Tag Archives: polar bears

First day in-and-out of the sea ice

13 April, 2014From the field, Polar bearspolar bears, svalbarduser

By Gert Polet
Cracking ice pushed aside by the Lance, wakeup call at 5:00. We are entering Smeerenburgfjord, named after the Dutch settlement Smeerenburg (blubber town), the largest 17th century Dutch whaling station on Svalbard. In the peak whaling years, some 250 Dutch vessels were busy catching slow moving bowhead whales in large numbers – the blubber was cooked here to oil which lighted the streets of Amsterdam. The demise of the whale population caused the first oil crisis – and the bowhead whale has still not recovered in the North Atlantic, the closest estimate is that there are 200 nowadays. We spot bearded seal sunning on the thick sea ice.
Then, when entering the waters North of Spitsbergen island, open water. Little auks fly pass in small groups. Two ivory gulls call to us their strange call when they pass by, we are happy to see this rare gull of the Arctic which is completely snowy white.
Jon, the polar bear expert of the Norwegian Polar Institute, decides we move into Woodfjord and Liefdefjord – said to be named after named after the Dutch ship the Liefde (love) which sank here.
The fog lifts, the sun breaks through, slowly revealing the spectacular rugged mountains covered in snow and the gentle glaciers which reach all the way to the sea. A fairytale country which makes one silent and quiet. But it is strange that the fjord is completely open. Jon, who has been here every year since 2003 has never seen this fjord without ice around this time of year. He showed some pictures of holes in the little ice he encountered last week, with blood on the ice – killed pups of ringed seals. Ringed seals never come on land and depend on sea ice for their young to be born. This year it appears that there is not only hardly any sea ice but also just a few centimetres of snow, too thin for ringed seals to dig a protective snow cave for their young. This year many young seals are easily detected and killed by polar bears, glaucous gulls and arctic foxes. The breeding success in nearby Kongsfjorden is closely monitored by NPI colleagues of Jon and since 2005, not a single ringed seal born there survived because of too little snow. It not yet clear whether the ringed seal population is heading for a steady decline or whether they go elsewhere to calve where there is sea ice. And if ringed seals go, polar bears will find it harder to find food.
The NPI crew decides to check the coastline for polar bears and dens. They expect polar bears along the beaches, eager to find sea ice to get onto, in search of seals. Soon the helicopter lifts off and becomes a tiny black spot against the enormous white mountains surrounding this marvellous fjord. I remember the polar bears and fin whales of last year in this exact place. Waiting for their return we have a look at Monaco glacier – a few years ago a new islet emerged from underneath the retreating glacier. Will Jon have had success finding the female with the satellite collar? If he manages to give her a new collar we will have a subsequent year of information about the movements of her in the coming year!

