse still, changes in the Arctic are now accelerating global warming. Thawing permafrost is releasing methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.Melting ice in Greenland threatens to raise sea levels.
Meanwhile, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.
I am therefore all the more convinced we must act - now.
To that end, on Sept 22 I am convening a special summit on climate change at the United Nations for some 100 world leaders - history's largest-ever such gathering of heads of state and government. Their collective challenge: transforming the climate crisis into an opportunity for safer, cleaner, sustainable green growth for all.
The key is Copenhagen, where governments will gather to negotiate a new global climate agreement in December.I will have a simple message to convey to leaders: the world needs you to actively push for a fair, effective and ambitious deal in Copenhagen. Fail to act, and we will count the cost for generations to come.
Climate change is the pre-eminent geopolitical issue of our time. It rewrites the global equation for development,peace and prosperity. It threatens markets, economies and development gains. It can deplete food and water supplies, provoke conflict and migration,destabilise fragile societies and even topple governments.
Hyperbole? Not according to the world's best scientists.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak within 10 years if we are to avoid unleashing powerful, natural forces that are now slipping out of our control.
Ten years is within the political lifetime of many attending the summit. The climate crisis is occurring on their watch.
There is an alternative: sustainable growth based on green technologies and policies that favour low emissions over current carbon-intensive models. Many national stimulus packages devised in the wake of the global economic downturn feature a strong green component that creates jobs and positions countries to excel in the clean energy economy of the 21st century.
Change is in the air. The key lies in a global climate deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rise to a scientifically safe level. A deal to catalyse clean energy growth.Most urgently, an agreement must protect and assist those who are most vulnerable from inevitable climate impacts.
What is needed is political will at the highest levels - presidents, premiers and prime ministers - that translates into rapid progress in the negotiating room. It requires more trust among nations, more imagination, ambition and cooperation.
I expect leaders to roll up their sleeves and speak with - not past - each other.I expect them to intensify efforts to resolve the key political issues that have so far slowed global negotiations to a glacial pace. Ironically, that expression - until recently - connoted slowness. But the glaciers I saw a few weeks ago in the Arctic are melting faster than human progress to preserve them.
We must place the planet's long-term interests ahead of short-term political expediency. National leaders need to be global leaders who take the long view.Today's threats transcend borders. So,too, must our thinking.
Copenhagen need not resolve all the details. But a successful global climate deal must involve all countries, consistent with their capabilities, working toward a common, long-term goal. Here are my benchmarks for success.
First, every country must do its utmost to reduce emissions from all major sources. Industrialised countries have to strengthen their mitigation targets,which are currently nowhere close to what the IPCC says is needed. Developing countries, too, must slow the rise in their emissions and accelerate green growth as part of their strategies to reduce poverty.
Second, a successful deal must help the most vulnerable to adapt to the in-evitable impacts of climate change. This is an ethical imperative as well as a smart investment in a more stable, secure world.
Third, developing countries need funding and technology so they can move more quickly toward low-emissions growth. A deal must also unlock private investment, including through carbon markets.
Fourth, resources must be equitably managed and deployed in a way that all countries have a voice.
This year at Copenhagen, we have a powerful opportunity to get on the right side of history. It's an opportunity not only to avert disaster, but to launch a fundamental transformation of the global economy.
Strong new political winds now fill our sails. Millions of citizens are mobilised. Savvy businesses are charting a cleaner energy course. We must seize this moment to act boldly on climate change. It may not come again anytime soon.
Change is in the air. Let's seal the deal on a better future for us all.
This article by United National SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon originally appeared in the "International Herald Tribune" on Sept 18.
Stakes are high in climate talks
World leaders converge on New York and Pittsburgh this week for pivotal talks in the two-year effort to remake global climate rules,with success far from assured.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is opening a top-level "Climate Summit" today, kicking off a week filled with policy debates, meetings and the informal chatter of diplomats attempting to close in on a deal.
Climate negotiators have spent the last two years working toward a makeor-break summit in Copenhagen this December, which is expected to ink new targets for global emissions beyond 2012,when the Kyoto Protocol expires.
Mr Ban has called on leaders attending this week's meetings to "publicly commit to sealing a deal in Copenhagen", amid concerns that time is running out.
Despite months of extensive talks,sharp differences still exist between rich and poor countries over a future climate change treaty, with funding for reform emerging as one the key sticking points.
Climate negotiators from the world's 17 largest developing and developed economies met in Washington last week for talks.
