Could Polar Bears Adapt to Climate Change?
Polar bears, those beautiful majestic white cousins of the brown bear. Hundreds of thousands of years ago (at least) they split from brown bears and over about 30,000 years evolve into the big white bears we know now.
They shifted from the omnivore diet of the brown bear to bears moving around on Arctic sea ice hunting seals as a main source of food.
As climate change rapidly reduces the Arctic sea ice the bears have access to they find it forming later in the fall and breaking up sooner in the spring. The bears end up forced onto the land where food supplies are less and doesn’t sustain them like seals do.
This means polar bears end up fasting longer which impacts their behaviour, health and the number of cubs they are having. The lower birth rate will lead to reduced population of bears in coming generations.
On average, polar bears spend 30 days more on land now than they did in the 1990s.
Study of Polar Bears in Southeast Greenland
A small, genetically distinct population of Polar Bears has been studied over several years. They are in one of the most remote areas on earth. It’s a two hour helicopter trip to get into the area. This population is believed to have been in the area for a few hundred years.
They have access to sea ice in Southeast Greenland from February to late May. That would mean they would need to fast for six to eight months. That’s too long for a healthy population. Large chunks of ice breaking off glaciers extends their seal hunting season.
The scientists studying the bears isn’t sure if they are increasing, decreasing or stable in numbers. Their adaptation to using glacial ice when sea ice isn’t available is a glimmer of hope for their overall survival.
Polar Bears Are Like the Canaries of Climate Change
It’s a very small glimmer though. Glacial ice conditions are not widely available. The bulk of the polar bear population remains in peril if their environment continues to degrade. Even if they moved back onto land and started to integrate back into the brown bear population, it would still mean the loss of the polar bears.
The population in Greenland may help extend the time before the loss is irreparable. That only matters if we take action on climate change that helps to support them and the rest of the world.
NOTE: header image from Pixabay.com
Shadowspub is a writer from Ontario, Canada. She writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms and enjoys creating books you use like journals, notebooks, coloring books etc.
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I remember having read about the study you described in this blog a couple of days ago. I am always amazed how nature always finds its way. Secretly, I like to think it will find its way whlist we (as a human species) destroy the planet.
Have a nice week-end!
I agree with you that it would be nice if nature found it's way and have longed hoped that would be the case. It seems at this point that if nature has been finding its way, humans have been outrunning them on the destruction side.
I read not long ago that some microorganisms in the oceans had adapted to consuming the plastic that has been building up in them. Gives me some hope that nature will help to clean up the mess should humans start taking responsibility and slow or stop their destructive behaviours.
I remember having read something similar about using microorganism to solve the plastic issue. I however don't remember the details, and the scale is potentially always the issue here (as humans have the tendency to do things openly and in a big manner...).
Cheers!
As I recall the article I read, the microorganisms were ones found in the pacific garbage patch. They had developed on their own which gives me some hope that nature is trying to fight back.
Thanks for specifying this!
Cheers!
We know they can! Haven't you seen Lost? 😁
no actually, I've not seen Lost.