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A BOATLOAD OF tourists in the far eastern Russian Arctic thought they were seeing clumps of ice on the shore, before the jaw-dropping realisation that some 200 polar bears were roaming on the mountain slope.
“It was a completely unique situation,” said Alexander Gruzdev, director of the Wrangel Island nature reserve where the encounter in September happened.
We were all gobsmacked, to be honest.
The bears had come to feast on the carcass of a bowhead whale that washed ashore, later resting around the food source. The crowd included many families, including two mothers trailed by a rare four cubs each, Gruzdev told AFP.
Climate change means ice, where polar bears are most at home, is melting earlier in the year and so polar bears have to spend longer on land, scientists say.
This might wow tourists but means the bears, more crammed together on coasts and islands, will eventually face greater competition for the little food there is on land.
Locals are also at risk from hungry animals venturing into villages.
Wrangel Island, off the coast of Russia’s Chukotka in the northeast, is where polar bears rest after ice melts in early-August until November, when they can leave land to hunt for seals.
It is also considered the birthing centre for the species, with the highest density of maternity dens in the entire Arctic, Gruzdev said.
“A whale is a real gift for them,” he said.
“An adult whale is several tens of tonnes” that many bears can feed on for several months.
Studies have shown that, compared with 20 years ago, polar bears now spend on average a month longer on Wrangel Island because “ice is melting earlier and the ice-free period is longer,” said Eric Regehr, from the University of Washington, the lead American scientist on the US-Russian collaborative study of Wrangel Island polar bears.
Changing ice conditions could also be responsible for the increasing number of bears flocking there, Regehr said.
This autumn, the number of bears observed was 589, far exceeding previous estimates of 200-300, he said, calling it “anomalously high”.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates there are about 26,000 polar bears in the Arctic, with a long-term “potential for large reductions” due to ice loss.
Ice is key as polar bears hunt exclusively on the ice surface, often staking out seals by their breathing holes.
Nothing can replace seals
Regehr said the polar bear population in the shared US-Russian Chukchi Sea “appears to be productive and healthy” at the moment, but as time spent on land continues to increase, the bears’ nutrition and body condition will be affected.
“The question is at what point the population will begin to experience negative effects, is that at one and a half months (more time on land than normal), two months, more?” he asked.
We don’t know exactly, but there is a threshold somewhere in the future.
Despite some food sources on land — including musk oxen, lemmings, or even grass — nothing can completely replace the energy-packed seals that bears have evolved to rely on.
“They are resourceful and adaptable animals, and some bears will probably find something to eat, but the number of bears we currently have in the Arctic definitely cannot be sustained on land,” Regehr said.
That made the image of hundreds of bears around the whale carcass both impressive and concerning, he said.
There is evidence that it foreshadows the future: larger numbers spending more time on the island and ultimately less time on the sea ice with fewer prey, with a negative cascade of effects.
Moving walruses
One effect is the increasing chance of conflict between polar bears and humans, for example in native Chukchi settlements, all of which are located on the coast.
Since mid-October, polar bears have been coming dangerously close to a Chukotka village called Ryrkaipy, which is located near Kozhevnikov Cape, an important site for walrus gatherings, or haulouts, that lies about 200 kilometres (about 124 miles) south of Wrangel Island.
With changing ice conditions, walruses can be forced to come ashore in steep unsuitable areas.
This year, hundreds died as the huge animals crushed one another, possibly after being disturbed by a predator, said Viktor Nikiforov, a polar bear specialist and coordinator of Marine Mammals expert centre.
The problem is that some walrus corpses then floated to the village, attracting polar bears. “One bear broke the window of a house,” Nikiforov said.
The village went on high alert, forbade children to walk to school and cancelled some public events, reports said.
Nikiforov said scientists and locals used bulldozers to move walrus corpses away from the village. He echoed concerns that bears spend more time ashore as the ice-free period becomes longer.
“The concentration of people and animals in one area increases and there is conflict,” he said.
“We cannot stop climate change, but we can sort out the situation on the shore and make life easier for the bears,” he said, referring to measures such as bear patrols to minimise conflict with humans.
With changes in nature, that has to be attended to.
Humans destroying our most beautiful planet. Highly depressing.
