Newly documented population of polar bears in Southeast Greenland sheds light on the species future in a warming Arctic washington.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washington.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
"With the polar bear species in a fight for survival because of disappearing Arctic sea ice, a new distinct group of Greenland bears seem to have stumbled on an icy oasis that might allow a small remote population to “hang on.”
Few animals represent the face of the Arctic like polar bears. The largest bears in the world, polar bears are excellent swimmers who spend more time in the sea than they do on land. Sea ice is the platform from which they hunt the seals needed to obtain the necessary calories to survive.
In a new study, scientists have identified an isolated subpopulation of polar bears in Southeast Greenland that make use of freshwater ice pouring into the ocean from the region's glaciers, suggesting this particular habitat is less susceptible than others to climate change. Their findings, described in the journal Science on Thursday, open up the tantalizing possibility that at least some pockets of the species might be able to survive further into this century when Arctic sea ice is expected to disappear completely during the summer months.