The study highlights the seals’ adaptive use of icebergs as well as the intricate connections between glacier behavior and marine ecosystems.
Using time-lapse cameras, aerial surveys, and remote sensing, the team documented the seals’ preferences across different seasons and iceberg conditions.Harbor seals in Alaska’s icy fjords rely on icebergs calved from glaciers as critical habitats for giving birth, raising pups, and molting. A recent study reveals how climate-driven changes in glacier dynamics affect the availability and characteristics of these floating platforms.
“Icebergs are found throughout the fjord in regions of fast flow, within eddies, and close to the glacier,” said Lynn Kaluzienski, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alaska Southeast who led the study. This advancing glacier produces fewer icebergs than retreating glaciers, reducing the seals’ available habitat. The research team spent years tracking how seals use icebergs in the fjord and how their distribution changes with iceberg availability.
The study found distinct seasonal patterns in how seals utilize icebergs. During the pupping season , female seals with newborn pups favored slow-moving icebergs, drifting at speeds less than 7-8 inches per second. These stable platforms likely provide a safer environment for nurturing vulnerable pups.
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