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Polar bears unlikely to adapt to longer summers | WSU Insider | Washington State University
- 🐻 Polar bears, when stranded on land during longer ice-free seasons, face significant risk of starvation.
- 📹 Researchers used video/GPS collars to track 20 polar bears during ice-less summer weeks.
- 🍴 Polar bears attempted various strategies to maintain energy reserves, including resting, scavenging, and foraging.
- ❌ Despite efforts, almost all polar bears observed lost weight rapidly, indicating challenges in adapting to longer summers.
- 🌊 Some bears resorted to long swims, up to 175 kilometers, but couldn't feed on carcasses found in water.
- 📉 The study highlights a decline in polar bear population, particularly in regions experiencing faster climate warming.
- 🏞️ Increased land use due to longer ice-free periods is expected to lead to heightened starvation risk for polar bears.
- 💰 The research received support from various organizations including the National Science Foundation and U.S. Geological Survey.
February 13, 2024 at 11:21:57 AM PST
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https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2024/02/13/polar-bears-unlikely-to-adapt-to-longer-summers/