"I think there was some narrowing of differences," Todd Stern, the US special envoy for climate change, said after the two-day talks.
But he acknowledged "there are plenty of differences that remain".
A series of meetings this autumn,beginning with those at the United Nations and the G20 next week, aims "fundamentally to narrow differences in an effort to get us toward a successful outcome in Copenhagen", he said.
Environment expert Michael Levi of the Council on Foreign Relations warned against a "very dangerous" temptation to use the UN summit to crank up pressure for a final deal in Copenhagen.
"It will be a much better outcome if the heads of state set a realistic agenda for their negotiators," he said.
The UN negotiations are still only in their formative stages, Mr Levi added.
At the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh of the world's biggest industrialised and developing nations, which account for 80% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, leaders are expected to discuss the contentious question of who will pay for reform.
Clarification, Mr Stern said, is needed on where the money will come from,through which institutions it is channelled and how financing decisions will be determined.
On Friday, European Union leaders called on rich countries to provide at least $7.3 billion next year to help poor nations tackle climate change.
"The G20 should recognise the need to [address] urgent climate financing needs in developing countries," the EU leaders said in a statement.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is opening a top-level "Climate Summit" today, kicking off a week filled with policy debates, meetings and the informal chatter of diplomats attempting to close in on a deal.
Climate negotiators have spent the last two years working toward a makeor-break summit in Copenhagen this December, which is expected to ink new targets for global emissions beyond 2012,when the Kyoto Protocol expires.
Mr Ban has called on leaders attending this week's meetings to "publicly commit to sealing a deal in Copenhagen", amid concerns that time is running out.
Despite months of extensive talks,sharp differences still exist between rich and poor countries over a future climate change treaty, with funding for reform emerging as one the key sticking points.
Climate negotiators from the world's 17 largest developing and developed economies met in Washington last week for talks.
"I think there was some narrowing of differences," Todd Stern, the US special envoy for climate change, said after the two-day talks.
But he acknowledged "there are plenty of differences that remain".
A series of meetings this autumn,beginning with those at the United Nations and the G20 next week, aims "fundamentally to narrow differences in an effort to get us toward a successful outcome in Copenhagen", he said.
Environment expert Michael Levi of the Council on Foreign Relations warned against a "very dangerous" temptation to use the UN summit to crank up pressure for a final deal in Copenhagen.
"It will be a much better outcome if the heads of state set a realistic agenda for their negotiators," he said.
The UN negotiations are still only in their formative stages, Mr Levi added.
At the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh of the world's biggest industrialised and developing nations, which account for 80% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions, leaders are expected to discuss the contentious question of who will pay for reform.
Clarification, Mr Stern said, is needed on where the money will come from,through which institutions it is channelled and how financing decisions will be determined.
On Friday, European Union leaders called on rich countries to provide at least $7.3 billion next year to help poor nations tackle climate change.
"The G20 should recognise the need to [address] urgent climate financing needs in developing countries," the EU leaders said in a statement.
Giant jellyfish invasion may be imminent in Japan
Giant jellyfish seem poised to invade Japan, and experts are warning local fishers to brace themselves for an inundation that could wreak havoc on their industry.
Nomura's jellyfish is one of the largest jellyfish species in the world,growing up to 198cm wide and weighing as much as 200kg. The giant jellyfish last swarmed western Japan in vast numbers in 2005. Their huge bodies damaged fishing nets, and their toxic stings poisoned the catch and even injured some fishers.
Now the jellyfish could be gearing up for a similar assault, say experts who recently conducted some of the first surveys of the giants' spawning grounds.
"We have reports of massive bloomings of young jellyfish near the Chinese coast, where the ecosystems of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea are favourable for breeding," said Shin-ichi Uye, a biological oceanographer at Hiroshima University.
Relatively little is known about Nomura's jellyfish, so Uye and colleagues across Japan have been studying the jellyfish in the lab to learn more about its habits and reproductive strategies.
Based on captive breeding, Uye's team has found that the jellyfish are extremely efficient at filtering tiny creatures called zooplankton out of the water. As long as a jellyfish is healthy,it devotes all its energy to eating. Even during the spawning season, its re-productive system remains immature.
But if the jellyfish is injured or weakened, it quickly switches to producing offspring, Uye said.
The scientists are still not sure why thousands of the creatures float across the Sea of Japan in some years but not others.
"It is possible that they have a 'rest stage' or hibernation period in their development over several years, but then their numbers shoot up given certain environmental stimuli," Uye said.
