In contrast to polar bears of the Beaufort Sea region, Messier et al. (1992) reported that peak movement rates of instrumented polar bears in Viscount Melville Sound within the Canadian High Arctic Archipelago occurred from May to July. Movements, although increasing after January, were less from October through March. Ferguson et al. (2001) reported high movement rates in spring and summer in the High Arctic, and Messier et al. (1992) reported increasing mobility from January through spring in the Canadian Arctic. Polar bears in the Beaufort Sea also demonstrate high summer movement rates apparently because of rapidly changing ice conditions. In the southern and northern Beaufort Sea areas, movement rates remained high in November and December and low in May. The lower level of winter movement among polar bears of Viscount Melville Sound may be a consequence of the year-round abundance of multiyear ice (Gloersen et al. 1992; Messier et al. 1992; Ferguson et al. 2001). The density of ringed seals is lower there than in most other areas of polar bear habitat from Alaska through to West Greenland (Stirling and Øritsland 1995), and seals that are present in Viscount Melville Sound tend to be more concentrated along tidal cracks and pressure ridges that parallel the island coastlines (Kingsley et al. 1985). By comparison, the annual ice that predominates in most of the southern Beaufort Sea is more dynamic, and allows a greater amount of sunlight into the water column to support primary productivity. This facilitates easier access to air for seals to breath, and supports higher densities and numbers of ringed seals and polar bears (Stirling et al. 1982; Kingsley et al. 1985; Stirling and Øritsland 1995).

Polar bears in the Beaufort Sea may spend more time in winter actively foraging, and those in the Viscount Melville Sound area may spend more time resting and conserving energy. Messier et al. (1992) reported that long periods of "sheltering" were common among bears wintering in Viscount Melville Sound, and attributed this behavior to the poor foraging conditions there. Another factor may be the greater predictability of the foraging conditions in the stable ice of the High Arctic. With less change in the character of the sea-ice after freeze-up, polar bears may be able to determine the profitable hunting areas in early winter. Predictable sea-ice conditions could help bears minimize midwinter searching for good hunting areas and maximize benefits of sheltering. The constantly changing sea-ice in places like the Beaufort Sea or Baffin Bay, however, may require major modifications of foraging strategy from month to month or even day to day during break-up, freeze-up, or periods of strong winds. Polar bears are adaptable enough to modify their foraging patterns for the extreme range of sea-ice scenarios (Ferguson et al. 2001).