Svalbard at 3AM

13 April, 2014From the field, Polar bearspolar bears, svalbarduser

Late night sun over Svalbard. © Brutus Östling / WWF-Canon

From April 11 to 21, 2014, join a Norwegian Polar Institute and WWF-Canon scientific expedition to collect critical data about Europe’s most westerly polar bear population. The population on and around the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is facing a future without summer sea ice. See all posts from the expedition here.
3 AM…that’s my new wake up time when I travel to Europe or Russia…right on time…3 AM. This is new to me, a champion sleeper for most of my life and I can only assume it relates to getting a bit older, regardless, it is usually unwelcome. Today though- I remember where I am, Longyearbeyen on the Svalbard Islands well inside the Arctic at 78 degrees latitude. My Swedish colleague Tom is happily asleep across our purposefully rustic looking bunk room at the Basecamp Lodge. We are fortunate to stay in this unique place built to resemble the original trapper cabins and filled with old photographs and bits of Svalbard history.
While I’ve had the privilege to see much of the Arctic through both work and leisure, this is my first time in Svalbard. We were treated to a glimpse of the striking landscape last night when the clouds cleared to the West unveiling a beautiful scene of steep snowcapped peaks rising from the sea across the fjord. As I try to fall back asleep, my thoughts drift towards a far more fanciful description of this distant place- the Kingdom of the Ice Bears in the book “The Golden Compass”. My eyes quickly grow heavy as I look around my “cabin” and the clear daylight still sneaking through the window blinds- land of the midnight sun indeed.
When I re-awaken at a more reasonable hour, the team meets for a classic breakfast of cheese, breads, herring, smoked salmon, tomatoes, and cucumber- and there is always plain yogurt and granola it seems. Our partners at the Norwegian Polar Institute run us down to the awaiting Research Vessel Lance where we will spend the next 12 days at sea. She is a remodeled and repurposed coast guard vessel designed for the ice. With a crew of 11, she is fully kitted out and will be a comfortable home. The only downside, her skill in the ice is due in part to a fairly flat bottom that can challenge for passenger comfort in rough seas- which we encounter just before dinner!
As I write this at 8 PM, we have sailed out of Bellsund into the open Atlantic (nothing now between us and Greenland), and have turned north towards Prince Karls Forland. The snow and low clouds we had on our departure have become sun and blue skies- revealing once again the stunning physical beauty of this land of snow and ice.

Setting off for Svalbard

10 April, 2014From the field, Polar bearspolar bears, svalbarduser

A Norwegian Polar Institute and WWF-Canon scientific expedition sets off tomorrow to collect critical data about Europe’s most westerly polar bear population. The population on and around the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is facing a future without summer sea ice. A recently published paper suggests the area will be ice-free in summer by 2050.
“We don’t know what the future holds for these bears,” says Geoff York, WWF lead on polar bears. “We do know that bear populations deprived of sea ice for significant amounts of time are less likely to survive or breed successfully.”
The research team is on the lookout for polar bear denning sites on the islands, where females go to give birth. There is some evidence that the population is moving away from traditional sites, and the movement may well be linked to changes in sea ice. It is not clear where new sites may be, but there is reason to believe they may be on islands further to the east where the ice stays longer.
The NPI researchers on the expedition will place satellite collars on bears to enable tracking their routes over the next year or so. Comparing the bears’ positions to satellite information about the sea ice will help explain the bears’ response to ice conditions, and help project likely future adaptations. Four of the bears collared this year will be trackable on WWF’s polar bear tracker as soon as the collars are activated, allowing people around the world to follow the bears.
The expedition is sponsored by Canon Europe, Conservation Imaging Partner of WWF International. Canon has a longstanding partnership with WWF that goes back over sixteen years, using imaging expertise to help WWF record and promote awareness of the state of the environment and climate change. It is supplying photographic equipment for this project and sponsoring a leading Swedish wildlife photographer and Canon Ambassador, Brutus Östling, to capture images of the wildlife encountered along the way.

Svalbard bear update – N26135

21 March, 2014From the field, Polar bearspolar bears, species tracker, svalbarduser

In April 2013, our partners at the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) began tracking a number of polar bears on Svalbard using GPS-enabled collars. Here, NPI’s Magnus Andersen updates us on their behaviours. See all bears on the Polar Bear Tracker.

Kara, aka N26135, was tagged in Svalbard in spring. During the summer and autumn months, she performed a record long journey from Svalbard past Franz Josef Land in Russia and all the way to Severnaya Zemlja.
When the sea ice cover was at the minimum in late September she went on shore at Severnaya Zemlja, but as soon as the sea ice again started to form and grow towards the south she started to move across the northern Kara Sea towards the Franz Josef Land Archipelago. In the end of November she reached one of the easternmost islands in the archipelago, Graham Bell Island.
Once on the island it seems like she dug a den, stayed in it for some time and then possibly moved to another den location for some unknown reason. After yet a while we stopped receiving positions, either because the transmissions were blocked by snow and the terrain or simply because the electronics stopped functioning.

What’s life like on an Arctic expedition?

