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Wildlife

Loss Of Sea Ice- Threat To Polar Bears

    • IANS
    • Publish Date: Sep 16 2016 12:20PM
      • |
    • Updated Date: Sep 16 2016 12:20PM
Loss Of Sea Ice- Threat To Polar Bears
(Credit: AFP)

The Life Sustaining Sea Ice Is Crucial For Their Hunting, Resting As Well As Breeding In The Arctic Region

A study has found that polar bears are increasingly losing life-sustaining sea ice that is crucial for their hunting, resting as well as breeding in the Arctic region. The global population of polar bears is estimated to be at nearly 25,000. 


What The Scientists Say

The Arctic is warming at nearly double the global rate as a result of climate change fuelled by burning of fossil fuels, a process that emits heat-trapping greenhouse gases. As a result, rising temperatures have caused melting of ice earlier in spring and re-freezing later in the autumn. 

Satellite data has revealed that the total number of ice-covered days across the 19 regions declined at a rate of seven to 19-days per decade from 1979 to 2014.

How Does It Affect The Polar Bears
 

Polar bears spend most of their time on sheets of frozen ocean water, which melt and recede in warmer months, and then reform in the winter. When the ice melts, the animals come ashore and survive on stored fat until it refreezes -- a period that for some has become longer and longer.
 
With longer iceless periods, polar bears have to swim further to find solid ground. The bears need sea ice for hunting as they cannot outswim seals, their preferred prey. They get around these by waiting near holes in the ice and ambushing the seals as they come up for air. Further, the loss of ice may also affect their breeding, as male and female bears meet on ice sheets to mate. 

Further the retreating sea ice is more frequently bringing polar bears into confrontation with humans who live on land, according to World Wildlife Fund -- a Switzerland-based organisation for wildlife conservation and endangered species. With more water to navigate, Arctic shipping activities have increased, as well as opportunities for oil and gas development, further threatening the animals' habitat.

Arctic sea ice melt will in turn also contribute to the sea level rise, and feed back into global warming -- ice reflects warming sunlight away, while water absorbs the heat.


According to a report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2015, the polar bears' numbers may dwindle by nearly a third by the mid-century. The status of these animals have been currently listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN's Red List of endangered species. 

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Comments

Harini.V Bethel Mat Hr Sec School

So sad to know that the polar bears are endangered. Only if global warming is reduced, they can be saved. UN should take some steps to reduce the pollution. Not only polar bears, but many other flora and fauna are also affected due to the global warming. Its our duty to save them.

Sarath Kumar RM Bethel Mat Hr Sec School

Melting of ice caps is harmful not only for human beings but also for the polar bears. These bears spend most of their time in ice caps to keep their body cool and also help them to move from one place to another. There is a rapid increase in the level of the seawater. If this situation continues there will be extinction of polar bears. So we people must adapt various sources that reduces pollution and global warming.

Sarath Kumar RM Bethel Mat Hr Sec School

Polar bears are in the threat of extinction due to melting of ice caps and increase in sea level .They are very much affected in movement and survival. The only way to prevent this is to reduce pollution.

Dhruv Badaya Delhi Public School Jaipur

I don''t know why humans are becoming blind in use of technology . I wish that a strong law is made, so as to reduce Global Warming. We should also think about other creatures on earth.

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