Chukchi Polar Bears Thriving As Arctic Ice Recedes

by Kenneth Artz

Source: The Heartland Institute



Real-World Testing Ground

Outperforming Their Neighbors

Chukchi Sea polar bears' body weight and overall health either remained stable or improved, according to the study.



Science Trumps Alarmism


"It now seems that the greatest threat polar bears may face from global warming is from the failed climate model predictions claiming they are doomed," he added.

More Access to Prey

"A longer ice-free period in summer has increased the number of ringed seals because summer is the primary feeding period for seals. This means more seal pups in the spring, which is the primary feeding period for polar bears," Crockford explained. "Chukchi bears are not feeding longer in the spring; they are just eating more. Apparently, this was not what the researchers expected.

"Before climate change became the cause du jour, it was pretty clear that polar bears in the Canadian portion of the Beaufort suffer because of the thick ice that occasionally develops there in the spring," Crockford noted. "It's a phenomenon unique to the Eastern Beaufort. In other words, there is ample evidence that too much ice in the spring is much worse for polar bears than less ice in the summer."


"It might-it should definitely change them," said Crockford. "The study certainly does not support the claim that polar bears are already being harmed by the loss of summer ice. It certainly invalidates the declaration made by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Polar Bear Specialist Group that the Chukchi subpopulation is a 'declining' one, and it calls into question their assumption that reduced summer ice can be expected to cause harm to polar bears within 10 years."

Climate Conditions Not Unusual

"Russian coastal-station records of both the extent of sea ice and the thickness of fast ice-ice fixed to the shoreline or seafloor-extending back 125 years show significant variability over 60- to 80-year periods. Moreover, the maximum air temperature they report for the twentieth century was in 1938, when it was nearly 0.4°F warmer than the air temperature in 2000. The Russian study concludes that observations do not support amplified warming in Polar Regions predicted by general circulation models," said Burnett.

"What this means is that not only does sea ice vary considerably from year to year but polar bear responses do as well," Burnett explained. "Though polar bears are uniquely adapted to the Arctic region, they are not wedded solely to its coldest parts, nor are they restricted to a specific Arctic diet-they are omnivores just like other bears. Aside from a variety of seals, they eat fish, kelp, caribou, ducks, sea birds, and scavenged whale and walrus carcasses.

"Indeed, polar bears have historically thrived in warmer temperatures than today's-during the medieval warm period 1,000 years ago and during the Holocene Climate Optimum 5,000 to 9,000 years ago," he added. "Thus, a modest warming may be beneficial to bears. It creates better habitat for seals and would dramatically increase the growth of blueberries on which the bears like to gorge."