More Polar Bears Going Hungry What Can We Do? »
Posted By Newperson 5 months, 4 weeks ago in Science & Technology
Warmer temperatures and earlier melting of sea ice are causing polar bears to go hungry. The number of undernourished bears has tripled in a 20-year period.
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a sow polar bear resting...
This undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows a sow polar bear resting with her cubs on the pack ice in the Beaufort Sea in northern Alaska. Warmer temperatures and earlier melting of sea ice are causing polar bears to go hungry. The number of undernourished bears has tripled in a 20-year period.
(Steve Amstrup/U.S. Fish and Wild Life Service/AP Photo)
More PhotosSeth Cherry of the University of Alberta, Canada, and colleagues monitored the health of polar bears in the ice-covered Beaufort Sea region of the Arctic during April and May in 1985, 1986, 2005 and 2006.
They immobilised the bears using tranquilliser darts and measured the ratio of urea to creatinine in their blood. A low ratio means that nitrogenous waste material is being recycled within the body and indicates the animal is fasting - a state which usually only occurs temporarily in males during the spring breeding season.
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Newperson
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BronxBomber5 months, 4 weeks ago
When polar bears are in serious trouble, then we're in serious trouble 'cause we'll be right on top of the food chain!
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capecoralM5 months, 4 weeks ago
I hate to rain on you little global warming parade but there is one small problem with this article. Sea ice is at the same level today as it was 29 years ago when record keeping using satellite data collection began.
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Current Overview of conditions according to the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center:
Average Arctic sea ice extent for the month of November was 10.63 million square kilometers (4.10 million square miles). Oh no! Could this be true? 4.1 MILLION SQUARE MILES. That surely is not enough for the polar bears! it is a mere 4.1 MILLION SQUARE MILES.
January 1, 2009
Science
Sea Ice Ends Year at Same Level as 1979
The data is being reported by the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center, and is derived from satellite observations of the Northern and Southern hemisphere polar regions.
Each year, millions of square kilometers of sea ice melt and refreeze. However, the mean ice anomaly -- defined as the seasonally-adjusted difference between the current value and the average from 1979-2000, varies much more slowly. That anomaly now stands at just under zero, a value identical to one recorded at the end of 1979, the year satellite record-keeping began.
http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=13834
Oh No! This headline can't be to good for the True believers of the COGW.
Polar Bear Population at All-Time High May 2008
The world polar-bear population is at a modern high - and growing. Mitch Taylor, a polar-bear biologist with Canada's Federal Provincial Polar Bear Technical Committee, notes that the bears now number about 24,000 - up about 40 percent from 1974, when fears arose about the bear's ability to survive overhunting by Canadian Eskimos and aboriginals.
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Will13135 months, 4 weeks ago
The Sarah Palin way would simply be to HUNT more of them.. better to shoot them them let them starve..
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rightfromwrong5 months, 4 weeks ago
I am not an expert but one of the problems is that with diminishing ice to hunt and fish the females are starving and they have to swim too far to other ice....many just drown and
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those that do don't have the body fat to breed properly.
Another 10years and the only ones that will be around with be in a zoo....sadly man doesn't seem concerned enough to demand action and people like Bush and his crew are criminals in more ways that just killing their soldiers for greed and civilians-
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Newperson5 months, 4 weeks ago
You don't have to be a expert. This is not about rep. or dem right left it's about right from wrong. It is not just about bears it's about our kids kids future.
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capecoralM5 months, 4 weeks ago
You are so correct. The detrimental actions being taken by the extremist Global Warming groups and individuals who have perpetrated this scam to Monetize carbon and are forcing it down the throats of the global community will as we see today have a grave effect on the prosperity of our kids kids.
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MajJohn5 months, 4 weeks ago
Yep, save the bears, but also save the moose and the seals and the whales and humans?? Naw, don't want to save them. Why this is an animal planet.
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FredSmilek5 months, 3 weeks ago
I completely agree.
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Fred Smilek
Email- Fred_Smilek@yahoo.com
Webpage- http://sites.google.com/site/fredjsmilek/
Fred Smilek is the acting president of the Society to Save Endangered Species. It was founded in 2006 by Fred Smilek along with his two best friends Charles and Jonathan. -
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FredSmilek5 months, 3 weeks ago
I agree. More people should get involved.
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Fred Smilek
Email- Fred_Smilek@yahoo.com
Webpage- http://sites.google.com/site/fredjsmilek/
Fred Smilek is the acting president of the Society to Save Endangered Species. It was founded in 2006 by Fred Smilek along with his two best friends Charles and Jonathan.
