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Polar Bears Getting "Fatter and Healthier" Amid 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.
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31 Articles
Daily Journal+7 Reposted by 7 other sources
Polar bears in better shape than 25 years ago despite sea ice losses
Polar bears' fat reserves have increased as sea ice levels decreased.
·Cherokee County, United States
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The polar bear population often shrinks with the sea ice. But on Spitsbergen there is a different picture.
·Zürich, Switzerland
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The populations of Svalbard have maintained their body condition despite having lost more than three months of frozen sea per year
·Spain
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Bournemouth Echo+8 Reposted by 8 other sources
Svalbard’s polar bears keep body condition despite rapid ice loss, study finds
Surprising results show how different polar bear populations are responding differently to climate change.
·Bournemouth, United Kingdom
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Plantigrads have not lost weight in the last twenty years in the Norwegian archipelago, despite an accelerated warming of the region. Among the reasons: they hunt other prey than seals, such as reindeer or birds.
·Paris, France
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Total News Sources31
Leaning Left7Leaning Right2Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution63% Center
Bias Distribution
- 63% of the sources are Center
63% Center
L 29%
C 63%
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