Researchers also don't know why the giant jellyfish are becoming more regular visitors to Japan's shores. In the early 1900s large numbers of the giants were reported only every 40 years or so. But in recent years the jellyfish have been appearing with alarming frequency: Japan experienced unusually large outbreaks almost every year between 2002 and 2007.
One contributing factor may be a decline in the number of jellyfish predators, including sea turtles and certain species of fish known to eat young jellyfish.
According to Uye, right now giant jellyfish outbreaks are like typhoons - they can't be controlled, but they can be predicted. He and his colleagues are currently working on a system for creating accurate jellyfish forecasts, so fishers will hopefully be able to better prepare themselves.
Nomura's jellyfish is one of the largest jellyfish species in the world,growing up to 198cm wide and weighing as much as 200kg. The giant jellyfish last swarmed western Japan in vast numbers in 2005. Their huge bodies damaged fishing nets, and their toxic stings poisoned the catch and even injured some fishers.
Now the jellyfish could be gearing up for a similar assault, say experts who recently conducted some of the first surveys of the giants' spawning grounds.
"We have reports of massive bloomings of young jellyfish near the Chinese coast, where the ecosystems of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea are favourable for breeding," said Shin-ichi Uye, a biological oceanographer at Hiroshima University.
Relatively little is known about Nomura's jellyfish, so Uye and colleagues across Japan have been studying the jellyfish in the lab to learn more about its habits and reproductive strategies.
Based on captive breeding, Uye's team has found that the jellyfish are extremely efficient at filtering tiny creatures called zooplankton out of the water. As long as a jellyfish is healthy,it devotes all its energy to eating. Even during the spawning season, its re-productive system remains immature.
But if the jellyfish is injured or weakened, it quickly switches to producing offspring, Uye said.
The scientists are still not sure why thousands of the creatures float across the Sea of Japan in some years but not others.
"It is possible that they have a 'rest stage' or hibernation period in their development over several years, but then their numbers shoot up given certain environmental stimuli," Uye said.
Researchers also don't know why the giant jellyfish are becoming more regular visitors to Japan's shores. In the early 1900s large numbers of the giants were reported only every 40 years or so. But in recent years the jellyfish have been appearing with alarming frequency: Japan experienced unusually large outbreaks almost every year between 2002 and 2007.
One contributing factor may be a decline in the number of jellyfish predators, including sea turtles and certain species of fish known to eat young jellyfish.
According to Uye, right now giant jellyfish outbreaks are like typhoons - they can't be controlled, but they can be predicted. He and his colleagues are currently working on a system for creating accurate jellyfish forecasts, so fishers will hopefully be able to better prepare themselves.
Walruses congregate on Alaska shore
Thousands of walruses are congregating on Alaska's northwest coast,a sign that their Arctic sea ice environment has been altered by climate change.
Chad Jay, a US Geological Survey walrus researcher, said that about 3,500 walruses were near Icy Cape on the Chukchi Sea, some 225km southwest of Barrow. Animals the agency tagged with satellite transmitters also were detected on shore at Cape Lisburne about 241km farther down the coast.
Walruses for years came ashore intermittently during their fall southward migration but not so early and not in such numbers."This is actually all new,"Jay said."They did this in 2007, and it's a result of the sea ice retreating off the continental shelf."
Federal managers and researchers say walruses hauling out on shore could lead to deadly stampedes and too much pressure on prey within swimming range.Projections of continued sea ice loss means the phenomenon likely is not going away.
"It's more of the same," Jay said."What we've been seeing over the past few years with reduced sea ice conditions,we might be seeing this more and more often, and it's probably not good for the walruses," he said.
Unlike many seals, walruses cannot swim indefinitely and must rest periodically between feeding forays. They rely on sea ice as a platform for foraging for clams in the shallow waters of the outer continental shelf. They can dive up to 192m for clams and other sea floor creatures but mostly feed in waters of less than 100m, Jay said. Beyond the continental shelf, water can reach depths of 3,048m or more.
An estimated 6,000 or more walruses congregated on Alaska's shore in the fall of 2007, taking scientists by surprise.
Herds were in the tens of thousands at some locations on the Russian side of the Chukchi Sea, with an estimated 40,000 animals at Point Shmidt. Russian biologists reported 3,000 to 4,000 walruses out of population of perhaps 200,000 died, mostly young animals crushed in stampedes.
Alaska herds did not experience that sort of mortality but scientists acknowledge a concern when the marine mammals are concentrated on a rocky shore rather than hundreds of miles of sea ice edge.
