Green | August 23, 2008 | 50 comments

Polar bears sighted in open water

source: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/08/23/Polar_bears_sighted_in_open_water/UPI-93841219513...

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DeliaTheArtist
"Federal officials confirm 10 polar bears, an unusually large number, have recently been seen swimming in open Alaskan waters.

Arctic ice melts in the Chukchi Sea are the suspected cause of the bears swimming toward either land or more remote icebergs, The New York Times (NYSE:NYT) reported Saturday. Such sightings were rare until 2004 but have grown more common as polar bears hunt for seals.

"It's not unusual for bears to be swimming," said Susanne Miller, a biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service, "but depending on their condition and how much time they're spending in the water, this could be problematic. It's going to cost them more energy to swim through water than travel on land."

Eight of the 10 bears seen in an aerial survey were within 15 miles of shore. Others were 35 and 50 miles from shore.

"There were some years when some bears may have had to swim as far as 100 miles," Steven C. Amstrup, the senior polar bear scientist with the US Geological Survey in Anchorage, wrote in an e-mail message. "Now the ice is much farther offshore, more consistently and for longer."
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50 comments // Polar bears sighted in open water

  • pyropalmtree
  • arcticspirit
    • 0
      arcticspirit  
    • Image

    • Tell us why t
      I know this is longer than most will want to read, but it does give history and the political reasons for this happening in our media.

      BTW love NASA... but this is wrong when it comes to bears.
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Does anyone know why the bears have a life on the ice in the first place?

      (WARP IN TIME>>> POLAR BEAR HISTORY 101)
      Their once lush landscape (during parts of the year) eventually became frozen all year as it has been for a very long time...
      So, the once grown bears how to adapt and evolve to survive on the desolate surface of ice, that they suddenly had to call home. THAT was a crisis, actually.

      The bears couldn't eat the herbs, vegetation and the death of everything in their food chain due to the complete ice that for their natural diet. The originally brown bears over time became what we call polar bears.

      What happens if the ice melts? Massive death of bears?
      NOT HARDLY!
      To claim, however, that they are facing imminent doom is stretching the truth. In 1950, let us not forget, there were about 5,000 polar bears. Now there are 25,000.

      Probably they will have a better diet in the summer.
      We will eventually see higher birth weights of cubs as the bears adapt to any climate changes.

      FEAR SARAH, that is the true reason for this "crisis"
      Don't worry about the bears, they survived the first crisis that froze their homeland, this should be cake.

      Why is this political?
      First there came the computer-generated polar bear in Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth; then that heartrending photo, syndicated everywhere, of the bears apparently stranded on a melting ice floe; then the story of those four polar bears drowned by global warming (actually, they’d perished in a storm).

      Now, in a new cinema release called Earth – a magnificent, feature-length nature documentary from the makers of the BBC’s Planet Earth series – comes the most sob-inducing “evidence” of all: a poor male polar bear filmed starving to death as a result, the quaveringly emotional Patrick Stewart voiceover suggests, of global warming.

      Thanks for reading.
      his is interesting

    • 4 years ago
  • arcticspirit
    • 0
      arcticspirit  
    • Image

    • Wow, this is so misleading in regard to anything, yes EVERYTHING about a polar bear.

      OK... here is POLAR BEAR 101:
      The "starving and cannibalism" is referring to a typical behavor of a lone Male Polar bear.

      These lone male bears will eat any cub they can catch and if the mother defends the offspring enough, they will attack her as well.

      Their goal in attacking the cubs is for the female to come into estrus and allow the male to sire cubs with said female bear.
      Lions do the exact same thing.

      THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MELTING ICE.
      IT IS CALLED MATING. POLAR BEAR STYLE. YEAH IT'S UGLY. LOOK AWAY.

      In fact, polar bears do most if not ALL of their hunting in the water. They typically swim aprox. 60 miles a day. Some are known to swim more. They do walk alot on the ice, but that is usually to GET TO the WATER.

      No they are not drowning. OMG that is truly funny. Did you know they can bring down beluga wales? They are far from helpless in the water.

      Of course seals are their first choice, and they too are found in the water, and swim at great speeds... so does the bear.

      To the authors of this article: Please read a book about bear behavior!

