The environmental risk of arttic shiping

New York Times Article:
June 29, 2009, 8:01 am The Environmental Risks of Arctic Shipping
By Stefan Milkowski

Reuters

Whales in the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia could be disturbed by an expected increase in shipping.As the Arctic warms, an expected increase in shipping threatens to introduce invasive species, harm existing marine wildlife and lead to damaging oil spills, according to a recent report from the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum of Arctic nations.

Seabirds and polar bear and seal pups are particularly sensitive to oil and can quickly die of hypothermia if it gets into their feathers or fur, according to the report. Whales, as well as walruses and seals, can have a harder time communicating, foraging and avoiding prey in noisy waters.

“Whether it is the release of substances through emissions to air or discharges to water, accidental release of oil or hazardous cargo, disturbances of wildlife through sound, sight, collisions or the introduction of invasive alien species, the Arctic marine environment is especially vulnerable to potential impacts from marine activity,” the report states.


As the climate changes, reductions in sea ice are likely to lengthen the shipping season, putting migrating animals into more frequent contact with ships. Bow head and beluga whales share a narrow corridor with ships in the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia and could be disturbed.

There is also greater risk of introducing invasive species through ballast water, cargo, or on ships’ hulls. “Introduction of rodent species to islands harboring nesting seabirds, as evidenced in the Aleutian Islands, can be devastating,” the report states. Shipping between the North Pacific and the North Atlantic is of particular concern, because it could transport species between areas with similar environmental conditions.

The Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, as the study is called, was put together by Arctic Council nations, including the United States, and serves as a formal policy document, according to Lawson Brigham, a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor and retired Coast Guard captain, who chaired the study and presented it last week in Fairbanks.

It recommends that Arctic nations reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants from ships, work to lower the risk of oil spills, and consider setting aside special areas of the Arctic Ocean for environmental protection, among other things.

Mr. Brigham described an Arctic bustling with activity, where ice-breaking ships with special hulls sail stern-first through heavy ice and a shipping route across the top of the Earth is not out of the question.

“It’s not a question of whether the maritime industry is coming to the Arctic,” he said. It has, he added, already come.

Discussion:
The article shows a picture of whales in Alaska an Russia that could be disturbed by distribution of oil.
Also describing the hazards to animals such as whales, polar bears,sea birds,an seals.
Due to the disintegration of polar ice an ice let alone, it causes the shipping season to be even longer, causing more contact with marine animals during migration.
another Strong problem is the transportation's of animals on the boats, while there transporting oil an cargo back an forth to different islands on the Aleutians chain an different continents.
The study of the shipment assessment, as it was called in the article was put together by Arctic Nation council. They were recommended to reduce green House gases an other pollutions from ships, an reduce the risk of oil spills. An also that they should put aside a part of the Arctic Ocean for protecting the environment an animals.
an a comment was made buy Mr. Brigham about the article shown.

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus Leucocephalus

The feathers of the bald eagle are brown with white spots until it is about five years old. They are referred to as immature eagles until the plumage on their heads and tails become white. The Bald Eagle is a large bird of prey with a wing span 6 1/2 to 8 ft. The beak, eyes and feet are yellow. Their legs are large and feathered halfway down. Bald Eagles have very strong grasping toes, along with long sharp talons.

Bald Eagles make a series of squeaks/squawks and screams to communicate.

Bald Eagles can be found along alpine ridges, deciduous woodlands, rivers, tidal flats and beaches. Bald Eagles are very adaptable birds. There is a story of a pair that actually nested on a giant cactus. They are found only in North America. There are more Eagles in Alaska than anywhere else in the US.

Bald Eagles are sexually mature at about five years of age. They often use the same nest each year. The Eagle will choose a tree close to water, with a clear view of the area. Both the female and male participate in nest building. In April two to three eggs are laid several days apart. The incubation period is 35 days. The eggs hatch a few days apart from each other. This creates competition for food among siblings. The youngest on is either killed or starves to death. The survivors leave the nest for the first time after 75 days.

The Bald Eagle is somewhat migratory. If they a have access to a open water source, they’ll use the same nesting site year round. The Eagles that do migrate go south along the coast; choosing routes with plenty of food sources, warm air currents and updrafts. Migration normally occurs between 8:00am and 6:00pm. Eagles use three methods of flight when migrating. The will ascend in a thermal, glide down and circle, following the air current. They will also use the wind as a boost when taking off from a cliff.

