[ad_1]
The British Antarctic Society and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are looking for “civilian scientists” to help find walruses in their Walrus from Space project. Due to rising temperatures in the Arctic and the current climate crisis, walruses are now threatened with extinction.
However, you can help! The Walrus from Space Project is tracking walrus populations using satellite imagery and civilian scientists. All you have to do is get trained to find walruses and then start looking for walruses. The Walrus from Space project provides satellite images of the Arctic and the Laptev Sea. You just need to scan images of a herd of walruses that can rest on the shelf sea ice in all regions.
Walruses live mainly in remote areas, so the Walrus from Space project needs your help. Since much of the Arctic is extremely inaccessible, the work is too much for the group of scientists. Satellite imagery and civilian scientists will allow researchers to view and survey walruses along this vast stretch of coastline.
How does the climate crisis affect walruses?
Walruses live mainly on chunks of sea ice – as the habitat warms up, these chunks melt, forcing walruses to move to the Arctic mainland. The Arctic is now warming three times faster than the rest of the globe. Rapid warming is not only melting sea ice, but also causing walrus herds to move away from food sources. This forces walruses to expend more energy looking for food and quickly shrinks the areas they can search as they no longer have sea ice to rest on.
In addition, the climate crisis is affecting the stocks of food for walruses. Walruses mainly eat sea snails, crabs and shellfish. The Arctic Ocean is becoming more acidic as it absorbs more carbon dioxide from global warming. This acidity prevents these creatures from building their shells and surviving in the Arctic. After all, if these smaller creatures can’t survive in the Arctic, then walruses won’t be able to survive either.
As the sea ice melts in the Arctic regions, shipping lanes will begin to open, further displacing walruses and depriving them of food. Understanding the size of the walrus population and starting to track their movements is critical to conservation efforts. We hope Walrus From Space can implement conservation projects to protect walrus herds from additional shipping lanes.
How a walrus from space will help
By using civilian scientists to track walrus populations, Walrus From Space hopes to be able to track the movements of walrus populations as their habitats change. The images sought by civilian scientists span thousands of miles of Arctic shores.
Walruses live in the aquatic regions of Russia, Greenland, Norway and Canada. Also, with the help of local knowledge and tracking systems, Walrus From Space will be able to study the movements and lifestyle of walruses. This type of research cannot be done using traditional research methods, which is why Walrus From Space’s innovative use of public wildlife enthusiasts introduces a new way of tracking walruses.
Satellite imagery does not bother walruses, which means that this study is being conducted on a large scale, covering large regions, but will not affect the already endangered walrus habitat. All the data collected under the Walrus from Space Project will directly assist and influence conservation efforts motivated to help walruses and protect the Arctic.
How can I help?
You can help by joining the Walrus From Space project. All you need is Internet access and some free time.
You can register a walrus sighting account through Walrus From Space. They will ask you to go through a short video tutorial to make sure you know how to identify walruses. Then, when you complete your training, Walrus From Space will provide you with satellite imagery that you can find in walrus herds.
The Walrus from Space Project even has achievements, goals, and badges to unlock as you work with satellite imagery!
If you decide to participate, have fun looking for walruses! And thank you for a better future for these Arctic treasures.
[ad_2]
Source link