7 February, 2014From the fieldpolar bears, students on iceuser

Our favourite moment: When we had an extremely inquisitive polar bear swimming around the boat while anchored at Bylot Island. That was a very special moment that had all aboard spellbound. Photo: Pascale Otis / Students on Ice

What did you eat while on expedition?

Food is very important on a boat. We all take turns in the galley and most people are actually surprised by our selection of food onboard Arctic Tern I. Fresh meats, fruit and vegetables are purchased locally when available and “a little bit of everything” is how I would describe our stock of dried and canned goods. If you’re really worried about running out of freshies, we have a great selection of freeze-dried meat (beef, chicken, pork and shrimp), grow our own herbs and spice things up with fresh sprouts!

Favourite meal 2012: Clive’s muskox meatballs
Favourite meal 2013: Grant’s Arctic Char

What were your favourite moments?

Grant Redvers:

We learned how to prepare Arctic Char for drying.

When we had an extremely inquisitive polar bear swimming around the boat while anchored at Bylot Island. That was a very special moment that had all aboard spellbound.
Learning how to prepare Arctic Char for drying, then eating it of course!
Sailing uncharted waters, discovering seldom (or possibly never) visited anchorages on the coast of Baffin Island.
Seeing Orca in the wild, observing the power and speed of these amazing predators as they hunted narwhal.
The numerous interactions we had with locals in every community. This is always a highlight of any trip in the north; receiving such warm welcomes, generous help, learning more about the challenges faced by northerners and gaining some insight into their rich community spirit.

Pascale Otis:
We see so many amazing things during our expeditions that it is truly hard to choose our favourite moments. But here are a few things that really stand out:

Seeing polar bears, walruses and other Arctic animals in their wild habitats
Climbing to the top of a mountain to get a 360º view of the rugged landscape
Exploring remote areas that are uncharted
Having whales swimming under the boat
Meeting the locals and sharing country food
Sailing past gigantic icebergs
Filming never before captured images
Swimming with narwhal
Kayaking amongst bergy bits with the midnight sun shining bright
… and simply sailing in the most amazing places on Earth!

How can YOU get involved?

Follow the Arctic Tern’s journey online at arctictern.org. We will continue to post photos and videos to this site and on our blog.
We also invite you to come and meet the boat and crew when we visit communities – our itinerary will be posted prior to the 2014 expedition so check back for updates!
The Arctic Tern is part of Students on Ice, an award winning organization offering educational expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, fostering a new understanding and respect for the planet. Visit studentsonice.com to learn more and join an SOI expedition!
This critical five-year mission to assess the changing Arctic environments would not be possible without the support of our partners. Visit wwf.ca to learn more about WWF’s conservation work in the field through initiatives such as Arctic Tern I, as well as across Canada and around the world.
Together, we can build a future in harmony with nature.

Studying the Arctic by ship

14 January, 2014From the fieldLast Ice Area, polar bears, students on iceuser

Arctic Tern I is a polar expedition vessel acquired by the Students on Ice Foundation in partnership with WWF to provide a safe, environmentally friendly, cost effective, and versatile platform for education, research and media projects in the Arctic. In summer 2013, Arctic Tern I headed to the eastern Canadian Arctic and on the first of a five-year mission to assess biodiversity in this important and fast-changing part of the world, and contribute to constructive and collaborative solutions for a sustainable future.
Polar sailors and scientists Grant Redvers and Pascale Otis share their experiences and photos from the journey, in the first of a four-part series. All photos are courtesy Pascale Otis / Students on Ice.
What type of research did you conduct in the eastern Canadian Arctic and what did you discover?

The Arctic Tern I is a great platform for scientific research. We can spend large amounts of time in one area and even access remote places that would be out of reach to larger ships.
In 2013, the crew of Arctic Tern I set sail for the North with a project from the Canadian Wildlife Service on our hands. We completed offshore bird surveys, which meant counting every bird that we encountered while crossing to Greenland and also in the Canadian Arctic. As we reached the northern parts of Baffin Island, we sailed close to two Thick-Billed Murre colonies and took high-resolution photos. These would be later used to estimate the number of breeding pairs nesting on the cliffs.

