(Note: image above and my emphasis added below. What is unlcear is what climate models the reviewed and whether they accepted or rejected it’s results. – Anthony)
Contact: Sheela McLean FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
907-586-7032 Dec. 23, 2008
NOAA Determines Ribbon Seals Should Not be Listed as Endangered
NOAA today announced that ribbon seals are not in current danger of extinction or likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future, and should not be listed under the Endangered Species Act.
On Dec. 20, 2007, the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned NOAA’s Fisheries Service to list the ribbon seal under the Endangered Species Act. The petition said the seal faced extinction by the end of the century due to rapid melting of sea ice resulting from global warming. Sea-ice in the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Japan, Chukchi Sea, and Beaufort Sea is the seal’s primary habitat. Today’s announcement is the result of NOAA’s review of this petition and the condition of the ribbon seal.
“Our scientists have reviewed climate models that project that annual ice, which is critical for ribbon seal reproduction, molting and resting, will continue to form each winter in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk where the majority of ribbon seals are located,” said Jim Balsiger, NOAA’s acting assistant administrator for fisheries.
From March to June, ribbon seals use sea ice. As the ice melts during May and June, the seals haul out along the receding ice edge or in remnant patches of ice. Once the annual ice melts, most ribbon seals either migrate through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea or remain in the open water of the Bering Sea during the rest of the year.
Although the number of ribbon seals is difficult to estimate accurately, scientists believe that at least 200,000 ribbon seals inhabit the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk.
Commercial hunting for ribbon seals is prohibited in the United States. Alaska Natives take a small number – fewer than 200 – each year for subsistence. Russia allows a harvest of ribbon seals, but there is currently no organized harvest industry and the number of seals taken is likely to be very low.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov.
On the Web:
NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center: http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/species/species_ribbon.php
NOAA’s Fisheries Service Alaska Region: http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov
– 30 –
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
CodeTech…
Brilliant
JaneHM. Sorry but i am more than a little i nternet challenged. Thanks Anna for providing that link. I like Unisys daily SST anomaly maps. Try this link.http://weather.unisys.com/surface/sst_anom.html Frank
JaneHM. For SST anomaly try http://weather.unisys.com/surface/sst_anom.html
I’m always impressed with the focus on rather “large” increases in average temperature in regions with thermal amplitudes around 100 K. Has anyone tried to make a map of the amount of warming divided by the difference in yearly max-min values for the temperature?
Hi Anna V.,
Are you still thinking that the volcanic activity is responsible for the charts we are seeing saying that ice formation stopped the past couple of weeks?
I think I heard something that the 2007 ice melt actually had to do with volcanism (as well as winds inimicable to keeping the Arctic ice in the artic). got any thing on this?
Best,
Grant Hodges
Moderator – the following is edgy and I’ll accept your decision. There may be more truth than humor in it – but it is a bit edgy! MJB
(((For those grieving a loss, the following is intended as humor, it is not intended to belittle the grief process, the feelings in it or those going through it. Some in the process will see the humor, others won’t. Proceed with caution – my intent here is to make you laugh, not hurt you. )))
I’ve got it! I know what’s going on with the AGW crowd and its antics to date!
The MSM and the AGW leaders are grieving the loss of their pet project. Depending on who you ask, there are 4, 5, 7, or 11 stages to this process. I’ll choose the four step for simplicity.
Denial – the stage where the loss is discounted. Here the role of man in global warming is defended despite evidence to the contrary. Additional examples are sought to prove the existance of the lost.
Anger – The second stage involves the grieving person (group) attacking those who try to talk about the reality they experience or gleen from evidence. This anger may also be directed at the loss belittling it (as with the AGW’s statement that global cooling is just weather, not climate).
Bargaining – Trying to bring back the lost. Some bargain with God others bargain with the environment an others, looking for some slim hope that their pet idea could be reinvigorated.
Acceptance – The step that involves the grieving person (or group) accepting the reality of the situation, and moving on toward life after AGW.
This process is individual and can take a short or long period to complete, there is no time table for grief. Sometimes steps are repeated. This can be normal or a symptom of a deeper problem. The best course for someone assisting a grieving person is to listen. You do not have to agree. If something worries you, suggest professional assistance.
(((The last paragraph is true to help those assisting a friend in the grief experience. I just couldn’t end with humor here.)))
Mike
BTW, what do Ribbon Seals taste like?
———-
Chicken.
This is not good for Hansen and the rest of the NASA bunch. What NOAA is doing is cutting the knees from under Hansen. Here we have another U.S. government agency very well connected to the weather and arguably more so which is in dispute with the AGW theory.
I predict this whole AGW thing is going to blow up in Hansen’s face and many others along with Gore.
This kind of information will mediate the influence of AGW policy in the U.S. and will provide for a clearer path to advancing real alternative energy policy that benefits everyone.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon_Seal
Predators of the Ribbon Seal include the Orca, the Greenland Shark and the Polar Bear.
The real reason that any Ribbon Seal might be threatened?
That has got to be the most hubris-filled statement I’ve ever seen in my life. And one of the most easily disproved.
“NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, …”
Maybe NOAA really does understand…
Mike, has AGW passed on to the other side? Is it pushing up daisies? Has it shuffled off this mortal coil? Perhaps someone ought to line up a holy man to perform the services? I hope they bury her deep.
Mike Bryant
JimB (11:09:53) :
I just double-dog-dare anyone who doesn’t remember the joke to google “monkey bar penguin seal” and not laugh at the video.
Go on. Double-dog-dare ya 😉
Snort Coffee, Tears in eyes. What a crack up!
