No mention though of the “adopt a wolverine” program that has proven so popular with polar bears and NGO’s looking for cold cash from the gullible. I guess they just aren’t cuddly enough. According to Wikipedia:
“The world’s total wolverine population is unknown.”
The Wildlife Conservation Society reported in June 2009 that a wolverine which researchers had been tracking for almost three months had crossed into northern Colorado. Society officials had tagged the young male wolverine in Wyoming near Grand Teton National Park and it had traveled southward for approximately 500 miles. It was the first wolverine seen in Colorado since 1919, and its appearance was also confirmed by the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Here are some photos of wolverines in northern California in 2008 near Tahoe.
And again in 2009. They say that “Wolverines have not been scientifically confirmed in California since the 1920s.” With a former range like that, I suppose they won’t have trouble adapting to a warmer place. Last time I checked, it was warmer in Colorado and California than in Canada.
Wolverines have been seen in Michigan in the last decade too, the first time in 200 years.
Nature is pretty darn tough, very adaptable, and the wolverine is no exception. IMO, the bigger threat, like with bears, is clashes with human developments. I just don’t buy the claim of this study, note the weasel words “highly uncertain” in the highlighted portion of the press release.
=============================================================
From NCAR/UCAR: Wolverine population threatened by climate change
BOULDER—The aggressive wolverine may not be powerful enough to survive climate change in the contiguous United States, new research concludes.
Wolverine habitat in the northwestern United States is likely to warm dramatically if society continues to emit large amounts of greenhouse gases, according to new computer model simulations carried out at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The study found that climate change is likely to imperil the wolverine in two ways: reducing or eliminating the springtime snow cover that wolverines rely on to protect and shelter newborn kits, and increasing August temperatures well beyond what the species may be able to tolerate.
“Species that depend on snow cover for their survival are likely to be very vulnerable to climate change,” says NCAR scientist Synte Peacock, the author of the study. “It’s highly uncertain whether wolverines will continue to survive in the lower 48, given the changes that are likely to take place there.”
Peacock’s research focused on mountainous regions of the Northwest, the primary habitat of the wolverine population in the contiguous United States. The study did not look into the impacts of climate change on regions where wolverines are more numerous, such as Canada, although other research has indicated those areas will likely warm significantly as well.
The study was published last week in Environmental Research Letters. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR’s sponsor.
An animal built for the cold
Wolverines make their home mainly in the boreal forests and tundra regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Their thick, oily fur insulates them from frost and large padded paws help them run through deep snow. While some 15,000 or more wolverines are believed to roam Canada and an unknown number in Alaska, only a few dozen to a few hundred are believed to live in the contiguous United States, almost entirely in mountainous areas in Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Washington.
Wolverines inhabit regions that have late-season snow cover and relatively cool summer temperatures. Female wolverines make their springtime dens in the snow, which provides warmth to the newborn kits and protects them from predators.
Biologists are dubious that the species could survive in regions with little spring snow or significantly higher summertime temperatures. Concerned over habitat loss and the potential threat of climate change, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced in December 2010 that the wolverine warrants protection under the Endangered Species Act, but delayed that protection because other species took higher priority.
To project the future climate in regions of the contiguous United States where wolverines live, Peacock analyzed results from new simulations carried out by a team of researchers at NCAR using the newest version of the Community Climate System Model (which was developed by scientists at the Department of Energy and NCAR with colleagues at other organizations). She analyzed three scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions: low (carbon dioxide emissions stay at present-day levels until 2020 and then decline to zero by the early 2080s); medium-low (emissions rise slightly until 2040 and then decline sharply toward the end of the century); and high (emissions continue to increase unabated).
In the high emissions scenario, the computer simulations showed spring snow cover nearly or completely vanishing during the second half of this century in present-day wolverine habitat. Similarly, spring snow cover in the medium-low scenario became greatly diminished, with many years experiencing zero snow cover. Under the low emissions scenario, springtime snow cover conditions remained similar to those of the present day.
The computer projections also showed that August temperatures may increase dramatically. Whereas August temperatures currently top off at about 72 degrees F (22 degrees C) in areas where wolverines live, maximum daily temperatures by the end of the century were projected to frequently exceed 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) under the two higher-emissions scenarios.
“Unless the wolverine is able to very rapidly adapt to summertime temperatures far above anything it currently experiences, and to a spring with little or no snow cover, it is unlikely that it will continue to survive in the contiguous U.S. under a high or medium-low emissions scenario,” the study concludes.
The model simulations also indicated the extent to which climate change may transform the West, where society depends on mountain snowpack. This critical source of water could decrease by a factor of three to four over Idaho, western Montana, and western Wyoming by the end of this century under the high emissions scenario. Even under the medium-low emissions scenario, snowpack could drop by a factor of two to three in these regions.
Peacock checked the accuracy of the model by comparing simulations of late 20th century climate with observations. Results indicated that the model did a good job simulating climate conditions in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Since the model tended to underestimate snowpack in Washington, Peacock did not include that state in the study.
