Polar Bears

Laidre and her colleagues analyzed genetic samples [blank] polar bears that they tracked from 2015 to 2019, which they combined with data from previous studies. In their first discovery, they found a few hundred polar bears in south-east Greenland are the [blank] genetically isolated of their species. While tracking these animals, the team further discovered this genetically-isolated group hunt via floating blocks of freshwater ice, broken off from glaciers, for about 250 days of the year, [blank] sea ice has melted. This probably enables the bears to live in the area, which has no sea ice for considerably longer than other polar bear habitats. While this suggests all polar bears are more resilient [blank] we previously thought, glacial ice is largely limited to the animals around Greenland and Svalbard. "Glacier ice may help small numbers of polar bears survive for longer periods under climate warming, and may be important to prevent extinction, but it is not available for the vast majority [blank] polar bears," says Laidre. "Climate action is the single most important thing for the future of polar bears. Most polar bears in the Arctic depend on sea ice."