Polar Bears by Jenna Harrelson

Help Save the Polar Bears

By: Jenna Harrelson

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Picture-of-the-Day
-Polar-Bear-Cub-Cuddles-with-Its-Mom-438593.shtml

Description and Ecology:

When many people hear the name 'polar bear' they think big, white, and fuzzy, but what exactly is a polar bear beyond those commonly known characteristics? 

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/where-do-
polar-bears-live/polar-bears-sea-ice-regions

Well, despite popular belief, polar bears' fur is not actually white, but transparent. The white hue is given off due to the way each individual hollow hair reflects sun light. Because polar bears live in the Arctics and send much of their time on the Arctic sea ice or in the Arctic oceans, as seen in the picture to the right, their hollow hairs will trap the sun's infrared heat and allow the bears to maintain a 98 degree F body temperature. Another natural and biological warming mechanism lies underneath their fur, polar bears skin is actually black-- allowing the skin to easily soak up the sun's heat and stay warm. 

Polar bears are the largest land carnivores in the world, growing up to ten feet tall and weighing up to 1400 pounds. They almost exclusively feed on ringed seals and bearded seals, yet they will also eat walrus, beluga whale, and bow head whale carcasses. When searching for their prey they tend to silently hover over breathing holes, waiting for a seal to surface. Polar bears are a keystone species-- after they feast upon their prey they often leave the left over carcass, which is the main food source for many other Arctic animals. 

Many baby polar bears do not live past their third birthday as they often starve before then. Due to polar bears' K-selective nature their reproduction rates are low and child mortality rates high, which makes it difficult for them to recover their decreasing populations. 

http://www.wunderground.com/climate/SeaIce.asp

Geographic and Population Changes:

In 2012 the all-time low sea ice extent record, previously set in September 2001, was shattered. The record was broken on August 26, 2012, a full 3 weeks before the melting season was predicted to end. The picture to the right depicts the lessening of the Arctic sea ice and how there has been and will be a considerable amount of loss done if no action is taken. The polar ice caps help in regulating the global temperature by reflecting sunlight back into space. 
The diminishing ice caps have resulted in certain polar bear populations decreasing by up to 40% in some areas. 

Listing Date & Type of Listing:

Polar bears were listed under the ESA (Endangered Species Act) on May 15, 2008 as a threatened species. Today, polar bears are considered a vulnerable species with a progressively decreasing population. 

Cause of Listing:

Polar bears were originally listed under the ESA due to the on going and continuously increasing loss of their habitat-- the Arctic sea ice. The figure below shows how much the Arctic sea ice has decreased between 1982 and 2007 and then continues to predict how much it will decrease between 2010 and 2090. 

http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/the-decrease-
of-arctic-sea-ice-minimum-extent-in-1982-and-2007
-and-climate-projections_acef

Main Threats:

The main threat to this species stem from humans and human activities. In fact, humans are the polar bears only predator. However, hunting is not the main cause, or even a significant factor, in the decline of the polar bears' population. The main threat is actually climate change and how global warming is melting the polar bears' habitat. Scientists have projected that 2/3 of polar bears will disappear by the year 2050 if nothing is done to halt the progression of habitat loss. The following link helps explain the major threat of climate change and why polar bears cannot just "adapt" to a new climate or to new diet. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzhTovSH6OQ

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Because the sea ice platforms are retreating, the remaining ice is farther out from shore, making it less accessible. The larger gap of open water makes the bear's swim from shore to the sea ice more hazardous and has begun to cause polar bears to drown. In 2004, biologists found 4 drowned polar bears in the Beaufort sea and suspect the actual number of drowned bears to 

have been much greater. 

Industrial pollution is also causing major harm to polar bears. Arctic pollution is mostly transported northward from large rivers that drain into the Arctic and from wind and ocean currents that carry the pollutants from the southern latitudes. Polar bears are the apex predator of their food chain and the bioaccumulation of industrial chemicals is starting to effect the species and is creating a cause for concern. 

If you're interested in learning more in depth details surrounding the pollutants that are harming polar bears and their environments, take a look at this link: 

http://pbsg.npolar.no/en/issues/threats/pollution.html. 

Recovery Plan:
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's polar bear conservation management plan lists several high priority conservation and recovery actions: 

1. Stop Arctic warming and the loss of sea ice by limiting atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases; the principal mechanism for doing that is to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
2. Managing human-bear conflicts 
3. Collaboratively managing subsistence harvest
4. Protecting denning habitat 
5. Minimizing the risk of contamination from spills. 

What can WE do?:

There needs to be a collaborative effort to help save the polar bears. If you feel like you'd like to join me in the movement to help save the polar bears here are a few simple ideas to get you started: 

1. Make a difference with a monthly donation to WWF (World Wildlife Fund).
2. Take part in the thermostat challenge-- a challenge in which you adjust your thermostat by 2 degrees (2 degrees higher in the summer and 2 degrees lower in the winter) in order to save energy consumption and thereby reducing your personal waste. 
3. Turn your lights off-- who needs artificial lighting when you have easy access to natural (and free!) lighting just by opening up your blinds! Save energy by using sunlight to light up your house instead of turning on your lights. 
4. Vote for politicians who openly recognize that our current carbon-based society isn't sustainable and who are adamant about change.
5. Write letters to your senator, your congressmen, a local politician, or even the president. Let the government know that the public wants change in regards the conservation of our wildlife. 

Works Cited:

1. Arctic Sea Ice Decline." Climate Change Impact on Sea Ice Decline. Weather Underground, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.wunderground.com/climate/SeaIce.asp?MR=1>. 
2. "Basic Facts About Polar Bears." Defenders of Wildlife. Defenders of Wildlife, 24 Feb. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.defenders.org/polar-bear/basic-facts>. 
3. "Global Warming and Polar Bears - National Wildlife Federation." Global Warming and Polar Bears - National Wildlife Federation. National Wildlife Federation, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat/Polar-Bears.aspx>. 
4. "KidZone Animal Facts The Polar Bear." Animal Facts: The Polar Bear. KidZone, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015. <http://www.kidzone.ws/sg/polarbear/polar_bear.htm>. 
5. "Polar Bear: Draft Conservation Management Plan." US Fish and Wildlife Service. US Fish and Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2015. <https://www.fws.gov/alaska/PDFs/PBRT%20Recovery%20Plan%20Book.pdf>.

Photographs:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Picture-of-the-Day-Polar-Bear-Cub-Cuddles-with-Its-Mom-438593.shtml

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/where-do-polar-bears-live/polar-bears-sea-ice-regions

http://www.wunderground.com/climate/SeaIce.asp

http://www.grida.no/graphicslib/detail/the-decrease-of-arctic-sea-ice-minimum-extent-in-1982-and-2007-and-climate-projections_acef

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