Arctic Council Report
On Thin Ice?
© Dan Guravich Click the image to enlarge.
Polar bears could become extinct by the end of the century if present warming trends continue in the Arctic, according to a report issued in November by the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee. The report is the most comprehensive study to date on climate change. It represents the work of 300 scientists and experts from around the world over a four-year period.
Dr. Ian Stirling of the Canadian Wildlife Service has been monitoring changes in the polar bear population of Hudson Bay. His research shows that the ice in Hudson Bay breaks up 2 1/2 weeks earlier than it did just 30 years ago, and that polar bears now weigh 55 pounds less than they did before. “The earlier break-up of the ice leaves the bears with less time to hunt seals and store fat,” he says. He adds that the polar bear is “an indicator species” that reflects the health of the ecosystem as a whole.
The 140-page report, titled the “Impacts of a Warming Arctic,” notes that the earth has warmed by an average of one degree Farenheit over the past century, but change has occurred much more rapidly in the Arctic. Winter temperatures in Alaska and western Canada have risen by three to four degrees over the past 50 years and are projected to increase an additional seven to 13 degrees over the next century.
Dr. Ian Stirling of the Canadian Wildlife Service has been monitoring changes in the polar bear population of Hudson Bay. His research shows that the ice in Hudson Bay breaks up 2 1/2 weeks earlier than it did just 30 years ago, and that polar bears now weigh 55 pounds less than they did before. “The earlier break-up of the ice leaves the bears with less time to hunt seals and store fat,” he says. He adds that the polar bear is “an indicator species” that reflects the health of the ecosystem as a whole.
The 140-page report, titled the “Impacts of a Warming Arctic,” notes that the earth has warmed by an average of one degree Farenheit over the past century, but change has occurred much more rapidly in the Arctic. Winter temperatures in Alaska and western Canada have risen by three to four degrees over the past 50 years and are projected to increase an additional seven to 13 degrees over the next century.