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Researchers have revealed that the melting process of sea ice is influencing the population of polar bears.
STATES CHRONICLE – After conducting several studies, researchers have established that the number of polar bears could decrease by a third until the middle of this century. This assessment was published on December 7th and was bound to analyze what are the effects of the melting sea ice upon the animals leaving in the Arctic.
In the present, the total number of polar bears was estimated at 26,000. Unfortunately, scientists have predicted that there exists a 70% chance that the population of bears will eventually decline by 30% in the next 35 years. These results are outrageous. Climate change managed to destroy so many habitats, and we are watching as if we have our hands tied. If we do not work on reducing greenhouse gas effect, then we will watch every species on earth suffering one by one.
This terrible picture of hundreds of species being affected by global warming should determine us to take action. Several other studies have revealed the same results regarding the diminishing population of polar bears. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) responsible for tracking every endangered species on the Red List has argued that unfortunately, polar bears are currently facing a severe problem.
The IUCN has categorized Ursus maritimus as being on the verge of extinction. The most accurate study regarding this issue was recently published in the Biology Letters magazine of the Royal Society. The new research has gathered data from the last 35 years of satellite information analyzing the Arctic sea ice. The study has provided data about all 19 different polar bears groupings which are dispersed on all four ecological areas in the Arctic.
The study has underlined the fact that there exists an interdependent relation between the life of polar bears and the sea ice. This species is entirely depended on the massive chunks of ice floating on the frozen sea. These ice platforms help bears obtain their daily meals, hunting seals. If they try to catch their pray by only swimming around, seals will outrun them.
A team of scientists led by Eric Regehr of the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage, Alaska has designed three different scenarios regarding the population of polar bears. All these situations which were bound to predict a realistic future for these white predators brought only disappointing outcomes. Due to ice melting, the number of polar bears will continue to drop.
Image courtesy of: pixabay