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greenmac5 months, 4 weeks ago
HOW to feed the bears is the problem. Dependency on man providing the food results on the bear becoming dependent on man. The bears will lose there want to forage. This can be seen in several species of bears just not Polar. Where I live we have "dump" bears that feed off what man throws out.... not a good scenario. The loss of sea ice drives the bear inland and towards human contact. This becomes a problem and actions have to take place...relocation is the first step...repetitive returns usually end up with the bear being destroyed (in some locations) Not all the polar bear colonies are starving..but some are.
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sarahturner5 months, 4 weeks ago
Interesting article but I don't have any answers to the problem Newperson. I don't know if anyone really does.
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rightfromwrong5 months, 4 weeks ago
I think we can all lessen our carbon footprint, coal has to go, eat less meat, more windmills, more self sustaining buildings and definitely less warfare
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Newperson5 months, 4 weeks ago
I dont think we can go as far to reverse the damage but if we recongize that there is a problem maby we can all do a small part in preservation of our planet
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capecoralM5 months, 4 weeks ago
The world polar-bear population is at a modern high - and growing. Mitch Taylor, a polar-bear biologist with Canada's Federal Provincial Polar Bear Technical Committee, notes that the bears now number about 24,000 - up about 40 percent from 1974
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What damage are you talking about?
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gwhiddon5 months, 4 weeks ago
Has anyone noticed that it's one of the coldest Decembers in years in Fairbanks, Ak. It's 48 below at this time, been around that for a couple weeks, and won't be warmer for most of this week.
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Looks global warming took a vacation.-
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SandmonsterComment removed: User banned.2 Replies
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SenorCoconut5 months, 4 weeks ago
Global warming effects include increases in the intensity of extreme weather events such as the sub zero temperatures that we are now experiencing.
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Great post NP. -
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Tangent0015 months, 4 weeks ago
Climatologists have long predicted global warming will mean longer, hotter summers and shorter, more intense winters.
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Klarissa5 months, 4 weeks ago
So who is looking for money to save the bears?
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It must include grants to count the bears, grants to take blood samples to see if they are healthy, grants to determine if they can forage off of the land instead of the sea, grants to determine if the bears can have babies in caves instead of on ice, grants to build huts to observe the bears for two years.
$$$$$$$$$
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Republicrat1844Comment removed: User banned.3 Replies
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Tangent0015 months, 4 weeks ago
Um, actually they will likely rise, since they are being forced into land area with higher human populations.
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Tangent0015 months, 4 weeks ago
I hope your attitude is so cavalier when it is the human species the Earth shakes off like a bad case of fleas.
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Some people see species extinction as the canary in the coal mine, particularly at modern rates.
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FrauBlucherComment removed: User banned.7 Replies
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Tangent0015 months, 4 weeks ago
Perhaps they will 'adapt' the way Colorado black bears have 'adapted' to shrinking habitat: by rummaging through trash.
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Polar bars are ill suited for chasing down caribou...
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Spadecaller5 months, 4 weeks ago
It's amazing. Humans comes in and upset the natural cycle by destroying the rain forests, and then lovemorgul assures us that the species that we are destroying do not need our protection. LOL!
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Newperson5 months, 4 weeks ago
I dont know if there is hope for this planet I would like to think there is. We see change every year. I think alot of folks say it's not my problem. You are right it's the future generations that will sufer. So what if our great grandchildren kids never see Polar Bears and alot of other things from our time it will be history. They can live on houseboats and talk about the good old days.
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lvrofwolves5 months, 4 weeks ago
If it happens because of natural order, that would be one thing, if it happens because of human beings, that would be a shame.
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for you religious folks, God gave us dominion over the animals, I don't think that means to help destroy Gods creations.
If the polar bear goes, with it will go other things eventually, they are a link in the chain. We should care about every link, and even more so if we can prevent loss, or if we are the cause.-
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lvrofwolves5 months, 4 weeks ago
Dominion doesn't mean destroy it, to use, not use all up, and who said anything about not cutting anything down? , not killing for food???there is using and there is abusing. You don't think human beings have any self control? Well obviously many don't, but we can work on that, and the ones who don't want to take any responsibility for anything, probably won't work on it.
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mrreality5 months, 4 weeks ago
funny how man thinks he can control everything, or can be responsible for everything,,,god gave us dominion over the all living creatures to use. nature has a funny way of proving its bigger than man,,,can you say aids,,or ebola, avian flu, man is not the do all end all for the earth,,,time and natural selection are,,,you want to see life end,, dont cut anything down,,down kill any animals for food,,,dont do anything and watch what happens,,
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mrreality5 months, 4 weeks ago
and your point is,,,,to babble aimlessly on,,to only at the end realize that people make choices,,,,whew,,,im glad you got that off your chest
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Tangent0015 months, 4 weeks ago
"...god gave us dominion over the all living creatures..."
