Sea ice returning to Hudson Bay weeks late impacts polar bears

The great satellite-based maps of sea-ice cover supplied by Environment Canada show that while the northern portions of Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin have had ice building up for a few weeks now, down in the western and southern portions, its been mainly open water until now, since the melting of the ice way back in June and July.

(Thanks to Daniel Zatz of Wildlife HD for this stunning video of the impacts of late ice on polar bears )

So the polar bears have been without serious food for 5 months or so. And an unprecedented high rate of cannibalism has been documented in recent weeks in the Churchill area.

WWF-Canada’s website will be featuring the updated movement of three radio-collared female polar bears with their dependent cubs in tow, as they head out finally onto this returning sea-ice, to access ringed seals and hopefully other marine mammal food. It is just these kinds of data that underpin the sophisticated models and projections for the future. This western Hudson Bay subpopulation of polar bears is the best studied in the world, thanks to the long-term research led by Dr. Ian Stirling, formerly of the Canadian Wildlife Service. And these findings have been extremely important to the whole climate change science, impacts, trends, and projections about the future and adaptation prospects.

You’ll be able to follow the movements from your computer over the next 9 months or so, seeing how these three polar bears move in relation to the changing sea-ice conditions, and then what they do all summer once the ice melts away and they have to fast for months ashore, dodging the often hungry and aggressive big male polar bears.

Peter J. Ewins, D.Phil.
Senior Officer, Species
Arctic Program