Polar bears, like these photographed near Hudson Bay in 2010, are in jeopardy due to decreasing ice cover in Canada’s Arctic Archipelago. (Photo credit: Stephen Hamilton)
The Arctic sea-ice is vital to polar bears’ hunting and breeding habits. So it comes as no surprise that the decline in sea-ice as a result of anthropogenic climate change has a great effect on the polar bear populations. An international team of researchers further demonstrated this vital relationship by calculating probability in population decrease over the next three generations. Their findings support the species’ status as “Vulnerable” by showing a great potential in polar bear population decline related to sea-ice loss.
Authors:
Eric V. Regehr, Kristin L. Laidre, H. Resit Akçakaya, Steven C. Amstrup, Todd C. Atwood, Nicholas J. Lunn, Martyn Obbard, Harry Stern, Gregory W. Thiemann, Øystein Wiig
Canadian contributors:
Nicholas J. Lunn, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton, Alberta;
Martyn Obbard, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, Ontario;
Harry Stern, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto
Original paper published in Biology Letters on December 7, 2016.