"They may have a much higher predation pressure on those near-shore areas when they're using those land haul-outs than when they're using sea ice," Jay said.
The Centre for Biological Diversity has petitioned to list the Pacific walrus as an endangered or threatened because of habitat loss due to warming. The US Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to begin a detailed status review. A 60-day public comment period will precede an agency listing decision by October 2010. A final decision would be made by the Interior secretary by October 2011.
The agency is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to warn away pilots, who can cause stampedes, said walrus researcher Joel Garlich-Miller.So can polar bears or human hunters.There is no legal mechanism to keep hunters away, he said, but people have been letting the animals rest.
USGS researchers plan to head to the Chukchi coast next week to place satellite tags on up to 30 animals so their foraging habits can be studied, Jay said.
The 2007 herds prompted researchers to gear up for studies of the animals'new habits last year. However, remnant ice floating apart from the main pack ice kept walruses off shore, Jay said.Their reappearance put the research plans into motion.
"We're trying to get more information on how the walruses are responding to the loss of sea ice over the continental shelf, where do they go when they do come to shore like this, how far offshore are they foraging," he said.
On land, walruses have to swim out and return rather than diving vertically.That could lead to nutritional stress.
"We suspect that it's going to cost them more energy to do that than if they were able to stay on the sea ice," he said. Jay has not heard reports of walrus congregating on Russian shores. One animal tagged on the US side has hauled out there and herds likely are gathering,he said.
Chad Jay, a US Geological Survey walrus researcher, said that about 3,500 walruses were near Icy Cape on the Chukchi Sea, some 225km southwest of Barrow. Animals the agency tagged with satellite transmitters also were detected on shore at Cape Lisburne about 241km farther down the coast.
Walruses for years came ashore intermittently during their fall southward migration but not so early and not in such numbers."This is actually all new,"Jay said."They did this in 2007, and it's a result of the sea ice retreating off the continental shelf."
Federal managers and researchers say walruses hauling out on shore could lead to deadly stampedes and too much pressure on prey within swimming range.Projections of continued sea ice loss means the phenomenon likely is not going away.
"It's more of the same," Jay said."What we've been seeing over the past few years with reduced sea ice conditions,we might be seeing this more and more often, and it's probably not good for the walruses," he said.
Unlike many seals, walruses cannot swim indefinitely and must rest periodically between feeding forays. They rely on sea ice as a platform for foraging for clams in the shallow waters of the outer continental shelf. They can dive up to 192m for clams and other sea floor creatures but mostly feed in waters of less than 100m, Jay said. Beyond the continental shelf, water can reach depths of 3,048m or more.
An estimated 6,000 or more walruses congregated on Alaska's shore in the fall of 2007, taking scientists by surprise.
Herds were in the tens of thousands at some locations on the Russian side of the Chukchi Sea, with an estimated 40,000 animals at Point Shmidt. Russian biologists reported 3,000 to 4,000 walruses out of population of perhaps 200,000 died, mostly young animals crushed in stampedes.
Alaska herds did not experience that sort of mortality but scientists acknowledge a concern when the marine mammals are concentrated on a rocky shore rather than hundreds of miles of sea ice edge.
"They may have a much higher predation pressure on those near-shore areas when they're using those land haul-outs than when they're using sea ice," Jay said.
The Centre for Biological Diversity has petitioned to list the Pacific walrus as an endangered or threatened because of habitat loss due to warming. The US Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to begin a detailed status review. A 60-day public comment period will precede an agency listing decision by October 2010. A final decision would be made by the Interior secretary by October 2011.
The agency is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to warn away pilots, who can cause stampedes, said walrus researcher Joel Garlich-Miller.So can polar bears or human hunters.There is no legal mechanism to keep hunters away, he said, but people have been letting the animals rest.
USGS researchers plan to head to the Chukchi coast next week to place satellite tags on up to 30 animals so their foraging habits can be studied, Jay said.
The 2007 herds prompted researchers to gear up for studies of the animals'new habits last year. However, remnant ice floating apart from the main pack ice kept walruses off shore, Jay said.Their reappearance put the research plans into motion.
"We're trying to get more information on how the walruses are responding to the loss of sea ice over the continental shelf, where do they go when they do come to shore like this, how far offshore are they foraging," he said.
On land, walruses have to swim out and return rather than diving vertically.That could lead to nutritional stress.