@dodofrey: so depressingly true.
@dodofrey:
Awful humans. We’ll have to get rid of them. Would you like to be the first to go?
Then we can dispose of your car, your oil fired burner or your gas burner, your lawnmower and anything else which gave you your carbon footprint.
Cant stand this faux concern when no one will sacrifice anything themselves.
What planet are you living on?
@dodofrey: Let Emma show us the way.
@Bat Daly: Cycle to work. Don’t eat meat. Don’t use heating oil. Recycle and when I’m at a match at Croke Park I always put my rubbish in the right bin…..I’m deadly.
@Bat Daly: I vote we start with you!
@Bat Daly: Bat, maybe you are not sacrificing anything, but others are. Its about making a concerted effort as a species, don’t you want to help too? You do believe all those scientists right?
@Deborah Behan: Gee Thanks Debs, but ladies first!
@Ger Healy: two accounts?
@Ger Healy: Classic keyboard warrior. Easy to knock down others behind a screen. Brave stuff.
@dodofrey: correct, while they search the Solar system for new ones.
It such a shame we don’t know the real truth. Was watching a documentary on the effects volcanoes have on our earth’s temperature’s and other natural causes of temperature increases and decreases. But over all what we are told will do little. But if big corporations changed some of their ways it would help a lot more.
@: the problem is not absence of knowledge. We have the knowledge. The problem is the absence of will to act on the knowledge that we have.
We are doing far too little, far too late to slow down the impact of climate change and now well on the road to a widespread environmental disaster on the planet, the effects of which will eventually be extremely detrimental for massive numbers of human beings.
@Fiona deFreyne: the reality is that when China, India, South American and African countries continue as they it doesn’t matter a single jot what we do here.
This combined with continued nuclear testing undersea distorting the earths core .
The green industry is big big business here in this part of the world but that all it is, big business, lobbying governments to tax us the mere mortals and up make us feel like we have at least done our own little part, total and utter sh!te
@Shane Murphy: nuclear testing distorting the earths core… another person that doesn’t understand basic physics or science for that matter
@Michael Geraghty: why don’t you enlighten me
@Shane Murphy: it matters what every single one of us does.
“The problem is not the problem. It is our attitude to the problem that is the problem.”
This time of year many wake up to the sight of frost that has formed overnight as the area where the person lives through the circle of illumination (sunset) and away from the Sun so the frosty wonderland remains for a while then the area exits the circle of illumination (sunrise) and melting occurs due to solar radiation.
https://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/spwebcam.cfm
At the North and South poles this process only happens once a year where the Sun rises on the Equinox, stays in view constantly for 6 months and then sets on the opposite Equinox where it remains constantly out of sight for another 6 months. This is the great Polar day/night cycle by which the Polar bears live as sea ice develops around the North pole and expands as the planet turns slowly and unevenly as a function of its orbital motion.
Rather than throw good information after bad, readers should enjoy the great Polar day/night cycle and the fact that is daily rotation and its effects are subtracted (sunrise/sunset) the entire surface of the planet would still turn once to the Sun each year but this time parallel to the orbital plane.
@Gerald Kelleher: Do you have to keep posting that shite over and over again.
@Ser Barristan Selmy: What did I tell you before, trying to bypass the Sun for rotation and appealing to a rotating celestial sphere of stars loses cause and effect so you haven’t a chance of enjoying why sea ice forms each year.
In the matter of astronomy and terrestrial sciences you become Royal Society unionists who can’t adjust, develop, be creative but defend bluffing and voodoo for no other reason than it is hammered into you as a student. If you want to know how a unionist feels using this topic as an example then look in the mirror but the images from the South pole presently should draw your attention to the Polar day/night and why in 3 weeks it will be Polar noon on the Solstice (midsummer) at the South pole and Polar midnight (midwinter) at the North.
@Ser Barristan Selmy: The explanation for sea ice formation and disappearance is for those who enjoy wildlife programmes rather than those who follow the theoretical voodoo of ‘frames of reference’ . The greatest weather event on the planet each year is the enormous surface area that turns from sea into solid ice and there is a separate rotation to daily rotation behind that event but it just takes a little effort to spot it.
