US EditionSvalbard Polar Bears Gaining Weight Despite Rapid Arctic Ice Loss
Adult polar bears in Svalbard have gained body fat from 2000 to 2019 by eating more land-based prey and benefiting from local ecological changes, despite rapid sea ice loss.
- Jon Aars and colleagues report in Scientific Reports that Svalbard polar bears have stayed in good condition despite rapid sea ice loss in the Svalbard archipelago, Barents Sea region.
- The Barents Sea around Svalbard has warmed up to 2C per decade and lost sea ice more than twice as fast, increasing ice-free days by around 100.
- Researchers sedated and measured 770 adult polar bears across 1,188 body-measurement records from 1992–2019, using the body composition index to analyze body condition trends.
- Scientists warned that the apparent improvements are likely temporary and that continued sea ice loss could reduce cub survival and reproduction and push bears closer to human communities near the Arctic.
- Researchers attribute the change to population recovery after hunting and increased land-based prey such as reindeer, walrus carcasses and harbour seals.
106 Articles
106 Articles
Polar Bears are in Better Physical Shape than 25 Years Ago, Despite Sea Ice Losses
Polar bears are in better physical health than they were 25 years ago, despite the decrease in sea ice, reveals new research. The well-being of the iconic white mammals living around the Norwegian island of Svalbard has improved in the face of climate change, likely due to better opportunities to hunt. The scientists were ‘surprised’ […] The post Polar Bears are in Better Physical Shape than 25 Years Ago, Despite Sea Ice Losses appeared first on…
Polar Bears in the Arctic Circle are getting FATTER, shocking research reveals
Polar Bears are getting significantly fatter despite a shrinking of sea ice, new research has found.The discovery has shocked scientists, who studied the weight of 770 adult polar bears in the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard between 1992 and 2019, publishing their findings in the journal Scientific Reports."A fat bear is a healthy bear," Jon Aars, a senior scientist with the Norwegian Polar Institute, explained.He has spent more than tw…
As the sea ice melts due to the climate crisis, the tendency for polar bears to become thinner and have fewer offspring has been well documented in areas such as Baffin Bay, between...
Polar Bears On Norwegian Islands Are Healthier Than Expected, Scientists Find
Scientists expected bad news. Instead, they got a surprise.Polar bears in Svalbard, a Norwegian Arctic archipelago, are actually fatter and healthier than they were in the early 1990s. Yes—despite shrinking sea ice. How does that happen?For decades, polar bears have depended on sea ice to hunt seals, building up the fat they need to survive the brutal Arctic cold and raise cubs. So when ice-free days in Svalbard increased by nearly 100 days over…
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