About the article
Title: Projected 21st century climate change for wolverine habitats within the contiguous United States
Author: Synte Peacock
Publication: Environmental Research Letters, January 27, 2011
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Oh, piffle.
Wolverines are not usually found near people.
They can move around – one roamed from northern WA state (IIRC Wenatchee) up to Kamploops BC, then somehow across the very large Fraser River and south again (having to cross the Fraser again somewhere – it does have bridges though she may have simply swum across). That’s a lot of rough territory.
Interesting how they tracked her. At various locations wildlife people put bait in a tree such that the wolverine had to stand on hind legs to reach it, triggering a camera at belly height to record their distinctive belly markings.
An interesting attribute of wolverines is delayed gestation – impregnated early but embryo does not grow if at all until later, presumably connected to mother’s health (i.e. food supply in the spring).
Of course going by the cautionary principle of the crazed hippie hordes we ought to shoot all the wolverines, and polar bears, seals and pesky penguins as well, to assure they do not reproduce to so vast numbers they eat us all and take over the world.
Would you want your poor doe eyed innocent grand children get eaten by wolverines or polar bears (or slapped silly by seals and trampled by less than flying birds?)
Another in a long line of “If the world warms up and the environment changes, will it be bad for animal x?” You don’t even need to be a scientist to play that game.
If the Ice all melts at the south pole and the herring all die due to ocean acidification, will penguins have a rough time? Yep my “model” says they will.
If the US becomes a desert due to global climate change, might salamanders become extinct in the US? My “model” says you can bet they will.
If martians invade and destroy all prarie grasslands will Bison have a bad time? My “model” says You betcha.
It’s an easy game, Just pick any imagined environmental change and then pick an animal that depends on the previous environment and you are quaranteed a winner (loser?) You don’t even have to have a real model.
And this passes for science?????
The wolverine/global warming false connection is part and parcel of a larger Agenda 21 strategy.
Note that all citizen visits to the Sawtooth Wilderness have been proscribed because of wolverines. Wildlife pseudo-biologists have determined that the mere presence of a human being causes wolverines to curl up and die. The Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests are developing “Wildlife Conservation Strategies” that will eliminate recreational use of their “Recreation Areas” and wildernesses because of the fragile sensitivities of wolverines.
Note that all three Forests have deliberately and with malice aforethought promulgated megafires over the last five years. The fires have eliminated all recreational use across thousands of square miles, but not affected the wolverines in the slightest (evidently). A crown fire ripping through 100,000 acres is no great burden to wolverines, but the presence of human being on that same tract of land is fatal to them, according to the USFS and USFWS.
The objective is to de-humanize vast tracts of public and private land, in accord with the Wilderness Project dreamed up and promulgated by Earth First!
The Global Warming Hoax is not a stand alone thing. It is one weapon in an arsenal arrayed against humanity by a cynical and grasping Power Elite, designed to rob average folks of their wealth, property, and liberty.
Keith Sketchley says:
February 4, 2011 at 11:57 am
“An interesting attribute of wolverines is delayed gestation – impregnated early but embryo does not grow if at all until later, presumably connected to mother’s health (i.e. food supply in the spring).”
It is actually called “delayed implantation” and most of the weasel family (Mustelids, of which wolverines are the largest) as well as bears have the same thing. It is the fall fatness of the female which determines how many fertilized eggs – from late spring to summer breeding – are implanted in the winter and thus how many cubs are born the next spring. Thus food supply regulates reproduction.
I am sure there is lots on this on the net. I have a whole (1963) book on the topic
called, what else, Delayed Implantation, edited by A.C. Enders, from The University of Chicago Press. The Library of Congree number is 63-18851 if you want to track it down.
Let’s just start calling this the warmist version of the Chewbacca_defense…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wookie_defence#Chewbacca_defense
The person who tagged the Wolverine is to be congradulated. He/she is either very very brave or excedienly stupid.
On another note why why do we want to protect something that would rather see you dead
Anthony said:
note the weasel words “highly uncertain” in the highlighted portion of the press release.
————————————————————————-
Weasel words indeed! Nice pun, AW.
Since wolverines are, pound for pound, probably the most aggressive and voracious mammals on the planet, I don’t think we need to worry about them too much, except in terms of self preservation. James Ellroy’s novel ‘The Big Nowhere’ has a good take on these feisty critters, which no animal that values survival messes with.
I am intrigued to know how they get tracking collars on them – maybe a pint of thorazine? But penetrating their fur to get a dart through would be difficult – it is primo quality and comparable to mink. And, anyone who has ever dealt with mink knows that these smaller and comparatively mild mannered cousins are extremely dangerous as well.
It is easy to see why computer modelling is preferred over field studies when wolverines are involved. Unfortunately, the outputs are worse than useless.
ddpalmer says:
February 4, 2011 at 7:57 am
Wolverines:
Patrick Swayze Dead
Charlie Sheen Rehab on the way to dead
Lea Thompson ?
Jennifer Grey Dancing with the Stars (may as well be dead)
C. Thomas Howell ?
Brad Savage ?
Darren Dalton ?
