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Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Sea creature spotted off southeast Alaska coast for first time. See rare sight
A sea creature was spotted off the coast of Alaska, and the sighting has raised questions for researchers. In March 2024, the first sighting of a bowhead whale in southeast Alaska was recorded off the coast of Sitka Sound, according to a July 16 news release by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries. 'This sighting is important because it is a first for a pretty big region,' Ellen Chenoweth, lead author on the study from the University of Alaska Fairbanks said in the release. 'This is the first documented sighting of a bowhead whale in Southeast Alaska. It's not the furthest south they have been seen, but it's very notable because of how far it is from its typical range. It raises a lot of questions about what was going on with this animal that we can't answer.' The group of scientists were on a 25-foot motorboat when they came across humpback whales they wanted to photograph, as they were seen 'bubble-net feeding in the area,' the release said. After spotting gray whales feeding near the shore, the group spotted another whale, but 'it didn't appear to be a humpback,' researchers said. The 'small' whale with a 'distinct arch' was spotted submerging, and the crew placed a hydrophone underwater to capture the whale's vocalizations, the group didn't hear anything, however. The whale had 'unusual behavior,' and the group only saw its head and jaw as it came up for air, researchers said. Groups didn't record any feeding behavior and saw that the whale didn't have a dorsal fin, the group said. 'Outreach is important so that people know what to look for, like the bowhead's unusual head and lack of dorsal fin,' Kim Shelden, marine biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Marine Mammal Laboratory, said in the release. 'To identify a bowhead whale, look for distinctive features such as: no dorsal fin; a narrow, arched upper jaw; paddle-shaped pectoral flippers; a black body; white chin patches; and some white coloring on the peduncle (the muscular area where the tail connects to the body).' Bowhead whales are usually found in Arctic and subarctic waters, researchers said. They have 'evolved to survive in ice-covered waters' and use their blowholes as a way to 'break through heavy ice to form breathing holes.' Scientists believe that due to the changes in the Arctic's ecosystem, more of these types of sightings will take place. But because researchers lack additional sightings, the 'origins and health condition of this specific whale will remain unknown,' the group said.
Boston Globe
08-07-2025
- Science
- Boston Globe
Trump's budget would clip bird banding. Hunters are not happy.
Advertisement The trophy may not last. The lab falls under the US Geological Survey's Ecosystem Mission Area, the agency's major ecology program, which under President Trump's 2026 proposed budget. would see funding reduced to $29 million from $293 million. Many hunters are unhappy at the prospect. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I just hate the thought of losing that,' said Eric Patterson, a duck hunter based in Alabama. 'It is an extreme measure to take.' Mark Lindberg, a wildlife biologist who worked for the University of Alaska Fairbanks for 20 years, said that the cuts would have a lasting effect. 'We're going to go from being the most refined waterfowl harvest management system in the world — no comparison — to one of the least informed,' he said. Lindberg is also a hunter. Each band reported by hunters is essential for detecting changes in waterfowl populations and for setting hunting regulations. In its contribution to waterfowl management, the Bird Banding Laboratory 'has given us something that is the envy of the world,' said Ramsey Russell, a duck hunter in Mississippi. Advertisement Capturing and handling live birds is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so the lab is also responsible for issuing permits to researchers and bird banders in the United States. The lab has a field station in Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, and maintains a database of the millions of bands that have been placed on birds for more than a century, including how many times scientists and hunters have encountered an individual bird. 'Reporting of bird banding from hunters is one of the best citizen science programs that is out there,' said Brad Bortner, a retired wildlife biologist who worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for 30 years and was its chief of migratory bird management. Bird banding aids the management of bird species. When researchers place a band on a bird's leg, they also record information, including the animal's sex and age, and even measurements like weight or data drawn from tissue and blood samples. The data helps scientists track and understand a species' movements, habitat preferences, population growth, and more. In turn, whenever a hunter, biologist, or other finders recover a band, they report it to the Bird Banding Lab, and that information is used to calculate the survival rate of the species. That data, along with surveys and hunting information from the previous year, informs the harvest management for ducks. 'We're not just killers,' Creasey said. 'We genuinely care about the resource and want it to thrive.' Advertisement The mathematical models behind duck regulations require that bands be placed on these animals every year, to guide the harvesting figures. 'If you skip it, you basically have no data out there,' Bortner said. 'And it causes real complications.' Hunters treasure the bands they find, often placing them on lanyards and wearing them around the neck. Truck windows have been smashed to steal bird band lanyards. 'They do have a very intrinsic value, just personal value, to hunters, which is why the citizen science model works,' Russell said. Typically, when hunters report a band, they receive a certificate with information about the specific bird killed. A band can reveal the complex narrative of a bird's migratory journey. Many hunters 'get a kick out of seeing where the bird came from,' Patterson said. Many birds migrate between Canada and South America every year. To coordinate all of the data, the Bird Banding Laboratory works with the Bird Banding Office in Canada — which could be crippled if the American lab is defunded, said Chris Nicolai, a waterfowl scientist at Delta Waterfowl, a duck conservation nonprofit. Nicolai noted that a significant portion of band data is collected, for free, by hunters, who also buy duck stamps to legally hunt waterfowl. The stamps, in turn, support habitat conservation. 