The Bald Eagle’s primary food source is fish, especially salmon. They will eat other birds, small mammals, clams and crabs. The Eagle sits on its perch and looks for its prey. Once dinner is spotted the eagle will swiftly fly down & grab the prey with its talons. Bald Eagles can also be thieves when it comes to prey, and will take prey from other birds.

Humans are the Bald Eagles main predators, although the young could be taken by another bird of prey.

On June 20, 1782 the Bald Eagle became the national symbol of the United States.

On June 28, 2007 the Bald Eagle was removed from the endangered species list. The bald eagle is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which make it illegal for anyone to have any part of an eagle, its nest or eggs. Native Americans are exempt from this law because the eagle is a traditional part of their cultures.

Resources:

Birds of Alaska By, Robert H. Armstrong

Bald Eagle Information.com

http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/

Animal Diversity Web Through The University of Michigan museum of Zoology

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Haliaeetus_leucocephalus.html

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife notebook series

http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/bird/eagles.php

Dock Point

Date: 7*8*09
Weather: 70’s sunny but a little hazy for the wildfires, very hot that day.

Plants we seen on the trip:
Sea weed
Limpets
Mussels
Pill Bug
Amph Pods
Blue Mussels
Rock Weed
Kelp Isopod
Nuttal’s Cockle
Butter Clam
Northern Y
Wild Celery
Alder Tree
Pink Yarrow
Beach pea
Goat’s beard
Fringe cup
Red berried Elder
Devils Club
Watermelon berry
Fireweed
Dogwood
Lady fern
Early blueberry
Wild Irshes
Skunk cabbage
Blueberry
Feather moss
Tree moss
Alaska Spiraea (Beauvera’s Spinraea)
Alaska Cotton
Corn Lily
Broom ground cone


Other things seen on trip:
Bear Bed
Bear prints
Fox prints
Eagle in tree with nest
Owl Feather
Squirrel
Bear poop
Bog Hole

Dock Point, The Duck Flats & Beach

7/8/09 12:15pm-2:45pm
70 Degrees with a light breeze. It was hazy due to smoke from wildfires in the interior.

Plants:
Kelp
Rock Weed
Beach Grass
Ulva Seaweed
Northern Yarrow
Sitka Spruce
Willow
Alder
A Rush
Dandelions
Beach Cinquefoil (Pacific Silverweed)
Wild Celery
Salmonberries
Purple Northern Yarrow
Beach Pea
Goats Beard
Fire weed
Fringecup
Red Berried Elder
Devils Club
Watermelon Berry
Skunk Cabbage
Dogwood
Early Blueberry
Fools Huckleberry
Spagnum Moss (forms peat moss)
Wild Iris
Feather Moss
Cotton Grass
Corn Lilly
Broom Rate Ground Comb
Alaska Spiraea

Birds:
Bald Eagle
Raven
Seagull
Wren

Mammals:
Dog
Humans and their trash.
Bear Tracks and scat.
Small canine tracks; most likely a fox.
Douglas Squirrel

Insects:
Fly
Spiders
Pill Bug
Beetle
Mosquito

Aquatic Life:
Clam
Blue Muscle
Snail
Shrimp
Beach Hopper
Limpet
Idotea


We searched for organisms under rocks at the beach, and then went on to the duck flats. We found some really good bear prints in the mud. We also spotted a Bald Eagle in a nest. The mud was so soft & sticky I almost walked out of my boots. There are a lot of berries getting ready to ripen at Dock Point. We found a few salmon berries that were ripe enough to eat! You could see paths that bears made going through the berries and other plants. We also saw a Douglas Squirrel sitting on the branch of a Sitka Spruce, with a pine cone. We also saw the squirrels stash of cones under the tree. This was a short, but very good trip. We even treated ourselves to ice cream afterwards.

