Graphite and Walnut Ink I’m still fascinated by walruses and still working on little studies of them testing out different ideas and techniques. This one was swimming and I loved the shape it made floating in the water and its dog-like facial expression. 2 Responses Isabel May 25, 2014 Really cool work, Chelsea! I love how you decided to depict him face-on. I’m wondering- how common are walruses in the area? What type of walrus is this? Are they endangered, or are there a substantial amount of them in the area (how are their numbers being affected by the change in phytoplankton)? Reply Chelsea Clarke May 28, 2014 Thanks Isabel! This is a Pacific Walrus, the only kind that lives in the Pacific Arctic. We saw quite a few earlier in the trip when we were in more open waters with a lot of drifting ice floes, but now that we’re in nearly solid ice we haven’t seen any for a while since they need both open water to swim in and either land or ice to rest on. As far as how they are being affected by the changes in plankton populations, that’s exactly the kind of question we’re here to study so I’ll have to get back to you on that one! Reply Leave a Reply to Chelsea Clarke Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.
Isabel May 25, 2014 Really cool work, Chelsea! I love how you decided to depict him face-on. I’m wondering- how common are walruses in the area? What type of walrus is this? Are they endangered, or are there a substantial amount of them in the area (how are their numbers being affected by the change in phytoplankton)? Reply
Chelsea Clarke May 28, 2014 Thanks Isabel! This is a Pacific Walrus, the only kind that lives in the Pacific Arctic. We saw quite a few earlier in the trip when we were in more open waters with a lot of drifting ice floes, but now that we’re in nearly solid ice we haven’t seen any for a while since they need both open water to swim in and either land or ice to rest on. As far as how they are being affected by the changes in plankton populations, that’s exactly the kind of question we’re here to study so I’ll have to get back to you on that one! Reply
