Death of 47 seals in Murmansk, Russia due to drifting ice

The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment stated that 47 dead seal bodies were found on the White Sea coast of Murmansk province.

Initially, 13 bodies were found on June 11, followed by the discovery of another 34 bodies two days later, as preliminary research indicates that “ice drift” may be the reason behind the death of these seals.

According to studies conducted by experts from the Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography and the Regional Station for Animal Disease Control, examinations showed no signs of poaching or infectious diseases on the corpses, which appeared to be decomposed and showed signs of being eaten by predators.

Scientists warned that assessing the environmental impact of this incident will be difficult because the true number of seals in the area is unknown, but they believe that if the percentage of dead seals is large compared to the total number, the incident will have a significant impact on the ecosystem.

If this percentage is small, it will be part of the natural decline that does not have significant impacts on the environment.

Ice drifts are large pieces of ice that break off from glaciers or ice shelves and float on the surface of the water. They are formed when pieces of ice break due to their weight or climate changes. They are mainly found in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, but they can also be found in other parts of the world. , such as New Zealand and southern Argentina.

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