"We suspect that it's going to cost them more energy to do that than if they were able to stay on the sea ice," he said. Jay has not heard reports of walrus congregating on Russian shores. One animal tagged on the US side has hauled out there and herds likely are gathering,he said.
Coral algae have "eyes"
The single-celled algae that set up house inside hard corals and give reefs their vibrant colours may be able to see, a new study says.
The algae - called zooxanthellae have mysterious crystal-like deposits,which are made of uric acid, a common element in light-reflecting structures in insect and animal eyes. The substance in the algae had been previously misidentified as calcium oxalate, which is often found in plants, the researchers say.
The algae's crystal clusters strongly reflected light in lab experiments, suggesting that "this is really a functional eye", study co-author Kazuhiko Koike,of Japan's Hiroshima University, said in an email.
Each of the single-celled organisms also contains a photoreceptor molecule,which creates an "eyespot". Eyespots are light-sensitive patches that allow simple organisms, such as jellyfish and some other algae, to sense their environments.
Other types of dinoflagellates - onecelled aquatic organisms that include zooxanthellae -have at least four variations of eyespots, Koike said. But he believes the newfound type of eyespot is unique to the coral-dwelling life-forms.
In shallow tropical waters of the world's oceans, zooxanthellae and reefbuilding coral polyps have evolved to be dependent on one another. The corals'reefs give the algae natural havens and ingredients for photosynthesis. The algae,in turn, create oxygen for the coral animals, remove waste and provide nutrients necessary for survival.
Considering how crucial this partnership is, it may be that roving zooxanthellae use their eyespots to scope out the most desirable digs - a possibility "we think is quite interesting", Koike said. Young corals, in turn, may be using unknown "attraction mechanisms" to entice zooxanthellae to inhabit the reefs.What's more, coral-dwelling algae have eyes only when they are seeking their reef homes, Koike added.
The organisms lose their sight once they are living inside their hosts. By contrast, other types of algae that live inside giant clams keep their eye-like structures while inside their hosts.
Koike speculates this could be because the clam-dwelling algae want to escape the grip of the clam, which "farms" the algae and eats some of them each night.
Overall, Koike added, the more scientists know about how corals and their resident algae pair up, the better the chances of preventing corals' ongoing decline due to climate change.
Warmer seawater often causes corals to eject their colourful zooxanthellae roommates,"bleaching" the reefs and leaving the nutrient-deprived corals to die slowly.
"We must understand how this relationship is initiated ... as soon as possible," Koike said.
The algae - called zooxanthellae have mysterious crystal-like deposits,which are made of uric acid, a common element in light-reflecting structures in insect and animal eyes. The substance in the algae had been previously misidentified as calcium oxalate, which is often found in plants, the researchers say.
The algae's crystal clusters strongly reflected light in lab experiments, suggesting that "this is really a functional eye", study co-author Kazuhiko Koike,of Japan's Hiroshima University, said in an email.
Each of the single-celled organisms also contains a photoreceptor molecule,which creates an "eyespot". Eyespots are light-sensitive patches that allow simple organisms, such as jellyfish and some other algae, to sense their environments.
Other types of dinoflagellates - onecelled aquatic organisms that include zooxanthellae -have at least four variations of eyespots, Koike said. But he believes the newfound type of eyespot is unique to the coral-dwelling life-forms.
In shallow tropical waters of the world's oceans, zooxanthellae and reefbuilding coral polyps have evolved to be dependent on one another. The corals'reefs give the algae natural havens and ingredients for photosynthesis. The algae,in turn, create oxygen for the coral animals, remove waste and provide nutrients necessary for survival.
Considering how crucial this partnership is, it may be that roving zooxanthellae use their eyespots to scope out the most desirable digs - a possibility "we think is quite interesting", Koike said. Young corals, in turn, may be using unknown "attraction mechanisms" to entice zooxanthellae to inhabit the reefs.What's more, coral-dwelling algae have eyes only when they are seeking their reef homes, Koike added.
The organisms lose their sight once they are living inside their hosts. By contrast, other types of algae that live inside giant clams keep their eye-like structures while inside their hosts.
Koike speculates this could be because the clam-dwelling algae want to escape the grip of the clam, which "farms" the algae and eats some of them each night.
Overall, Koike added, the more scientists know about how corals and their resident algae pair up, the better the chances of preventing corals' ongoing decline due to climate change.
Warmer seawater often causes corals to eject their colourful zooxanthellae roommates,"bleaching" the reefs and leaving the nutrient-deprived corals to die slowly.
"We must understand how this relationship is initiated ... as soon as possible," Koike said.
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