A new study in the journal Science aims to improve marine conservation efforts by identifying the busiest migration corridors and critical habitats of the oceans’ largest species. Whales, porpoises, polar bears, seabirds and seals are among the megafauna who play crucial roles in Arctic waters and those beyond, supporting fragile food webs, diverse ecosystems and subsistence lifeways. […]
Polar bears likely survived past warm periods in the Arctic, when sea ice cover was low, by scavenging on the carcasses of stranded large whales. This food source sustained the bears when they were largely restricted to land, unable to roam the ice in search of seals to hunt. A new study led by the University of […]
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Greenhouse gas emissions remain the primary threat to the preservation of polar bear populations worldwide. This conclusion holds true under both a reduced greenhouse gas emission scenario that stabilizes climate warming and another scenario where emissions and warming continue at the current pace, according to updated U.S. Geological Survey research models. Under both […]
The analysis uncovered several genes that may be involved in the polar bears’ extreme adaptations to life in the high Arctic. The species lives much of its life on sea ice, where it subsists on a blubber-rich diet of primarily marine mammals. The genes pinpointed by the study are related to fatty acid metabolism and […]