'Hunters are paying for this information in several forms and then acting as scientists by collecting data for the information they paid for,' Lindberg said. 'It's a neat system that I really don't understand the criticism of.' A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior, which manages the US Geological Survey, declined to comment directly on the cuts to the lab. Advertisement Congress must still approve the proposed budget. Bird organizations, including the American Bird Conservancy and the Ornithological Council, have expressed concern about the closure of the lab, as banding is also important in monitoring raptors, seabirds, songbirds, and other birds. Through banding, researchers have kept tabs on the oldest wild bird in the world, a female albatross named Wisdom, whose band number is 'Z333.' For Bortner, the lab's uniqueness has made it vital. 'It's the only one,' he said. This article originally appeared in
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
73-million-year-old bird fossils found in Arctic, hint at nesting during dinosaur age
At a time when the Arctic was home to some of the last remaining dinosaurs, birds were not just surviving there– they were nesting and raising their young. A new international study has found fossil evidence confirming that birds were breeding in polar regions as far back as 73 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period. The discovery significantly pushes back the known timeline of bird activity in the Arctic and reveals that these ancient species were far more adaptable than previously believed. Fossil clues from Alaska offer fresh insight The research was carried out by an international team led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with participation from the University of Reading in the UK. The team studied over 50 small fossil specimens, including bones and teeth, collected from the Prince Creek Formation in northern Alaska– an area already known for dinosaur discoveries. According to Dr Jacob Gardner from the University of Reading, a co-author of the study, and as quoted by the University of Reading website, 'For the first time, we determined the identities of large numbers of fossils using high-resolution scans and the latest computer tools, revealing an enormous diversity of birds in this ancient Arctic ecosystem.' Juvenile bird fossils point to nesting behaviour Among the fossils, researchers identified several bones belonging to very young birds. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Wrinkle Cream Keeps Selling Out At Costco (Find Out Why) The Skincare Magazine Undo This rare find strongly suggests that birds were not simply migrating through the Arctic but were nesting and raising their offspring in the region. 'Finding bird bones from the Cretaceous period is already very rare. To find baby bird bones is almost unheard of. That is why these fossils are significant,' said Lauren Wilson, the lead author of the study, as quoted by the UAF website. Polar nesting began much earlier than thought The fossils are around 73 million years old, showing that birds were nesting in the Arctic at least 30 million years earlier than scientists thought. This discovery changes what we know about how early birds lived and how they adapted to harsh environments. As Wilson stated, 'Birds have existed for 150 million years. For half of the time they have existed, they have been nesting in the Arctic.' Range of bird types identified According to the report, the fossil remains showed several types of birds, including early diving birds, gull-like birds, and ones similar to today's ducks and geese. These birds seemed well-suited to life in the ancient Arctic, which was warmer than it is now but still tough for nesting. The study gives a rare and important look at how birds lived with dinosaurs in northern regions, helping us learn more about life in ancient ecosystems.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Swiss glacier collapse renews focus on risks of climate change as glaciers retreat around the world
The landslide that buried most of a Swiss village this week is focusing renewed attention on the role of global warming in glacier collapses around the world and the increasing dangers. How glaciers collapse — from the Alps and Andes to the Himalayas and Antarctica — can differ, scientists say. But in almost every instance, climate change is playing a role. In Switzerland, the mountainside gave way Wednesday near the village of Blatten, in the southern Lötschental valley, because the rock face above the Birch Glacier had become unstable when mountain permafrost melted, causing debris to fall and cover the glacier in recent years, said Martin Truffer, a physics professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who studies how glaciers move. While the debris insulated the glacier and slowed melting, its weight caused the ice to begin moving — which accelerated dramatically a few weeks ago. Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 300 people, as well as all livestock, from the village in recent days, 'when it became clear that there's a whole mountainside that's about to collapse,' said Truffer, who is from Switzerland. Glacial lakes pose threat Lakes that form at the base of glaciers as they melt and retreat also sometimes burst, often with catastrophic results. Water can even lift an entire glacier, allowing it to drain, said Truffer, adding that Alaska's capital of Juneau has flooded in recent years because a lake forms every year on a rapidly retreating glacier and eventually bursts. In 2022, an apartment building-sized chunk of the Marmolada glacier in Italy's Dolomite mountains detached during a summer heat wave, sending an avalanche of debris down the popular summer hiking destination, killing 11. A glacier in Tibet's Aru mountain range suddenly collapsed in 2016, killing nine people and their livestock, followed a few months later by the collapse of another glacier. There also have been collapses in Peru, including one in 2006 that caused a mini tsunami; most recently, a glacial lagoon overflowed in April, triggering a landslide that killed two. 'It's amazing sometimes how rapidly they can collapse,' said Lonnie Thompson, a glacier expert at the Ohio State University. 