Lucy Skywalker (10:08:57) :
That seal is so BEAUTIFUL…
Yes, isn’t it? Stunning. First time I’ve ever seen it.
I’m using our forum as a place to deepen discussion
Thank you, Lucy, you’ve been added to my blog bookmarks. Love the graphic at the top of your pages. Very tasteful!
Don’t have time right now, Christmas and all, but I’ll visit for longer a bit later…
The decision on an ESA listing petition must be based upon the “best available science”. Computer models do not satisfy this requirement. However made, the decision not to list is correct.
Next, the polar bear should be delisted now that the models indicate they are not in jeopardy. Sadly, as Alexander Pope once said: “Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” This is axiomatic in the field of public policy.
Leon Brozyna (11:13:59) :
Turning down of the petition is only temporary.
Obama’s appointment of that marine biologist to NOAA will ‘fix’ this problem and we’ll probably see the petition resubmitted next year with the seal being listed. I expect we’ll see a push via the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to raise the stakes on AGW. This will probably help to further the AGW agenda in Congress.
Interesting Prediction: If it comes true – it will go to the ongoing politicisation of government agencies and the relegation of science from an independent source of verifiable facts to inform Policy, to a dependent handmaiden that is driven by Policy Requirement to produce “appropriate” results.
Ed Scott (10:45:03) :
“…this is precisely what is happening to our media with respect to the increasingly unequivocal ‘knowledge’ that we have now entered a cooling period in climate. They are starting to experience a powerful dissonance because of their strong promulgation over the last 20 years of the doomsday, catastrophic view of ‘global warming’.
This is exactly why I like the financial news. If must be right or folks lose money. In trading, one of the cardinal rules is to admit when you are wrong as rapidly as possible. (“The first loss is the best loss”.)
On “Mad Money” Cramer just recommended Suburban Propane (SPH). Part of his reason? The current cold trend in the weather this year helps make the 10% dividend safe. No AGW fantasies here…
Looks like the lakes are freezing over some
MODERATE TO RAPID ICE GROWTH CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT OVER THE ENTIRE
GREAT LAKES…MAINLY IN THE PROTECTED BAYS…HARBORS…AND SOME
SHORE ICE IN THE ST MARYS RIVER AND THE STRAITS OF MACKINAC.
MODERATE ICE GROWTH IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT IN THE NORTH WITH SLOW
ICE GROWTH ELSEWHERE. MODERATE TO SLOW ICE GROWTH CAN ALSO BE
EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT.
JimB (11:09:53) :
I just double-dog-dare anyone who doesn’t remember the joke to google “monkey bar penguin seal” and not laugh at the video.
OK, I lost. What do I owe you? 😉 Never heard the joke before…
Dave Andrews (13:31:17) :
“Another advantage of the NOAA snow maps is their portrayal of regionally-representative snow extent, whereas maps based on ground station reports may be biased, due to the preferred position of weather stations in valleys and in places affected by urban heat islands, such as airports.”
Even the most commited warming alarmists will stumble over a protruding inconvenient fact or two.
“Next, the polar bear should be delisted now that the models indicate they are not in jeopardy. Sadly, as Alexander Pope once said: “Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.” This is axiomatic in the field of public policy.”
Everyone I know still believes the polar bear is on the verge of extinction, because of President Bush (for some unknown reason).
I agree that the seal position will likely change, along with the polar bear, sometime post Jan 09.
Graeme …glad you enjoyed 😉
JimB
E.M.Smith (15:30:33) :
Ed Scott (10:45:03) :
“…this is precisely what is happening to our media with respect to the increasingly unequivocal ‘knowledge’ that we have now entered a cooling period in climate. They are starting to experience a powerful dissonance because of their strong promulgation over the last 20 years of the doomsday, catastrophic view of ‘global warming’.
On the link: http://web.mac.com/sinfonia1/Global_Warming_Politics/A_Hot_Topic_Blog/Entries/2008/8/20_More_On_Cognitive_Dissonance.html
One of the possible outcomes is for the Media to “backlash” against the AGW Camp. This would be attractive to the Media as the Media will be able to shift “Blame”, and also claim a new “Moral Rectitude” at the same time. Also “Scandal” sells as well as “Scare”.
In this case, I would expect Al Gore to drop James Hansen like a hot potato.
James Hansen will make the perfect fall guy in the drama and is perfectly positioned to be outcast and scapegoated as the deceptive villian. In a Media Backlash scenario I would expect him to be publically crucified and to spend the remainder of his life a broken man.
On one hand I pity him, because the people that have used his advocacy of CO2 catastrophy to further their own fortunes will most likely get away scot free and with millions still intact.
On the other hand – you reap what you sow…
Lol, when I google that phrase, this post is the first on the list.
I notice that the bullseye mother naturre put on those ribbon seals is reasonably well suited for the Native Arcticians to Aim at with a reasonable kill expectancy.
Now Polar bears eat ribboon seals; so which would you rather have; more polar bears, or more ribbon seals.
Sounds like the Great lakes would be a good place to transplant those ribbon seals, so they can get rid of those non-native salmon, that infest the great lakes.
So how does NOAA weigh the relative extinction coefficient, to determine that while polar bears are in immediate danger of extinction due to lack of ice, the ribbob seals however are NOT in danger of extinction from lack of ice.
And is NOAA’s analysis based on RAW data, or Hansen’s machinated “processed” data?
Just asking.
“Boiling seas can’t be good for Ribbon Seals.”
But, on the bright side, if you like seal soup…..
Why does that seal remind me of the Larson cartoon panel captioned “Bummer of a birthmark, Hal!”?