Articles in ‘Arctic nature and wildlife’

Mass death of walruses

September 19th, 2009
Walruses por flickkerphotos.

As many as two hundred dead walruses have been spotted on the shore of Chukchi Sea on Alaska’s northwest coast. Wildlife researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey report the dead walruses appeared to be mostly new calves or yearlings. They may have been crushed in a panic stampede triggered by a polar bear or a helicopter. Large numbers of walruses are gathering on Alaska’s northwest coast, a sign their Arctic sea ice environment has been altered by climate change, the second time in three years that this has happened. They cannot swim indefinitely and until recently used sea ice as a platform for diving in the Bering and Chukchi seas for clams and other food on the ocean floor. Now, sea ice has receded far beyond the outer continental shelf, forcing walruses to choose between riding the ice over waters too deep to reach clams or onto shore. More here

Meanwhile, Sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean reached the third lowest level on record last year, according to the latest NASA statistics. Here

Photo by Thundafunda

Ecological changes in the Arctic

September 11th, 2009 A review article in this week’s Science on the impact of climate change on the Arctic notes that ecosystems are changing fast, and that could portend more shifts in other parts of the world. The authors list numerous examples. Ringed seal pups in the Canadian Arctic have lost birth lairs to early spring melts, while warmer winters have allowed reindeer in Norway to thrive. Arctic fox populations are dropping as red foxes move north. And caribou calving has fallen out of sync with peak plant growth in Greenland, possibly explaining why calf survival has declined. More here

Polar bears attacking submarine

September 9th, 2009

Three Polar bears approach the starboard bow of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Honolulu (SSN 718) while surfaced 280 miles from the North Pole.

This is a remarkable image. Three Polar bears are approaching the the submarine USS Honolulu 280 miles from the North Pole. The bears investigated the boat for almost 2 hours before leaving. More here

Polar bears on Kongsøya

September 9th, 2009

http://www3.hi.is/~oi/Svalbard%20wildlife%20and%20landscape/Polar%20bear%20close%20to%20shithouse.jpg

Polar bear inspecting researcher’s toilet on the island of Kongsoya, Svalbard. I wonder if anybody is inside? Taken from researcher Ólafur Ingólfsson’s page here on Svalbard wildlife.

Kongsoya has the highest recorded density of polar bear dens in the world: in 1980 at Bogen on Kongsoya there were 12 dens per km² and in August 1984, 168 bears were observed on the island!” Here

Polar bears doing well in Norway

September 8th, 2009

Numbers of polar bears in Svalbard, Norway, are increasing, possibly one of only two growing populations in the world, alongside another in Canada. The reason: Norway has enforced strict hunting bans on the bears and some of their prey since the 1970s. Walrus numbers are up since the ban on their hunting in 1952 and it could be the reason for more bears: there is more prey. See story of these bears told with fantastic pictures here in The Guardian.

Facts about Svalbard’s polar bears

A Norwegian road sign used on Svalbard to warn about the presence of polar bears. Here

In Svalbard the polar bear is referred to as Isbjørn or the “ice bear”. There are some 1500 bears on the archipelago. Since polar bears are common on Svalbard and hunt humans on occasion, people need to take precautions when outside the settlements: this includes carrying a rifle. Nevertheless, the law protects polar bears, forbidding anyone to harm or disturb them unless it is necessary to avert personal injury

This article is an excellent review of polar bears in Svalbard, and what to do if you encounter one. It notes: “In Svalbard, people have been killed on several occasions, including incidents in recent years. On average, three bears have been killed every year during the period from 1993 to 2004 in encounters with humans, i.e. in self-defence.

The tiny island of Kongsoya has the highest recorded density of polar bear dens in the world: in 1980 at Bogen on Kongsoya there were 12 dens per km² and in August 1984, 168 bears were observed on the island!”

Interesting selection of wildlife holidays in Svalbard and its largest island Spitzerbergen here

How to save the polar bear

July 20th, 2009 New York Times editorial. “Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has upheld a Bush administration finding that the Endangered Species Act is not a suitable tool for restricting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threatening the polar bear and its habitat. We agree, with this codicil: There are steps Mr. Salazar can and must take under the act — steps that the Bush White House would not — to protect the bear..”