Polar Bear Headed For Extinction
by Kate Melville
by Kate Melville
READ IT AT http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20030008220241data_trunc_sys.shtml
Unless the pace of global warming slows or stops, polar bears could disappear in fifty years, says a University of Alberta expert in Arctic ecosystems. While it has been known for some time that the polar bear is in trouble, new research shows that Arctic ice - the polar bear's primary habitat - is melting much faster than scientists had believed, says U of A biologist Dr. Andrew Derocher.
"The climate predictions coming out are showing massive changes in sea-ice distribution," said Derocher, who follows polar bears to see how they adapt to changing conditions. If the predictions are correct, he says, "we'll certainly lose polar bears in a lot of areas where we currently have them." Ice conditions in the Beaufort Sea, for example, are already changing dramatically.
The world's largest terrestrial carnivores, polar bears rely on sea ice to survive, using it to pass between forest dens and hunting grounds where they prey on seals. There are about 15,000 polar bears in northern Canada, accounting for about two-thirds of the world's total population.
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http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20030008220241data_trunc_sys.shtml
Unless the pace of global warming slows or stops, polar bears could disappear in fifty years, says a University of Alberta expert in Arctic ecosystems. While it has been known for some time that the polar bear is in trouble, new research shows that Arctic ice - the polar bear's primary habitat - is melting much faster than scientists had believed, says U of A biologist Dr. Andrew Derocher.
"The climate predictions coming out are showing massive changes in sea-ice distribution," said Derocher, who follows polar bears to see how they adapt to changing conditions. If the predictions are correct, he says, "we'll certainly lose polar bears in a lot of areas where we currently have them." Ice conditions in the Beaufort Sea, for example, are already changing dramatically.
The world's largest terrestrial carnivores, polar bears rely on sea ice to survive, using it to pass between forest dens and hunting grounds where they prey on seals. There are about 15,000 polar bears in northern Canada, accounting for about two-thirds of the world's total population.
THERE IS MORE TO THIS. CLICK LINK
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20030008220241data_trunc_sys.shtml
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