Do you know anything about polar bears and how it effects them with global warming?

Answer 1

All in all global warming is having a negative impact but we can intervene to assist the bears in the future. Here's a more detailed answer...

I suspect you may get some differing answers here, largely because there was no clear data on how global warming was affecting polar bears and different reportsw were written from different perspectives.

In the last few months there have been no less than nine impartial and detailed studies into the effects of global warming on polar bears. Here's an overview of what we know based on the most accurate and detailed reorts to date...

Until recently polar bears weren't too badly affected. There are 18 sub-populations and 14 of them were doing fine. Of the 4 that were reducing in numbers there wasn't enough information to say for certain what was happening.

In recent years the problems of living in the Arctic have been confounded by the effects of global warming. Last year the Arctic ice receded more than ever and saw over a million square kilometres of ice melting. As winter approaches it's reforming again but nowhere near fast enough to make up for all the ice lost.

Polar bears rely on the ice flows as hunting bases, as the ice separates they have to hunt further and further afield. Whilst they're excellent swimmers they have to swim further and are spending more time in the water in search of food. Consequently there has been a marked increase in the number of drowning incidents.

As a result the young are left to fend for themselves, as inexperienced hunters they are incapable of doing so and a knock on effect is that some cubs are dying of starvation.

The numbers are small but increasing, I can't recall the figures off the top of my head or I would mention them.

Another development that has been observed in recent years as a result of global warming is the collapse of bear dens. Bears hibernate deep in the snow, when dens collapse the bears become trapped under tons of snow and die. Sadly this has been happening more than ever before.

Their hibernation patters have been disrupted to some extent by the warner weather and they're emerging from hibernation sooner. The advantage to this is that they still have some food reserves when they emerge from hibernation so are stronger than they would otherwise be, the disadvantage is that they have to hunt and fend for themselves for longer each season.

All in all they're not doing too bad, largely this is a result of various acts that have been passed in recent decades in order to protect them.

For many years now the Inuit, Evenk (I think) and others who live with and close to the bears have been warning of the effects of global warming, science has taken some time to catch up but is now confirming what these people have been saying all along.

Sadly it's too late to do much to save the Arctic ice, the mechanisms behind global warming are complicated so I won't go into detail but the crux of the matter is that even if we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to zero the world will keep warming and the ice will recede more and more each year.

The 2007 season saw a record net reduction in ice cover, if reperated each year in the future then the Arctic ice will be gone in just 23 years time, it's more likely going to be around 40 years but all the same, we're not far from the time when the ice becomes a seasonal event.

The loss of the Arctic ice doesn't have to spell disaster for the polar bears, this isn't the only place they exist. If they can be moved to other areas including Alaska, parts of Canada, Siberia, Scandinavia etc then they can survive. They won't migrate of their own accord and in the years to come many will be surviving on an ever decreasing Arctic ice mass, we'll need to physically move them but this isn't such a major undertaking.

Answer 2

Read some of the good answers here and you'll be able to create your own graph or chart. The current estimated number is 25,000 which is higher than it has ever been. There is a major difference between the polar bear and any other kind of bear, and it's this: polar bears are, surprisingly, more marine animals than land animals. It is no problem for them to be in water for long periods of time, unlike us. Back in the 1960s they were seen swimming as much as 600 miles from shore, and I am not in error here. This was off the coast of mid-Labrador, their southernmost territory on the Atlantic coast. They cannot sink due to the natural flotation of their fur (which isn't hair), so don't need to swim to stay afloat. About the only reason one would drown would be due to a storm I would think. Flotation is natural for them. The US government made the move of putting them on the endangered list. This was not done for the polar bear, but for 'conservationists' and 'environmentalists' who also don't care about polar bears but have other, hidden agendas. Nothing could have been more unnecessary, because they are not close to being endangered. Global warming has made no difference in their habitat. Their ice is not melting, though this has been suggested by certain people people and groups. Because of the population growth in certain areas they have started roaming into areas where they haven't been seen before. They are not herding animals, and get together only to mate. They live alone in their own territory. For more information, see the link below.

Answer 3

The media is saying how global warming is the cost of some ice melting. When the ice melt its making it harder for the polar bears to hunting and its causing some to drown.

Answer 4

We've been told by the government and the media that the polar bear population is declining and they are dying because of ice melt and they can't find food, BUT in fact polar population is healthier than it has been in a long time, 4 were found dead but that was because of major storms. Check out http://www.iceagenow.com you'll find many TRUE facts there.

Answer 5

Al Gore mischaracterized a photo that makes it look like polar bears are stranded on shrinking ice floes. That's not a problem for polar bears, as they can swim/float just fine over long distances. Moreover, polar bears have faced uncertain circumstances on ice floes for at least 50 years, yet polar bear populations have grown, especially over the last 35 years (see links below).

Answer 6

global warming ain't killing polar bears its PETA that is killing them to make money

Answer 7

They get Bi-Polar disorder and start killing African Pygmies.