Also on our busy agenda: banding 20 Murres on Bylot Island with special geolocator tags. These will allow scientists to track where the birds are going in the wintertime. It was hard work climbing the cliffs and catching the birds, but all worth it!

We had the privilege of joining scientists while they were tagging orcas in Tremblay Sound near the community of Pond Inlet. The GPS tags placed at the base of the dorsal fin of 6 adult orcas will allow the scientists to follow their movements for the next few months. We know very little about these whales, so the information recovered from this study will surely be extremely valuable.
What is a typical day onboard Arctic Tern I?
There’s really no such thing as a typical day onboard any sailboat! We always try to plan in advance, but our schedule is usually very flexible.

Every day is full of surprises, as we never know when and where we’ll see something to add to our growing list of once-in-a-lifetime-opportunities. Perhaps a polar bear will come swimming around the boat this morning… so of course we’ll probably put off lifting the anchor for a couple hours and set up our cameras on deck instead!
Depending on the project, the crew of Arctic Tern I can take on various roles from sailors to filmmakers, photographers and scientists. We have strong scientific backgrounds, but we also work in the media quite a bit.
You might also like:
2012 expedition to the Last Ice Area aboard the Arctic Tern

Over 42,000 voices for polar bears!

4 December, 2013Polar bearspolar bearsuser

WWF Director General Jim Leape with signatures, International Polar Bear Forum 2013

The appeal of polar bears transcends far beyond their Arctic home. When we asked WWF supporters to thank Arctic countries for their work to conserve polar bears and ask them to lead the way again, the message quickly spread to all corners of the earth – from Greenland to Argentina to Spain and Australia. Over 42,000 people have signed on. Today, we’re in Moscow to bring this global thank you card to environmental leaders from all five polar bear countries – Norway, Canada, Russia, Greenland (Denmark) and the United States.
It’s not hard to see why polar bears capture imaginations around the world. They’re an emblem of the Arctic, a powerful predator perfectly adapted to life in some of the most challenging conditions on earth.
To many, they’re also an emblem of threatened species. But in some ways, polar bears are a good news story. They’re still found around the pole, in roughly their original range, and in numbers estimated at 20,000 to 25,000.
The challenge before the polar bear countries now is to keep this positive story from becoming a cautionary tale. The biggest threat to polar bears is climate change. Sea ice – the habitat that polar bears require – is expected to reduce dramatically in the coming decades. By 2040, projections show only a fringe of summer sea ice remaining along the northern coast of Greenland and Canada – the Last Ice Area. In addition, less ice means more industrial development and shipping in the Arctic, further north than ever.
How can polar bear countries help the species adapt and thrive? Good management decisions must be based on solid science, and we have little information about many of the world’s polar bear populations. How many polar bears are there in understudied populations? Are they healthy? Are their numbers changing over time? We’re asking the range states to make this research a priority today.
Of course, all the research and management in the world won’t help polar bears if their habitat simply doesn’t exist. Keeping polar bear numbers healthy in the long term will require investment in renewable energy, not just by Arctic nations, but the global community. Luckily for polar bears, people around the world care about their future.

Live from Moscow

3 December, 2013From the field, Polar bearspolar bearsuser

Moscow in December is a magical place. Snow and holiday lights transform the historic downtown into a true winter wonderland. Christmas decorations fill store windows, and decorate the interiors of cafés, and restaurants giving all a sense of hope and good cheer. Cooler temperatures and shorter days also seem to slow the pulse of this bustling capital city to a pace I can better appreciate.
It’s my fourth trip to Russia this year and I am here to participate in the most significant polar bear conservation event of the year: the International Forum on the Conservation of Polar Bears and Range States Meeting. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears – a landmark accord that brought much needed attention to polar bear research, management, and conservation policy. The Agreement effectively addressed the leading threat of the time, unrestrained commercial and sport harvest, and committed the Parties to the conservation of polar bears writ large and notably the ecosystem of which they are a part. This is the first pledge to use ecosystem based management for any multilateral conservation agreement.
As the Agreement enters its 40th year, both the times and the threats have dramatically changed. No longer is harvest the leading concern for long-term conservation. Climate change and the resulting loss and alteration of sea ice habitat is fully in the fore. The loss of that protective ice cover is also opening both polar bears and their Arctic Home to a suite of new threats, largely centered around increasing human activity in the newly emergent seas. Will the Agreement and the Range States tackle these new challenges with the same sense of urgency that originally brought them together? Well, we hope to hear more on that topic this week.
Specifically we are seeking three results from the Forum:

A roadmap for the completion of a global conservation plan and a timetable for its implementation
Commitment to research and monitoring of polar bear populations and habitat
Creation of a work path that includes all stakeholders, including: Indigenous peoples, governments, environmental and conservation organizations, academia, industry, and the international community

Stay tuned as we update progress this week- live from Moscow!

Polar bears are coming to Moscow

27 November, 2013Polar bearspolar bearsuser

Next week, we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of a turning point in global polar bear conservation.
40 years ago, the polar bear countries – United States, Canada, Russia, Greenland (Denmark) and Norway – made forward-thinking conservation commitments that helped several polar bear populations stabilize and largely recover from the historic threat of over harvest. The countries are coming together again next week in Moscow, for the first International Forum on the Conservation of Polar Bears.
They will be celebrating the past 40 years, but they also need to plan for the next 40 — addressing the realities of a changed Arctic and a new major threat to the species: global climate change. As the Arctic ice cap recedes each year, issues that were unthinkable when the Agreement was signed are now at the forefront. Shipping and oil and gas development are increasing faster than governance can keep up, while distribution changes are forcing bears into greater conflict with people.
Yet in many ways, polar bears have a better chance at survival now than in 1973. Thanks to the Agreement, harvest is largely controlled. The role of Indigenous people in polar bear conservation and management since the Agreement was signed has changed remarkably and positively. We have an opportunity to take action that will help to conserve polar bears before their habitat is irreparably changed.
Will these countries lead the way again? We’re asking them to make meaningful commitments to polar bear conservation in the coming years. Add your voice, and we’ll share your message next week:

Storm season

12 November, 2013From the field, Polar bearschurchill, polar bearsuser

Polar bear sleeps through a storm in Churchill. © WWF

As the ever weakening dawn light rouses me in my window perch, I notice something has changed- wind. In Churchill as in much of the Arctic, windstorms are a common occurrence and can drastically change your plans for the day, whether you’re a bear or a person!
This morning the winds are coming straight out of the North and right off the Bay. It gently rocks our buggy and whistles through the many gaps and cracks around doors and windows. Luckily for us, it’s still relatively warm with temps hovering around -10 C.
Windy days often mean less activity for wildlife as well. Polar bears in this part of the world all come ashore in July because the ice completely melts each summer in Hudson Bay. Once onshore, most of these bears begin fasting and go into what scientists call a “walking hibernation”. They spend much of their time resting and waiting and can actually turn down their metabolism to conserve what stored energy they have onboard. As the weather gets colder in November, the bear’s activity starts to increase as they prepare themselves for the coming freeze. Today, however, the wind keeps them down and most find a quiet, protected spot to simply curl up and nap the day away.
Unfortunately, for bears here in Western Hudson Bay, the sea ice is melting earlier and freezing later on average. This means bears have a shorter time to put on weight in the spring and a longer fast each summer. Adult bears in good condition can go incredibly long periods without eating substantial calories. Pregnant females, dependent young and subadult bears are not so fortunate. Without enough stored calories, pregnant females are less successful raising families and the young bears that are weaned have a harder time surviving their first years alone. The reduction in survival has lead to a long term decline in this population that is expected to continue. But for now, to the casual observer here on the Tundra, polar bears are literally just outside the window. Let’s do what we can to keep it that way.