Arctic Scientists Flee Polar Bear Trapped on Land

Polar bears would normally be out on sea ice this time of year, the WCS says, but with recent warming the ice is miles from shore and bears are becoming increasingly trapped on land well away from their prey of seals.

"It is ironic that our efforts to understand how climate change is affecting wildlife were disrupted by the top Arctic predator displaced by climate," said Dr. Steve Zack of the Wildlife Conservation Society, who had to evacuate the camp.

Polar bears have been trapped on land in Arctic Alaska all spring and summer unable to swim out to sea ice and pursue seals, the scientists said. The bears' condition and how dangerous they might be is unknown.

Polar bear in Arctic Alaska (Photo courtesy USFWS)

"We saw the polar bear on our first clear day after several days of poor weather," said conservation scientist Joe Liebezeit. "The bear didn't come near us, but the prospect of maintaining a round-the-clock vigil while trying to do our surveys had us concerned."

Earlier this year, the federal government listed the polar bear as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act due to climate change.

The WCS crew was surveying wildlife on the shorelines north of Teshekpuk Lake that are eroding due to climate change.

The crew was conducting surveys of shorebirds feeding on the shorelines prior to their southward migrations.

Every summer the area around Teshekpuk Lake, located about 175 miles west of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, draws hundreds of thousands of migratory birds of dozens of species.

The study is an attempt to understand how erosion is affecting the ability of shorebirds trying to eat enough to fuel their southward migrations to Asia and South America.

The Teshekpuk region was recently granted some protection from expanding oil development by the Department of Interior because of its importance to wildlife. This protection was advocated by WCS and other conservation groups. WCS has been studying Arctic wildlife in Alaska since 2001.

Zack and Liebezeit, who lead the Arctic studies team for WCS, and the other scientists will continue their work on post-breeding shorebirds in the Prudhoe Bay region this season.

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