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Depends on the religious tradition. When I was growing up, it was 'stewardship' not 'dominion'. That's quite a distinction. But even 'dominion' doesn't imply exploitation. A king has dominion over his people, but whether or not that king is a good king depends on the how well he treats his subjects.
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normallysilent5 months, 4 weeks ago
Whats wrong?
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I thought you all loved inconvenient truths -
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Georgia505 months, 4 weeks ago
The study says a higher percentage of polar bear are in "fasting" mode when they would otherwise be in feasting mode.
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Those who perform the study believe this has or will result in fewer polar bears. No census of polar bears has been or is apparently planned to "bear" this out. Hmmm...actually counting the bears...seems kinda basic, but oh well...
They further believe, but provide no evidence, that the increase in bears fasting is the result reduced ice mass.
They further believe, but provide no evidence, that the reduced ice mass is the result of global warming.
They further believe, but provide no evidence, that the global warming is the result of human activity.
Conclusion by global warming alarmists: "See...we toldja. Now we have to tax you so that polar bears will survive." -
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THOMNH625 months, 4 weeks ago
here is a good read on the population of polar bears. This is not an endangered specie. With estimates of 25000 bears the numbers are growing not declining. Also during the last climate change they managed just fine.
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http://american.com/archive/2008/may-05-08/are-pol... -
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Eagle_Eye5 months, 4 weeks ago
This is not a natural cycle, but one "influenced" by humans actions with the environment.
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What will happen is the Polar Bears instinct to survive will wander further east/south intruding on Black Bear, Kodiak and Grisly territory in order to survive. They will also wander into human developed areas but with a lot of Northern Canada being unpopulated with humans they may find themselves a new home in the melting North Pole. There is a lot of "virgin" land being defrosted up there so if nature takes over they will find a new home in the new frontier.
But for the ones living nearest the sea, they will die of starvation. I am still amazed how "ignorant and arrogant" some posters are to consider this a "natural" occurrence. Those that do show their stupidity and are the dumbest humans on the face of the earth and on this site.-
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Spadecaller5 months, 4 weeks ago
Eagle_Eye
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It is astounding; isn't it? The flat-earthers are too arrogant to consider the possibility that change is necessary for adaptation; that human beings are sentient creatures who have learned to alter the course of nature, have learned to destroy life by splitting the atom, and have been failing to respect the life giving resources on this earth.
Introducing synthetic chemical compounds into the atmosphere, the oceans, and our drinking water has changed the course of nature and the natural process of evolution and has left many species without the time necessary to adapt. The results are conclusive; human beings are responsible for killing off many species and for polluting the planet. From the honey bee to the polar bear, life as we once knew it is rapidly disappearing.
When I drive down the street and watch people toss out their filter cigarettes butts and their Jack in the Box wrappers from their moving cars, I can only conclude one thing: these are ignorant ill-mannered people lacking the respect for the sacred earth that we all share. -
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BB645 months, 4 weeks ago
Defrosted? Have you been to the arctic? There isn't a warming at all. I supply mining groups and have been up there. There is no warming. What you guys get fixated on are weather cycles. You will have seasons warmer and cooler. Chicken little the sky is not falling.
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As to bears, there is an over population. The surveys conducted in the 60's claimed to have around 5000 bears. Today there are over 20,000. That's a species that is in danger of over population. That would explain why Canada and Russia hunt Polar Bears. Of course in the USA we couldn't do that because of our environmental nuts. You will find some reason to tax us and "solve" the problem.
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antibrainwasher5 months, 4 weeks ago
The earth is not warming, its colder, I checked the thermometer today.
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The earth is not round, I can see it is flat, and I don't need a bunch of ungodly statistical analysis over decades to prove otherwise.
Let us pray.....baby jew jesus, help me deny the careful statistical analysis over decades by ungodly professionals who devote their ungodly life to ungodly science and ungodly mathmatical computer modeling, baby god/human hybrid, come down from the invisible walmart in the sky and gather me, the faithful, in the end times rapture, so that the ungodly will suffer and die, so that I might have the sunday tee times in the baby jew jesus golf and country club in the sky.
Invisible Charleton Heston penis/head in the sky, we ask this in the name of your only human/god hybrid jew son, the baby jew jesus. -
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