Recent estimates suggest a 60 %
reduction of the polar bear population by the year 2050.
Not exact matches
Ms. Gormezano is not a fan
of the forecasting methods used by Dr. Amstrup to conclude that a two - thirds
reduction in
polar bears is possible midcentury if summer sea ice continues retreating.
On a related front, a new paper in the journal Nature Communications (available in full online) projects deep
reductions in litter size in the
polar bear population along the western shores
of Hudson Bay, should the open - water season continue to lengthen as foreseen under the warming influence
of accumulating greenhouse gases.
It is a very complex issue with no clear cut answers however as it is critical for
polar bears to have both ice and water any
reduction of sea ice is going to reduce the population over the next few decades.
The speed
of the warming climate and the resulting
reduction in sea ice means â $ œthe prognosis for
polar bears is uncertainâ $?
Abstract Increased land use by
polar bears (Ursus maritimus) due to climate - change - induced
reduction of their sea - ice habitat illustrates the impact
of climate change on species distributions and the difficulty
of conserving a large, highly specialized carnivore in the face
of this global threat.
That's at least according to a recent study that estimates that by 2075, habitat
reduction will have led to the utter elimination
of adequate raising grounds for
polar bear young, dooming the species.
The Arctic's top predator, the
polar bear, is affected both by the
reduction in sea ice and by reduced stocks
of its primary food, the ringed seal.
«To illustrate my point about values: assume the only effect
of AGW is the extinction
of polar bears, but GHG
reduction is still very costly.
Marine mammals living in the
polar regions rely on sea ice, and continuing
reductions in the amount
of ice will harm populations
of seals, walruses, and
polar bears.
Seals, which form an essential part
of the
polar bear diet, are also impacted by the
reduction in sea ice.
Reductions in winter sea - ice will affect the reproduction, growth and development
of fish, krill, and their predators, including seals and seal - dependent
polar bears (e.g., Barber and Iacozza, 2004; Box 4.3), leading to further changes in abundance and distribution
of marine species (Chapter 15, Section 15.4.3).