'The instability of these glaciers is a real and growing problem, and there are thousands and thousands of people that are at risk.' Scientists say melting glaciers will raise sea levels for decades, but the loss of inland glaciers also acutely affects those living nearby who rely on them for water for drinking water and agriculture. No way to stop the melting Scientists say greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal have already locked in enough global warming to doom many of the world's glaciers — which already have retreated significantly. For example, glaciers in the Alps have lost 50% of their area since 1950, and the rate at which ice is being lost has been accelerating, with 'projections ... that all the glaciers in the Alps could be gone in this century,' Thompson said. Switzerland, which has the most glaciers of any country in Europe, saw 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023, the second-biggest decline in a single year after a 6% drop in 2022. A 2023 study found that Peru has lost more than half of its glacier surface in the last six decades, and 175 glaciers disappeared due to climate change between 2016 and 2020, mostly due to the increase in the average global temperature. A study published Thursday in Science said that even if global temperatures stabilized at their current level, 40% of the world's glaciers still would be lost. But if warming were limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit ) — the long-term warming limit since the late 1800s called for by the 2015 Paris climate agreement — twice as much glacier ice could be preserved than would be otherwise. Even so, many areas will become ice-free no matter what, Truffer, the University of Alaska expert. 'There's places in Alaska where we've shown that it doesn't take any more global warming,' for them to disappear, Truffer said. 'The reason some ... (still) exist is simply because it takes a certain amount of time for them to melt. But the climate is already such that they're screwed.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Tammy Webber, The Associated Press
Nahar Net
30-05-2025
- Science
- Nahar Net
Swiss glacier collapse renews focus on climate change risks
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 May 2025, 16:37 The landslide that buried most of a Swiss village this week is focusing renewed attention on the role of global warming in glacier collapses around the world and the increasing dangers. How glaciers collapse — from the Alps and Andes to the Himalayas and Antarctica — can differ, scientists say. But in almost every instance, climate change is playing a role. In Switzerland, the mountainside gave way Wednesday near the village of Blatten, in the southern Lötschental valley, because the rock face above the Birch Glacier had become unstable when mountain permafrost melted, causing debris to fall and cover the glacier in recent years, said Martin Truffer, a physics professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who studies how glaciers move. While the debris insulated the glacier and slowed melting, its weight caused the ice to begin moving — which accelerated dramatically a few weeks ago. Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 300 people, as well as all livestock, from the village in recent days, "when it became clear that there's a whole mountainside that's about to collapse," said Truffer, who is from Switzerland. Glacial lakes pose threat Lakes that form at the base of glaciers as they melt and retreat also sometimes burst, often with catastrophic results. Water can even lift an entire glacier, allowing it to drain, said Truffer, adding that Alaska's capital of Juneau has flooded in recent years because a lake forms every year on a rapidly retreating glacier and eventually bursts. In 2022, an apartment building-sized chunk of the Marmolada glacier in Italy's Dolomite mountains detached during a summer heat wave, sending an avalanche of debris down the popular summer hiking destination, killing 11. A glacier in Tibet's Aru mountain range suddenly collapsed in 2016, killing nine people and their livestock, followed a few months later by the collapse of another glacier. There also have been collapses in Peru, including one in 2006 that caused a mini tsunami; most recently, a glacial lagoon overflowed in April, triggering a landslide that killed two. "It's amazing sometimes how rapidly they can collapse," said Lonnie Thompson, a glacier expert at the Ohio State University. "The instability of these glaciers is a real and growing problem, and there are thousands and thousands of people that are at risk." Scientists say melting glaciers will raise sea levels for decades, but the loss of inland glaciers also acutely affects those living nearby who rely on them for water for drinking water and agriculture. No way to stop the melting Scientists say greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal have already locked in enough global warming to doom many of the world's glaciers — which already have retreated significantly. For example, glaciers in the Alps have lost 50% of their area since 1950, and the rate at which ice is being lost has been accelerating, with "projections ... that all the glaciers in the Alps could be gone in this century," Thompson said. Switzerland, which has the most glaciers of any country in Europe, saw 4% of its total glacier volume disappear in 2023, the second-biggest decline in a single year after a 6% drop in 2022. A 2023 study found that Peru has lost more than half of its glacier surface in the last six decades, and 175 glaciers disappeared due to climate change between 2016 and 2020, mostly due to the increase in the average global temperature. A study published Thursday in Science said that even if global temperatures stabilized at their current level, 40% of the world's glaciers still would be lost. But if warming were limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit ) — the long-term warming limit since the late 1800s called for by the 2015 Paris climate agreement — twice as much glacier ice could be preserved than would be otherwise. Even so, many areas will become ice-free no matter what, Truffer, the University of Alaska expert. "There's places in Alaska where we've shown that it doesn't take any more global warming," for them to disappear, Truffer said. "The reason some ... (still) exist is simply because it takes a certain amount of time for them to melt. But the climate is already such that they're screwed."
