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Destination Story
Tracking the Ice-Bears
Polar bears are just one of many drawcards of the High Arctic but are easily the most eagerly sought experience for those travelling to the frozen north. It is an intense moment when the call ‘polar bear!’ goes out from the deck of Peregrine’s expedition ships, and the crew report they have never seen passengers move as fast as when they hear a bear has been spotted!
However, some who travel to the Arctic in search of polar bear do so for much more than just the thrill of seeing these magnificent creatures. A group of researchers from Alberta University, Canada are working hard to understand the effects of climate change on the sea ice habitat of polar bears in the Foxe Basin, Nunavut Territory, Canada.
To do this they must get up close and personal with the polar bears, fitting six female, adult bears with radio collars which send, via satellite, updates on the bear’s position every four days. Regular trips to the area with tracking equipment provide new information on their condition.
It is the process of tagging the polar bears which is particularly awe-inspiring and somewhat risky in such cold and hostile conditions. The team immobilise each bear with a dart shot from a helicopter, the helicopter lands nearby and the researchers, wearing appropriately warm gear, work quickly to take measurements and samples and attach the radio collar before the bear becomes mobile again. Interesting fact: collars can only be attached to female bears as the huge male bears have necks that are wider than their head and the collar simply falls off.
Following polar bears in their environment gives us a picture of how they are living in their habitat and means we can develop an understanding of how changes to their environment, in particular a warming climate, will affect them. Awe-inspiring they may be, but like all polar creatures their future will be impacted by issues created by global warming. Large carnivores like polar bears are particularly sensitive indicators of ecosystem health, and if they become unhealthy it is often a sign of something wrong in the wider Arctic marine system.
Polar bears only come ashore when sea ice habitat is unavailable, from June/July to October/November in the Canadian Arctic, and while ashore, enter a fasting state. The Alberta University researchers have found reduced sea ice coverage and changes in freeze-up and ice-free dates in Foxe Basin and Hudson Bay. These changes mean the ice melts earlier and forms later and the bears are left with less time to hunt for food, hindering their ability to successfully reproduce. Feeding during these months is vital for them to build up enough body fat to cope with the months spent fasting on land during the summer.
What’s in store for the future? Polar bears are not currently classed as endangered – there are about 22,000 living in the wild, but if current warming trends continue, scientists believe polar bears could disappear within 100 years. The time may have come to wrap up warmly and head north to the Kingdom of the Polar Bear.
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