Delay In Hudson Bay Sea Ice Formation Putting 100s Of Polar Bears At Starvation Risk - AFP

[hatrack]

Delayed ice formation along the west coast of Canada's Hudson Bay has put hundreds of polar bears at risk of starvation, wildlife experts say.

The Canadian Ice service, a division of Environment Canada, says warmer-than-usual temperatures have put ice formation four weeks behind schedule, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News reported Thursday. Sea ice is critical for polar bears, which use it as a platform from which to catch seals and other marine mammals.

While some 300 bears in the area appeared to be in good condition in a recent aerial survey, conservationists worry the animals' good health could deteriorate quickly if sea ice does not begin to form in the next few weeks.

"The longer that ice is in forming, the longer the polar bears have to survive on the fat reserves they put down in the spring and conserved right through the summer," Peter Ewin, an Arctic specialist for the World Wildlife Fund, says. "The later it gets, the more weak bears there are who probably aren't going to make it through," he said.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Delayed_ice_threatening_Canada_polar_bears_999.html

[joeybee12]

1. I'm reccing this, even though it makes me sick to my stomach...

video of some of the bears up there is horrific...pretty much starving.

[GliderGuider]

2. I was at a presentation on Arctic ice conditions this morning

I saw a graph from Canadian Ice Services and the Canadian Coast Guard showing the average extent of Arctic ice going back 30 years. The graph had a "mean extent" line on it, and the extent hasn't risen to the mean in 6 or 7 years. The recent drop-off followed a beautiful/terrifying accelerating downward curve.

The number of cruise ships going up there is going up by 50% a year - the Canadian Coast Guard had to help pull one off a shoal when it ran aground this summer. The Arctic we knew is already gone.