Newly documented polar bear population lives in a surprising place

Southeast Greenland is home to a polar bear population that is isolated and genetically different.

Researchers that saw and monitored the bears found that they rely on the freshwater ice provided by the Greenland ice sheet to live despite having little access to sea ice, which is essential for polar bears.

The journal Science released a report on the bears on Thursday.

"We never expected to find a new subpopulation living there," said lead study author Kristin Laidre, a polar research scientist at the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory, in a statement. "We wanted to survey this region because we didn't know much about the polar bears in Southeast Greenland.

"Because of historical documents and Indigenous knowledge, we were aware that there were some bears in the region. We just were unaware of their uniqueness."

An icy requirement

The 19 populations of polar bears that are known to exist rely on sea ice to pursue their prey, such as ringed seals, and to sit near breathing holes so they may catch their prey. Seals' calories can help them conserve energy for months when food and sea ice are more difficult to come by.

The Arctic is warming more than twice as quickly as the rest of the earth due to global warming, which is causing sea ice to quickly melt and disappear. Polar bears must travel on land as the sea ice melts, which limits their access to food.

Polar bears in southeast Greenland, on the other hand, like to stay close to home, therefore they have developed special environmental adaptations. The Greenland ice sheet, mountains, open water, and swift coastal currents separate the polar bears, yet they have access to freshwater ice and some limited sea ice, which aids in their ability to capture seals.

Between February and late May, the bears may make advantage of the sea ice. They use the freshwater ice that separates from the ice sheet to hunt seals for the remainder of the year.

"Sea ice loss brought on by climate change poses a hazard to polar bears. We can learn a little bit about how the species could survive in the future from this new population "Added Laidre, an associate professor of aquatic and fisheries studies at the University of Washington.

But we must exercise caution when extending our results since most of the Arctic lacks the glacier ice necessary for Southeast Greenland bears to live.

In March 2015, two 1-year-old pups and an adult mother polar bear (left) stroll through a freshwater glacier coated in snow.

Similar habitats can be found along the coast of Greenland and the Norwegian island of Svalbard. "These types of glaciers do exist in other places in the Arctic, but the combination of the fjord shapes, the high production of glacier ice, and the very big reservoir of ice that is available from the Greenland Ice Sheet is what currently provides a steady supply of gla"

In a way, Laidre added, "these bears offer a window into how the bears of Greenland could fare under future climatic scenarios." Southeast Greenland's current sea ice conditions are similar to what is anticipated for Northeast Greenland by the end of the century.

aerial analysis

The new study uses seven years of fresh data from the southeast coast of Greenland and thirty years of historical data from the country's east coast. The latter is a remote area with challenging terrain, including rocky mountains, deep snow, and changeable weather.

In eastern Greenland, the study team spent two years consulting with polar bear subsistence hunters who shoot for food rather than for fun. The hunters were allowed to provide samples for genetic investigation and share their knowledge.

The researchers, who were collaborating with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources in Nuuk, Greenland, were able to observe and follow the bears using helicopters as they flew over sea ice, and they believe that there are a small number of bears that live in the isolated area—around a thousand. This is comparable to other tiny polar bear populations.

Female polar bears in southeast Greenland are smaller than those in other parts of the world. Less cubs are born to the smaller bears, which may be related to the fact that they are traveling the nearby fjords and mountains in search of partners. However, the researchers won't be certain until they obtain additional information from long-term bear surveillance.

The bears either traverse the ice in their own fjords or scale mountains to reach other fjords nearby. The majority of the 27 bears followed during the research mistakenly sailed south for an average distance of around 120 miles (190 kilometers), becoming entangled on tiny ice floes that got caught in the powerful East Greenland coastline current.

Once they had a chance, the bears simply leapt off the ice and made their way back to the fjord where they normally reside. Fjords are long, narrow, deep sea inlets situated between tall cliffs that were formed by glaciers.

Even though the ice sheet is undergoing fast changes, this region of Greenland has the capacity to generate glacial ice indefinitely, with a shoreline that may resemble the present.

However, the scientists issue a warning that this habitat might not be adequate for other polar bears that are suffering as a result of the climate catastrophe.

Yes, our findings are encouraging if you care about protecting the species; in my opinion, they demonstrate how certain polar bear populations may survive in the face of climate change, according to Laidre.

"However, I don't think the polar bear population will be very large in the environment of glaciers. Simply said, there isn't enough of it. Under climate change, we continue to anticipate significant polar bear population losses throughout the Arctic."

Future uncertainty

The scientists think that for several hundred years, the polar bears of southeast Greenland have developed alone. According to the study's authors, the first known mention of bears in this area dates to the 1300s, and the first documented account of the creatures in the area's fjords originates from the 1830s.

Polar bear populations are yet unclear. More monitoring might indicate what the future holds for this unusual community, according to Laidre, even if researchers don't know if the number is steady, growing, or declining.

The researchers suggest that the southeastern Greenland polar bears should be deemed the species' 20th subpopulation since the polar bears are genetically unique due to their isolation.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which aids in managing protected species, is ultimately responsible for making that decision. The government of Greenland will also decide on any bear protection measures.

When the sea ice is present in April 2015, it may be observed being used by three adult polar bears.

In light of climate change, Laidre stated, "preserving the genetic variety of polar bears is vital moving ahead." The management and protection of these bears will benefit from their official recognition as a distinct population.

Sea ice extent in the Arctic is also decreasing, which will significantly lower future survival rates for the majority of polar bear populations.

The most crucial factor affecting the future of polar bears, according to Laidre, is climate change.