It is not a matter of me being clever but imaging of the Earth from space shows how the planet turns in two separate ways to the Sun. All you have to do is concentrate on the Antarctic Continent as it comes into view seasonally while turning daily and as the year progress it turns away from the Sun -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFrP6QfbC2g&t=92s
The Polar day/night does exist so stop trying to appeal to me with silly Royal Society nonsense that never worked and is creating havoc with sciences such as planetary climate.
@Gerald Kelleher: Gerald. Please get a grip on the English language and stop with the rambling.
If you can’t explain it simply you don’t understand it well enough yourself.
What is your point?
@Philip King: The ‘what’s your point ?’ slogan is the academic equivalent of ‘no surrender’ and just as dour and dismal. If circumstances were normal, the explanation for the largest weather event on the planet would be enjoyed but these are not normal times nevertheless people have a chance to appreciate why we have the seasons as two surface rotations work together in combination. Looking at the North and South poles and the single day/night at those locations helps isolate the orbital surface rotation with its own Polar sunrise and sunset on the Equinoxes while Polar noon and midnight occur on the Solstices. It is not beating people into submission, these things really happen.
@Ser Barristan Selmy: About the same time as the Battle of the Boyne was happening, the Royal Society empiricists brought out a work that is based on trying to bypass the Sun for the Earth’s motions and used a rotating celestial sphere of stars instead for modelling purposes. You and many like you are the equivalent of the unionist marchers, celebrating a late 17th century work that offers no chance of creativity and productivity but because you know no better you can be excused.
You think you are better than this guy ?, think again.
@Ser Barristan Selmy: that’s why sea ice disappears. You’re too orange and boyney.
@Ser Barristan Selmy: Here is what you do, if you can give me the reason why the Sun comes into view once on the Equinox at the South and North pole, stays constantly in view for 6 months and then sets on the opposite Equinox, I might consider that you are not the equivalent of a unionist who is stuck back in the late 17th century.
I am Irish and my astronomical heritages goes back thousands of years so if you want to remain thumbsucking on account of Royal Society voodoo merchants then good for you but that is all it is ever going to be.
@Philip King: @Ser Barristan Selmy: The Battle of the Boyne happened in 1690 while Newton’s Principia surfaced two years earlier and both have a fanatical following and share roughly the same traits . If anyone showed up on the 12th July 1690 at Oldbridge they would seen nothing as the Brits refused to accept the necessary calendar correction which keeps dates pinned to the Solstices and Equinoxes so in Ireland the date of the Battle was July 1st.
https://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/spwebcam.cfm
The Polar day/night and its cause is a wonderful expression of 21st century imaging so you two boys stick with glorifying a bunch of academic Brits who jumped to a wrong conclusion and then manufactured a ‘solar vs sidereal’ fiction to suit their modelling and speculative purposes. For everyone else there is a chance to join the 21st century and what an expansive view can do.
@Ser Barristan Selmy: Learn how the North and South poles turn parallel to the orbital plane thereby causing the single Polar day/night where there is just a single sunrise and sunset each year. You will be fine.
@Gerald Kelleher: Hi Gerald! I’ve always read your posts with great interest. Are you aware though, that you come across a crazy person? I’m sure that you are not crazy, but the ideas you espouse are. Hope this helps.
@Ser Barristan Selmy: The reason there is sunrise and sunset each day is that the planet turns once. This doesn’t work for the North and South Poles as there is only one sunrise on the Equinox and one sunset on the following Equinox. If there were not so many Royal Society followers around, people could appreciate how Arctic sea ice appears around the poles. I wouldn’t ask you what you think causes the Sun come into view each dawn least you offend the same Brits that the Unionists love and follow.
@Mitch Peterson: Suit yourself but I shrug and point in the direction of the Unionists who can’t adjust or adapt. Looking at the other fella who can’t bring himself to mention a rotation which accounts for the single day/night at the poles and that makes him effin dull.
Too many humans on the planet we are destroying it rapidly.
As animals change their behaviour over the affect of global warming, so will parasites and diseases do the same?
No map?
In Russia sheep eat whale
Isn’t the polar bear population the highest it’s been for 60 years?
Isn’t the polar bear population the highest it’s been in 60 years?
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