My research seems to agree with this study. The Wolverines are all either dead, dying or missing.
Comment of the day 🙂
jknapp says:
February 4, 2011 at 12:04 pm
If the US becomes a desert due to global climate change, might salamanders become extinct in the US? My “model” says you can bet they will.
####
Tell that to Ambystoma tigrinum living in Arizona!
A wolverine crossed the road in front of my car 15 miles north of Moab, Utah in 1997. I stopped the car and followed it for a few hundred feet as it bounded across… THE DESERT.
I think wolverines are a bit more adaptable than has been represented.
Gerry
Paul C says:
February 4, 2011 at 9:17 am
For those who have not witnessed a Wolverine , crashing lunch.
The Wolf is lucky it didn’t become lunch.
===============
Nice video.
Brings to mind this partial quote by Thomas Jefferson:
“We have the wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go.”…
I imagine both of the combatants, were of the same mind.
Can I post a new article on here? I cannot find anywhere to do this.
[Please put your request in Tips & Notes. ~dbs, mod.]
Desert Yote
Notice the word “might” like “highly uncertain” it covers all bad predictions.
Besides, I didn’t know that salamanders lived in the desert. I thought they required a very moist environment. Learn something every day.
“Peacock analyzed results from new simulations carried out by a team of researchers at NCAR using the newest version of the Community Climate System Model (which was developed by scientists at the Department of Energy and NCAR with colleagues at other organizations).”
Question; does Peacock know anything at all about wolverine? I will wager that I have more hours studying wolverine in the wild then Peacock has. pg
They smell like a dead skunk and have a very bad disposition, so bad that wolverines avoid one another except to mate. So each has a very large territory and are rare. They are fearless even around people. Not something you would want next door.
Jknapp says:February 4, 2011 at 5:49 pm: “Notice the word “might” like “highly uncertain” it covers all bad predictions.”
If the author didn’t use these words, you’d accuse her of ignoring the uncertainly.
‘Way back in the 1830’s here in
Northeast Ohio there was a $2.00 bounty
for every wolverine pelt brought in.
The fur wasn’t so much in demand, as the
critters were considered a danger to farm
animals and travelers alike.
Wolverines moving out of Ohio had nothing
to do with climate change.
“…I just don’t buy the claim of this study, note the weasel words…”
Hey, leave the weasels out of this.
Just like the polar bears these wolverines survived the Medieval Warm Period, Roman Warm Period and the Holocene Climate Optimum without going extinct so why would they not survive today which seems to be getting colder.
Just another scare built upon very thin ice and no idea of past earth history.
So we have a highly adaptable mustelid predator (basically a badger the size of an Alsation with the social graces of the really short guy at the pub) and we’re worried about it coping with better weather……..
Imagine my concern…..
Who needs wolverines? They’re killing off sweet fluffy white bruins.
Wolverine Kills Polar Bear on Arctic Sea Ice
by W. S. Home, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska
It’s more than wolverines; pundit Charles Krauthmammer on Friday said if Godzilla appeared on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Al Gore would blame it on global warming.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/02/05/charles-krauthammer-if-godzilla-appeared-national-mall-al-gore-would-#ixzz1D6Pe61M5
If one spends enough time outdoors, it becomes obvious people who study animal populations don’t know what they are talking about. About 2000 to 2002 lynx were “re-introduced” to western Colorado. I had one looking into my living room through the patio door in 1995. They talk about reintroducing wolves to Colorado. I know ranchers who see them now and have for years in the back country between Aspen/Snowmass and Crested Butte. Oh yeah, wasn’t some guy named Arrhenius in on the development of animal population studies, the same guy the IPCC references improperly for CO2 sensitivity?
Taphonomic says:
February 5, 2011 at 8:29 am
“It’s more than wolverines;”
Very true!
Turtle Populations Affected by Climate, Habitat Loss and Overexploitation
ScienceDaily (Feb. 2, 2011) — The sex of some species of turtles is determined by the temperature of the nest: warm nests produce females, cooler nests, males. And although turtles have been on the planet for about 220 million years, scientists now report that almost half of the turtle species is threatened. Turtle scientists are working to understand how global warming may affect turtle reproduction. To bring attention to this and other issues affecting turtles, researchers and other supporters have designated 2011 as the Year of the Turtle.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110202102117.htm
Global Warming Increases Species Extinctions Worldwide
ScienceDaily (Nov. 15, 2006) — Global warming has already caused extinctions in the most sensitive habitats and will continue to cause more species to go extinct over the next 50 to 100 years, confirms the most comprehensive study since 2003 on the effects of climate change on wild species worldwide by a University of Texas at Austin biologist.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061115090040.htm
Climate Change Threatens Many Tree Species
ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2011) — Global warming is already affecting the earth in a variety of ways that demand our attention. Now, research carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem indicates that many tree species might become extinct due to climate change if no action is taken in time
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110123085504.htm
When the polar bears were threatened, I did noting, because I was not a polar bear.
When the wolverines were threatened, I did noting, because I was not a wolverine.
…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came%E2%80%A6