On Thin Ice:
Marine Mammals
Challenged by Climate Change
Presented
by Mike Castellini
The earth has been changing for billions of years and those patterns are recorded in the rocks and ice caps of the planet. Recently however, we have reached a stage where the patterns of those naturally occuring changes have started to be impacted by man. As scientists work their way through the models that describe both the natural and human aspects of those changes, one of the most obvious alterations has been the decrease of ice in the Arctic and alterations of the ice caps in the Antarctic. While it is sometimes hard to demonstrate why the ice cap changes might alter daily life for humans, it is very easy to see how animals that live on, near or are associated with the polar ice would be impacted by changes in the ice. In this talk, I discuss animals that are associated
Mike’s current research focuses on many different aspects of marine mammal biology and medicine. Some of these include nutritional physiology of harbor seals and Steller sea lions in Alaska as related to their population declines and to the survival of seal and sea lions' pups. Other projects include studies on lipid metabolism in marine mammals, the biochemistry of contaminants, metal chemistry, antioxidant chemistry and immune function. These programs are conducted in the field around the world and, when possible, at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. Related Links: Spotted seal photo by Captain Budd Christman, NOAA Corps (ret.). Castellini and penguin photo courtesy Mike Castellini. Polar bear photo by Connie Barclay, courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lecturer portrain courtesy Mike Castellini. |
||
On Thin Ice:
with polar ice in both the north and south regions of the planet. We will discuss and talk about polar bears, seals, penguins and flying birds that depend on the ice. Through a combination of video and still photographs, we will examine how ice is important to their breeding, hunting, resting and socials systems. We will also talk about the research that is being conducted on these animals and how this relates back to the overall implications of climate change.
Mike Castellini is the Associate Dean of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He received his B.A. in Biology in 1975 from the University of California, San Diego, and later earned his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1981.