Research

Study: Arctic Polar Bears at Risk of Starvation

Published FEB 14 2024

Story

Image credit: David Yarrow/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

According to a study published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, polar bears in the western Hudson Bay region of Canada's Manitoba are at risk of starvation in longer ice-free seasons in the Arctic, despite their willingness to adapt their diet.
guardian
For their study, researchers fitted 20 polar bears with geolocation-equipped video camera collars and tracked their activities, including movement rates, for three weeks during the summer months over three years (2019-2022).
Nature
The researchers found that while some polar bears rested and conserved their energy to survive the ice-free periods, others searched the landscape for food resources. However, all but one of the 20 polar bears lost their body mass, reportedly by up to 11%.
BBC News
Furthermore, the recordings show polar bears — who foraged for vegetation or swam long distances to find food — eating bird corpses, berries, grass, eggs, and marine mammals, including beluga whales.
The New York Times
Study lead author Anthony Pagano, a biologist with the US Geological Survey Polar Bear Research Program, suggests that if polar bears are going to be away from their primary habitat, "we’ll likely see increases in starvation, particularly with adolescents and females with cubs."
Earth.com
The study claims that climate change is reducing the number of weeks the Arctic is covered in ice each year, finding that the ice-free period in the western Hudson Bay has increased by three weeks from 1979 to 2015.
Vox

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The Spin

Narrative A

Climate change, which is lengthening periods without Arctic Sea ice, is the biggest threat to the survival of polar bears. It's forcing the animals to spend longer on land, where they can't survive, as their primary calorie-rich food source is difficult to access. The study is a stark reminder of the detrimental impacts of global warming and habitat loss.

Animals

Narrative B

The study simply contributes to our understanding of polar bear ecology as their natural habitat changes. 20 bears only represent a small population in one part of the Arctic. At higher latitudes, polar bears aren't experiencing the effects of climate change. There's no conclusive evidence to suggest that their dependence on sea ice makes polar bears vulnerable to rising temperatures.