Like seals, walruses need ice cover to giver birth. Without it, their young could drown. As ice cover becomes thinner, lasts for less time, and exists over less and less range, walruses will likely struggle.
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Additionally, if the climate continues to warm, walruses will overheat. Their blubber and body is built to keep them perfectly warm in the freezing temperatures they currently live in. Scientists have already seen Walruses use more and more effort to cool off. If the melting and warming continues, they will likely be forced to adapt quickly or die.
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(Credit: Katrin Iken and NIVA)

(Credit: National Geographic)

Another factor to consider is Walruses’ feeding habits. Walruses feed on benthic organisms (the animals and creatures that live on the seafloor like clams and mussels). As the oceans continue to warm and CO2 emissions continue to climb, many of these creatures will die as ocean acidification makes it impossible to form calcium based shells. Even without excess CO2 in the waters many of these benthic food sources will struggle with the ecosystem shifts, new predators, and loss of kelp that climate change is introducing.
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Special thanks to Carlos Navarro for his help with this section!