"They can make use of some fairly sparse ice, but at some point, even that ice will disappear," he said.

How traditional Yupik and Inupiat hunting techniques will fare in the future is also an open question.

"People still hunt walrus on the ice or from boats," Krupnik said. "It's not damaging their lifestyle irreparably, but it is different now. They are doing it in May, not June. It's becoming very compact, two or three weeks instead of six weeks. Often, it's a week only. If something happens during that week -- if you have bad weather or strong winds -- you will be in trouble."

Click here to view the Sea Ice for Walrus Outlook.

Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500

7 Comments

1. 1. Sisko 01:13 PM 8/10/10

   Adapt or perish. The environment will change. It changes faster because of human's population growth curve.

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2. 2. SpoonmanWoS 01:28 PM 8/10/10

   C'mon, where are the dimwits? Where are the deniers? C'mon, tell us your hypotheses! Explain to us how a shrinkage in Arctic ice is actually an increase, like you've been lying about in Antarctica.

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3. 3. candide in reply to Sisko 02:01 PM 8/10/10

   Will you be so cavalier when it is humans turn to "adapt or perish?"

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4. 4. lakota2012 in reply to Sisko 04:34 PM 8/10/10

   sisko says, "It changes faster because of human's population growth curve."
   ****************
   
   Are you trying to tell us that the population growth in the extreme far north is increasing and encroaching on the walrus?

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5. 5. Le Spaz d'Argent 10:37 PM 8/10/10

   World-wide population growth does tend to foster world-wide climatic problems, but it is a simplistic response to the problem.
   
   It is conceivable, however unlikely, that we could continue to grow as a species for quite some time. I don't mean to imply that that would be a good thing. There are ancient, current and emerging technologies (in the sense of methods - not silicon etc) that could save our bacon.
   
   I'm afraid, though, that since these ways of doing things would upset the profit margins of 'the powers that be' we'll never see them applied in time, or on the scale necessary, to do the job.
   
   Oh Well...

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6. 6. namikozcan 08:57 AM 8/11/10

   At the moment, the core of our discussions should be re-defining the human activities/existence in nature. It is obvious that romantic democracy system, which puts the humanity over everything has eventually failed. We need an amendmend in Constituton with following clauses:
   1- Nature has absolute sovereignty and has the right to sustain.
   2- Every person has the right to defend the Rights of Nature in Courts.
   3- Waste producing human activities (including urbanization) can only be allowed if waste stabilization is provided in 20 years maximum.
   
   If USA is not going to provoke above consciousness in the world, who is going to do it?
   

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7. 7. Sisko 11:10 AM 8/11/10

   @lakota- I am stating that the number of humans on the planet overall are consuming resources and producing wastes at ever increasing rates per person. The per person consumption growth in consumption will continue to rise. If more is not done to eliminate worldwide population growth there will be consequences to the environment.

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