Spatiotemporal distribution of Odobenus rosmarus in response to sea ice dynamics in the Arctic

Abstract

The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) relies heavily on sea ice for essential activities such as foraging, resting, and reproduction, making it highly vulnerable to climate change in the Arctic. In this study, occurrence records of the species and its subspecies (O. r. rosmarus and O. r. divergens), obtained from GBIF, were integrated with sea ice data from NSIDC for the 19th century as well as past and current scenarios. The results indicate a marked increase in records since the 1980s, accompanied by spatial shifts associated with ice retreat, now restricted to coastal areas and continental shelves. This shift entails greater dependence on terrestrial haul-outs, potentially increasing mortality risks and vulnerability to other anthropogenic impacts