Dock Point/Beach

8-8-09
hazy smoky,
70 degrees
partly sunny
dock point & beach

Beach:
Mussels
Baby clams
Olivier seaweed
Limpet's
Beach hopper bug
Pill bug
Kelp
Amphalpods
Idodia
Sings of ship worms
Shrimp
Grass
Bear bed
Rush grass
Beach countervail-
Pacific silver weed
Bird tracks mostly duck an seagulls
Fox tracks
Eagle in its nest
Adler's
Samione Berry's
Wild celery
Northern yero
Beach pea
Yellow Efren pod
Fire weed
Goats beard
Fringe cup
Red berry Adler
Devils club
Watermelon berry
Skunk cabbage
Dogwood
Lady fern
Blueberry
Boom rape cone
False huckleberry
Early blueberry
Owl feathers
Squirrel
Pet moss
Bear skat that has Singh of Berry's in it
Alaskan spore
tanning peat moss bowl
Cotton grass
corn lily

the Samione berry's were almost ripe. Also the blue berry's.
I found it was a great trip of the day an the stop for the ice cream.

Moose

The moose are part of the deer family, and is the largest and tallest animal in the North America. The females weigh up to 800 to 1,300 pounds, and males weigh 1,200 to 1,600 pounds,and can run up to 35mph(that’s fast didn’t know that).Moose are most active at dawn and duck, because they do not have very good eyesight. But they do have very good hearing and sense of smell. They have long, thick, light brown to dark brown hair; this is what keeps the moose warm in the weather time. Its front legs are longer than its rear legs. Why because the helps them jump over fallen trees and other thing that may be in the way. The male moose has huge wide antlers that will stretch anywhere from 4 to 5 feet across. The antlers start to grow in the early summer. When the antlers begin to grow, they are covered with a soft fuzzy skin called velvet. “The velvet has blood vessels in it that deliver nutrients that help the antlers grow. By late summer when the antlers reach full size, the blood supply dries up and the velvet starts to drop off.” The moose live in areas where there is snow in the winter also near lakes, bogs, swamps, streams and ponds. In warmer months such as the summer time they eat the leaves, twigs and buds of trees and shrubs. In the winter the moose eat woody plants such as again the twigs and bark of willow, birch, aspen and dogwood trees. The female gives birth in the spring or summer time and usually has one baby. Moose calves can stand up in a day and swim in a couple of weeks. They are weaned after about six months and stay with the mother until the next calve is born. The mothers are extremely protective of their calves and will charge at anything even people if they get too close.
Work Cite:
http://www.alaskascenes.com/alaskamoose.html
http://www.alaskatrekker.com/moose.htm
The Nature of Alaska

Sitka Spruce

Picea Sitchensis

Pinaceae (Pine family)

Sitka Spruce is the Alaska state tree, it's also largest species of tree in the state. It is found along middle to low elevations along the pacific coast, stretching from Alaska to California. They can grow up to 160ft, with a diameter of 5ft. The Sitka Spruce is closely related to the white spruce found in the interior. The two trees frequently hybridize, creating what’s known as the Lutz or Roche Spruce.

Leaves: Needles can be bluish-green or yellowish-green, growing up to 1 inch. The needles are sharp and stiff. One way of identifying a Sitka Spruce is to grab the needles; because the needles point out of every side of the branch grabbing it will hurt.

Cones: 2-3 ½ inches long; cylindrical, reddish-brown color. Cones open and fall when they become mature.

Bark: Less than 1 inch thick, grayish brown color.

Preadators: The Sitka Spruce is host to a number of insects including White Pine Weevil, Spruce Aphid, Spruce Beetle and Root-Collar Weevil. The tree is also damaged by Squirrels, Deer, Bear, Porcupines, rabbits and hares.

Native Alaskans believed the sharp needs of the spruce gave it strong protective powers against evil thoughts. The bark was eaten or made into cakes mixed with berries. The Makah ate the raw shoots. The shoots are a good source of vitamin C. The Nuxalk used the inner bark as a laxative. The pitch was used to treat skin irritations, colds, syphilis, gonorrhea, sore throats, toothaches, rheumatism and swelling. The roots of the Sitka spruce were used to make hats and baskets.

Sitka Spruce wood is very strong, and makes a high quality lumber. The wood is considered valuable and used for ladders, pianos, oars, guitar faces, and turbine blades for energy conversion; boats, mast, and construction components of experimental aircraft.

Resources:

Plants of The Pacific Northwest Pojar & Mackinnon

USDA Forest Service

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/picea/sitchensis.htm

Alaska Division of Community Advocacy

http://www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/forest_products/forest_products5a.htm

Borealforest.org

http://www.borealforest.org/world/trees/sitka_spruce.htm