World Record Polar Bear

Mass walrus haul-outs, polar bear cub mortality linked to climate change

Recent, unprecedented walrus haul-outs and increased instances of long-distance swims by polar bears show the direct impacts on wildlife of dwindling Arctic sea ice from climate change. These threatened species also face the prospect of offshore drilling in the Arctic after the Obama Administration recently approved a number of plans to move forward on oil exploration.

At least 8,000 walruses hauled out on an Alaskan beach along the Chukchi Sea on August 17. Only a day before, the U.S. Geological Survey announced it would begin tagging walruses near Point Lay, Alaska to study how a lack of sea ice is affecting the species. Pacific walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) normally rest on large ice sheets, and their presence on land reflects a growing scarcity of Arctic sea ice caused by global climate change.

"These dangerously large walrus haul-outs in the Chukchi Sea are a direct result of extreme Arctic sea ice melt caused by climate change. Unless carbon pollution is dramatically reduced, walruses, polar bears, and even people in the Arctic will face a much more perilous future than they do already," explains Geoff York, an Arctic wildlife biologist with the World Wildlife Fund.

This year's haul-out began three weeks earlier than in 2010, when 20,000 walruses clambered onto land near Point Lay. This month, radio-tagged walruses were spotted onshore as early as August 7 during once unprecedented haul-outs, which have become common in recent years.

As of August 11, the breadth of Arctic sea ice was the second lowest ever recorded. Meteorologist Jeff Masters, Director of Meteorology at The Weather Underground (which provides weather for Google and the Associated Press), forecasted an Arctic Dipole weather pattern similar to that which produced record low sea ice in 2007. Masters predicts sea ice coverage will hit a new minimum this August.

Record Polar Bear Sightings on Heritage Expeditions Russian ...

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Tourism Board, Ministry & DMO expedition vessel.

“Wrangel Island certainly lived up to its reputation as a Polar Bear hotspot, bears were seen everyday and on several occasions we saw more than ten in a single zodiac outing, on two occasions we were treated to the very rare sight of a bear in its snow den,” he said.

“As we approached Wrangel Island, renowned as one of the world’s top polar bear breeding and birthing sites, there was great anticipation as we navigated through the last remnants of the pack ice towards the shore. It was a privilege spending five days under the guidance of local Rangers on the island’s Nature Reserve tracking these magnificent animals, as well as seeing walrus, reindeer, snow geese and the astonishing concentrations of migratory bird species that nest here annually”.

“This remote region near the top of the world is one of the most remote and inhospitable parts of the planet, and holds great significance for the conservation of life on earth,” said Russ.

“Our journey not only includes the isolated Wrangel and Herald Islands but also a significant section of the wild North Eastern Siberian coastline. It is an expedition made possible only in recent years by the thawing in the politics of the region and the retreat of the summer pack ice in the Chukchi Sea. Right on the border between Soviet Russia and the USA, the area was known as the Ice Curtain and today remains one of the last undiscovered wonders of the world,” he said.

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