News Briefing: 27 December 2022
The Government of Nunavut released an assessment in late December in partnership with Arctic scientists, which found that polar bear populations in Hudson Bay have decreased by 27% over the past five years, much faster than projected. The town of Churchill, located in Western Hudson Bay, is a high-activity region for polar bears. Every autumn, bears migrate through Churchill to return to the sea ice where they spend months hunting for seals. Rapid warming and sea ice loss can decrease food availability and viable habitats for this and many other species across the Arctic. While the number of adult male bears has remained stable, both juvenile and adult females have dramatically decreased in recent years. These findings suggest that polar bears have not simply changed locations; rather, fewer of their young are surviving each year, leaving the aging population vulnerable to increased mortality. With the Arctic warming four times faster than the global average, species such as the polar bear provide a very visible indication that continued warming and cryosphere loss will dramatically diminish existing polar ecosystems.
By Emily Jacobson, Science Writing Intern; Amy Imdieke, Global Outreach Director; and Pam Pearson, Director of ICCI.
Published 1 月. 17, 2023 Updated 1 月. 17, 2023 8:55 下午
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