Extended Summer In Arctic Increases Polar Bear Extinction Risk

Illustration of polar bears on land. (Wikimedia Commons/iNaturalist/Nathan Earley)

JAKARTA - The latest research results reveal that the prolonged summer in Arctic (North Kutub) increases the risk of polar bear extinction higher than ever before.

Research published in the journal Nature Communications shows polar bears will not adapt if they spend more time on land, as they face greater risk of starvation.

Scientists observed 20 polar bears for three weeks during the summer in the Arctic, looking for ways they try to save energy. Despite resting, scavenging, and looking for alternative foods, all experience rapid weight loss.

They weighed the bear before and after the research period and found that the bears lost almost one kilogram of weight every day, reported by The National News on February 12.

As summers in the Arctic take longer due to climate change, some scientists think these animals can adapt to live on land for a long time, acting like relatives of their gripzzly bears.

Many male polar bears lie down to conserve energy, burning calories similar to when they hibernate. Other bears go for food, eat bird and petite carcasses, seaweed, berries and grass.

However, rest or adjusting diet will not allow polar bears to stay on the ground for a long period of time, the study said.

"Even the bear that is looking for food has lost weight at the same speed as the bear that is currently working on," said Charles Robbins, director of the Washington State University Bear Center and co-author of the study.

Polar bears do not adapt well to time spent on land

Polar bears spend most of their time in the ocean ice where they hunt marine dogs, catching a marine dog to eat every few days. On land, the food they find contains much lower calories, lacking the fat content needed to sustain the bear's life.

Scientists also found it difficult for bears to eat the carcass they took while swimming in the water.

"Terrestrial food does provide them some energy benefits, but in the end, bears have to spend more energy accessing these resources," said lead author Anthony Pagano, a wildlife biologist at the US Geological Survey Polar Bear Research Program.

As the iceless period deepens, research shows polar bears throughout the Arctic are at risk of starvation. And, the number of polar bears has decreased by about 30 percent since 1987.

"When polar bears are forced to land early, this cuts off periods where they usually get most of the energy they need to survive," explained Pagano.

"With the increasing use of land, it is estimated that we may see an increase in hunger, especially in adolescent and female bears that have children," he said.