    • 4 years ago
  • wolfamorph
    • 0
      wolfamorph  

    • One man can build a house.
      But it takes many men and tools, to build a city.
      And some of you may say.
      "One man can build a city, but it would take a while."
      Yeah?
      He would be alone in his city
      "He could invite people to live in his city."
      But why would he build himself his own city, by himself. If he wanted people to come and live there?
      "To prove that hes strong enough for anything."
      Exactly, but that man. He may be strong enough on the outside, to build himself his own city. But is he strong enough on the inside, to build himself a heart?
      "For what?" You may ask
      For love. For the love of others. And for the love of himself.
      "Why would he need love, if he has a city?"
      Why do yo uneed a city, when you have love?
      You may just say somthing like, "Haven't you heard the saying, "love hurts"? With his city, he can prove that whewn people set their mind to something, they can do anything."
      In loving someone, you love yourself. Indeed they can. But, in his city. Would he like to be byhimself, and not be able to show off his wonderfull city. Or. Have love, and not have the city at all. But be able to show the love.
      "but if he tells poeple about his city, he would be showing it off. How do you show off love? It's easier to show off a city."
      To show you love. Thats not in vision. To show love. You do in acts.
      " what, bringing flowers? And who said you should love EVERYBODY????"
      To show off your love, all you have to do is love.
      You dont have to love everyone. But you can try. As long as you try. Your doing your part in life. Your TRYING.
      "I am trying."
      All you have to do is keep loving.
      Because in loving someone else. You love yourself.
      And in helping someone else. You help yourself.
      So when you help someone else. Your also helping them, help themselves, by helping you.
      you may say "Your not making sense . . ."
      Sometimes, the things that make no sense at all in life. Make the most sense later in life.
      You can find many people and things.
      But that doesnt mean youve found yourself.
      And your heart.
      "find myself? And my heart? Why do I need to love?"
      because in loving someone else, you love yourself.
      "I can love myself without loving someone else."
      When you love some one, you help them.
      In helping them.
      You help yourself.
      "Why do i need to help myself?"
      Thats for you to find out. I can only do so much. I can hold out my hand. But you have to take it. I cant take it for you.

    • 4 years ago
  • corcor
    • 0
      corcor  

    • Polar Bears 2008 - Dr. Nick Lunn, Environment Canada - Regarding Polar Bear numbers and condition

      One of the speakers was Dr. Nick Lunn. Dr. Lunn is a research scientist with Environment Canada who has been studying the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population.

      The work performed by Dr. Lunn and his colleagues has been instrumental in polar bear research. Because of their research, it is known that sea ice in the Western Hudson Bay area is breaking up three weeks earlier than it did in 1975 and this has numerous consequences for the polar bears in this region.

      Increasing temperatures reduces the availability of sea ice which polar bears depend on for traveling, hunting, mating and for limited maternity denning.

      The early break up of sea ice means that polar bears have less time to hunt seals and build up their fat stores, causing bears to come ashore in poorer condition. This results in polar bears moving inland searching for food, increasing the chances of them becoming problem bears.

      Females in poor condition may not be able to produce cubs. While females are still producing triplets in the spring, these cubs are not surviving. In fact, Dr. Lunn has not seen triplets in the fall since 1996.

      Dr. Lunn concluded that there has been a 22% decline in the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population which he attributes to climate change. As we all strive to reduce our impact on the environment, its research like this that encourages a need for change.

    • 4 years ago
  • wolfamorph
    • 0
      wolfamorph  

    • This isnt going to change, untill we all try to change it. One man can build a house. But it takes many men to build a city.
      We can all build houses . . .
      If we try.
      But it is going to take time to rebuild the broken cities.

    • 4 years ago
  • Action_Maxson
  • marisa_bklyn
  • gingerbean1948
  • JoanneB
  • phukna
    • 0
      phukna  

    • roses are red
      polar bears are not blue
      what the phuk's up with poetry
      I rather write a haiku

      f@ck the polar bears
      they taste like chicken
      who's got the hot sause
      don't forget i'm just kidding!!

      hey i just made this up too!!

    • 4 years ago
  • marisa_bklyn
    • 0
      marisa_bklyn  

    • To the Moron who wrote about polar bears being Godless killing machines the only godless killing machines on Earth are humans. People humans us we are the godless killing machines. Think about it how many species did humans kill to extinction indirectly and directly. Other animals like polar bears generally kill for food or to protect their young ,territory. or themselves. Humans also kill for entertainment and sadistic torture of other life forms. I don't think the bears do that. Many more polar bears have been killed by humans than humans killed by polar bears. As for putting them in a preserve we shld put u in a preserve asshole. I don't know if ur a minority but if u r this is even more disgusting. People in Alaska complained about polar bears invading towns. Well where do u want them to go? Actually we r enroaching on their land. As wilderness is transformed into suburbia there is less habitat for all wild animals. If people don't like it stay in the cities, If a human gets killed oh well they shldn't have been there in the first place. Besides there r 2 many people on the planet anyway.

