Buzz
As Arctic ice melts, polar bears are facing a dire situation. See more images of these majestic Arctic creatures.
Photographer: Rory Gordon / Michael Ramage/Gallo Images/Getty ImagesThe largest land carnivores, polar bears can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall and weigh as much as 1,700 pounds (771 kilograms). Despite their immense size, these powerful animals are under threat from an unstoppable global enemy: climate change. And they are losing the battle.
Impact of Climate Change
For years, scientists have warned about the dangers of melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels. Now, it's happening. Over the last 50 years, the average temperature in the Canadian Arctic has risen by 7°F (4°C) [source: Daily Mail]. Arctic temperatures are increasing at double the rate of the global climate [source: Yahoo News]. As sea ice melts, the waters become more hazardous. This is catastrophic news for polar bears.
The polar bear’s natural habitat is one of the coldest environments on Earth, and these animals are perfectly equipped to endure such harsh conditions. With layers of fur and blubber, they are insulated from temperatures that can plummet to -49°F (-45°C) during the peak of the Arctic winter. Their bodies have adapted to not just survive, but thrive, in these extreme conditions.
But what happens when a species' ideal habitat starts to vanish? Are polar bears facing extinction? As we will explore in the next section, the situation is grim.
Polar Bear Population in Danger
Polar bears are excellent swimmers, but they can't outrun a seal in the water.
Photographer: Paul Nicklen/National Geographic/Getty ImagesThere are around 25,000 polar bears in existence today, spread across 19 distinct populations throughout the Arctic. Just two decades ago, this number was closer to 33,000 [source: Daily Mail].
As summer sea ice melts at unprecedented rates, polar bears face two immense, interconnected challenges: the inability to hunt for food and the growing distance between sea ice and land. During warmer months, as sea ice recedes, polar bears move to coastal areas. However, they are not built to hunt on land, so they must rely on stored fat for survival. When winter arrives and the ice returns, they can once again hunt.
Declining Food Availability
Polar bears are powerful swimmers and skilled hunters on the ice. The largest bears can swim up to 100 miles in one stretch [source: Outside Online]. With thick layers of blubber to keep them warm in cold water, they are well-equipped for the task. However, as the ice continues to melt, the distance between land and ice sheets is growing, forcing the bears to swim farther than they can manage. This is putting them in a perilous position: either they endure prolonged periods of hunger on land, or, driven by desperation, they take risky swims that could lead to drowning or freezing.
The Struggle to Swim
Another challenge arising from the diminishing ice is that the polar bears' primary food source, the seal, is a faster swimmer. While polar bears are faster than seals on the ice, with less ice to traverse, seals are now evading them. Additionally, with fewer seals to catch—especially the fat-rich seals the bears rely on—the polar bears are losing weight and, consequently, the blubber that keeps them warm. This lack of insulation makes long swims more dangerous, and living on land for extended periods becomes harder and more uncomfortable.
With their hunting abilities severely diminished and their blubber reserves depleting, polar bears are increasingly venturing into human settlements, such as campsites, where food is left exposed. Some have even resorted to rummaging through dumpsters. This behavior reflects their desperation, and experts do not expect this situation to improve anytime soon.
How can polar bears continue to survive under these dire circumstances? In the next section, we’ll explore what the future holds for the shrinking polar bear population.
In 2007, the United States and Russia committed to collaborating on a global effort to prevent the extinction of polar bears. This agreement, which builds upon the 1973 Conservation of Polar Bears Agreement between Russia, the U.S., Norway, Denmark, and Canada, focuses on intensifying conservation efforts. Both countries have agreed to engage native communities in protection efforts, share research data on polar bears, including tracking and biological information, and collectively allocate conservation funds where they will be most effective.
Polar Bear Extinction Threat
Conservationists hold onto hope that we won't witness the extinction of such a powerful and beautiful species.
Photographer: Joanna McCarthy/ The Image Bank/Getty ImagesOne of the 19 known polar bear populations in the world is located in Hudson Bay, Canada. According to Dr. Ian Stirling of the Canadian Wildlife Service, the ice sheets in this area are breaking apart nearly two and a half weeks earlier than they did three decades ago [source: Washington Post].
A Decline in Polar Bear Cubs
In a CNN article, researchers involved in a study published in Ecological Applications revealed that the reduction in ice is forcing polar bears to spend more time on land. Consequently, their health is deteriorating, leading to a decrease in the number of cubs.
It was once typical for polar bears to give birth to two cubs per litter, but now, Kristin Laidre, a professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at the University of Washington, expresses concern that this 'norm' might fade if the loss of sea ice continues. The threat of extinction is becoming a very real possibility [source: CNN].
What Efforts Are Being Made to Assist?
Scientists are not ready to give up on polar bears just yet. A groundbreaking initiative known as Warm Waters for Cool Bears is introducing a fresh method for preserving the species. Traditionally, researchers have been focused on tracking the polar bears themselves, determining their numbers, locations, and movements to improve conservation efforts. However, this method has proven slow and insufficient. Warm Waters for Cool Bears approaches the issue from a different angle—by monitoring the habitats rather than the bears. With decades of satellite images and weather data, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society are working to identify the polar ice caps most likely to endure the effects of warming. Conservation efforts will then be directed toward these areas, where they are most likely to succeed in saving polar bear populations.
Are polar bears at risk of extinction?
In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that polar bears be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which would offer them greater legal protection. By May 2008, polar bears across the Arctic were officially classified as a threatened species in the U.S. under the ESA. Then, in October 2019, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Polar Bear Specialist Group released a new report showing further declines in polar bear populations. Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey predicts that two-thirds of the current polar bear population could vanish by 2060 if current melting trends continue.
The survival of polar bears is no longer in question—it’s a matter of how long they can last. And the threat extends beyond polar bears; their prey is also disappearing due to global warming, which increases the bears’ risk of starvation. In March 2008, the World Wildlife Fund reported that 1,500 newborn seals in the Arctic are unlikely to survive their early months. After birth, seal pups spend about a month buried in the ice, developing the fat layers needed to survive in the freezing waters. However, due to rapidly melting ice caused by climate change, many pups are entering the water before they are prepared. Similar to polar bears, Arctic seal populations have dramatically decreased in the past century, from 180,000 to just about 8,500 [source: Forbes].
With polar bears and seals both perishing from starvation and drowning at unprecedented rates, the ecosystem of the Arctic Circle could undergo irreversible changes.
