They blame global warming, and specifically the fact that the sea ice which the walrus follow north is receding much faster than in the past, giving them only a narrow window of time to hunt. Widely used models predict Arctic temperatures could rise 7 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, and summer sea ice reached record lows this year, with predictions the Arctic could be free of summer sea ice within a decade or less. Data released by NASA this spring showed that while in the past more than half the ice in the Arctic had survived multiple years, this spring more than 70 percent of Arctic sea ice was "young" ice less than a year old. In a worst case scenario, the receding and thinning sea ice and other effects of climate change in the Arctic could mean an eventual end to traditional subsistence hunting and traditional ways of life in general for many Alaska Natives. read more