    • 4 years ago
  • benjaminV
    • 0
      benjaminV  

    • I wrote to the Governor of Alaska, pleading with her to wise up and enact stronger protection of her state's natural environment. This stuff is disappearing before our eyes, people!

    • 4 years ago
  • darkhorsejim
    • 0
      darkhorsejim  

    • We’ve saved baby seals, the whales & now it’s time to save these magnificent polar bears. So once again, let’s put our commercial & political interests aside & do what we must to avoid their extinction. I’m tired of being part of the machine that keeps killing things, and with eyes opening wider each day, want to see people join together in a concerted effort & do what is necessary to sustain the living but stop the killing.

    • 4 years ago
  • corcor
    • 0
      corcor  
    • darkhorsejim:

      to darkhorsejim:
      Thank you for an intelligent comment regarding the polar bears. Most of the comments i've read prior to yours have been thoughtless and a waste of time. How can we get a team out there to save these struggling bears ?

    • 4 years ago
  • Groovatronic
  • purplefox
    • 0
      purplefox  

    • I wonder if any surviving polar bears in future centuries will become semi-aquatic. Like bear-whales.

      Poor polar bears. I know they're not cuddly really, but they deserve love too.

    • 4 years ago
  • Fingers
  • Argon18
    • 0
      Argon18  

    • Isn't it still hard to get around the conception that they are "Godless Killing Machines?"

      No matter how cute they are, they only end up being like "a 1300 pound Corey Feldman with huge teeth and razor sharp claws"

      So working out by swimming is only going to get them in better shape for carnage.

      Shouldn't they be put some where they can't do as much damage like a preserve?

    • 4 years ago
  • Argon18
    • 0
      Argon18  
    • Argon18:

      Maybe that would be a good idea if you can tell me what those kind are that have to surive by swimming 50 miles offshore?

      English channel crossers? Olympic swimmers? They might welcome the idea of a preserve just to be able to get some rest now and then.

    • 4 years ago
  • Argon18
  • Argon18
    • 0
      Argon18  
    • Argon18:

      That is if you can watch the Colbert video and be forgiven for not laughing and being unable to find anything funny. Lack of tolerance is as a serious a problem as a lack of a sense of humor.

      I noticed that you ignored the video that EclecticBadger posted, why was that?

    • 4 years ago
  • abbym0308
    • 0
      abbym0308  

    • Polar bears used to be trophy animals. In 2001 Mark Wilson and Bryndis Snæbjörnsdóttir set out to track down and photograph every stuffed polar bear in the UK.
      This pod examines their work and the stories behind the photographs.

    • 4 years ago
  • julesrs007
    • 0
      julesrs007  
    • abbym0308:

      Polar Bears are STILL hunted TODAY for "Trophy Hunting". On the "Outdoor/Sports" Channels (Dish Network) there are shows about hunting & killing everything from Black Bears, Polar Bears, Grizzly Bears in North America to Elephants & Giraffes in Africa...

    • 4 years ago
  • phillyharper
    • 0
      phillyharper  
    • Image

    • We can just expect a new species to emerge, pizzlies, when Polar bears migrate south they meet grizzly bears.

      Curiosity killed the cat, and created the pizzly bear.

    • 4 years ago
  • think_free
  • EclecticBadger
  • insanejain
    • 0
      insanejain  

    • i hope this too doesn't get passed as a natural phenomenon, that they -the polar bears- have to swim for hundreds of miles b/c their living grounds were destroyed due to global warming.

      save the bears!!!

    • 4 years ago
  • fiat_lux088
    • 0
      fiat_lux088  

    • Sure but what about this Eclectic

      With the mistakes that we made,
      All the holes in our hearts,
      And as time proceeds,
      We grow further apart.
      And as years go by,
      One question would linger,
      If animals had hands,
      would they give us the finger?

      Yes I just made that up just for you ; )

    • 4 years ago
  • EclecticBadger
  • futuregen
  • think_free
  • EclecticBadger
    • 0
      EclecticBadger  

    • Might it not be possible to build artificial islands to at least give polar bears somewhere safe to swim to?

      On top of an iceberg,
      All covered in snow,
      Sat five polar bears,
      With nowhere to go.
      No room for sitting,
      Only to stand,
      Iceberg drifting southwards,
      Further from land.
      But do not worry,
      With evolution sooner than later,
      They'll meet the penguins,
      Swimming at the equator!

    • 4 years ago
  • RoBot_rOcKer
  • ipodrulz
  • mischabarrett
  • satanskidney
  • FaiFai
  • SeyjLaMontagne
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