1. Location
The extinction of Polar bears is a global issue impacting ecosystems in every area where Polar bears are present. Polar bears, who live north of the Arctic circle, some places in Canada, Russia and Greenland and various other areas that make up the Arctic or Alpine Tundra biome, are being threatened all across the globe. In each area all across the world that Polar bears call home, they are being threatened and their habitats are being destroyed every single day. The main component of the Polar bear’s habitat that is being threatened is the sea ice. The sea ice is an important aspect to the environment because the Polar bears are only capable of surviving in places where the ocean is frozen because of their hunting habits¹. This is because Polar bears have become more adapted to living on the sea than on land, and would rather be on the ice or in the water than on the land. Global warming is what is causing the extinction of Polar bears. The rise in temperatures is causing the sea ice to melt. With less and less sea ice it is becoming increasingly difficult for the polar bears to hunt. The sea ice is also home to seals, the Polar bear’s main food source². The polar bears wait on the ice for the seals to come to the surface and then prey on them. With less and less ice, the opportunity to hunt seals is rapidly declining because they are no longer swimming under the ice giving the Polar bears good access to hunt them. The melting of ice is also causing the large areas of ice to be spread wider and wider apart in the ocean. This causes the Polar bears to have to swim farther each day in order to search for food. Some days the Polar bears are having to swim so far that the they are unable to make it to their next platform of sea ice and die in the water as a result of drowning because the trip was too far. Global warming is melting the main components of the areas that Polar bears call home causing a rapid decline in the Polar bear population every day.
Below is a map that shows polar bear populations in the arctic. It shows their location, size, and whether the population size is stable, increasing, or decreasing.
Image source: http://discoveringthearctic.org/4_fine_balance.html
2. Specifics of the Problem
Polar bears are very adapted to their specific environment. They live in arctic regions and have special adaptations that make this the perfect environment for them. For example, their thick coat keeps them warm and their extra large paws for a kind of snow shoe for the bear. Recent climate change has threatened the environment that polar bears are so well adapted to, and polar bears aren’t able to live in other environments because they require an arctic climate.³ This climate change has been sped up by human use of fossil fuels, which create greenhouse gases like CO2 which trap heat in the atmosphere, and polar bears have not been able to keep up with the changing environment and their numbers have been dropping. The climate in the arctic region is rising quicker than the climate in other areas of the world. Many ice caps and areas of white snow have already melted, which exposes the ocean water that surrounds polar bear habitats to direct sunlight, making ocean temperatures warmer, which the polar bears are not used to. When these sea ice areas melt, polar bears also have a hard time to hunt for their food because they rely on the ice to find their prey. Polar bears officially became an endangered species in May of 2008.⁴ Since then it has become clear that the extinction of polar bears is a real possibility, and because climates have continued to rise the problem has only worsened since then. The foods that polar bears eat have also been affected. Polar bears primarily eat seals, and with less and less sea ice, seals are much more difficult for polar bears to hunt. This has led to polar bear cubs not reaching the weights that cubs have in the past. Polar bears are at the top of their food chain, and if they disappear it will create a trophic cascade. That will lead to an overpopulation in other marine animals, namely the seal. If the seal is overpopulated, there will be a depletion in the food that they eat, fish. Other species depend on fish for survival and these animals would then be in danger, as the whole ecosystem would be thrown off balance. Humans would also have to compete with the seals for fish, which is a very important part of our economy, and would greatly impact the fishing industry and our supply of fish as food.
Below is an example photo of a polar bear surrounded by the melting sea ice that threatens its lifestyle.
Below is a graph that shows the decrease of sea ice.
3. Larger consequences of the Problem
The extinction of Polar bears is a worldwide issue. In any place where Polar bears live, they are endangered and at increased risk each day. The decrease in the Polar bear population all across the globe is causing great problems for not only the environments that they reside in, but the human population as well. With a decrease in the Polar bear population, the seal population will increase because less Polar bears will be preying on the seals each day. These seals prey on fish, and arctic foxes. If no seals are being killed by polar bears, the Arctic fox population will rapidly decline along with the extinction of Polar bears.⁵ The Arctic fox will become endangered and eventually become extinct if there are no Polar bears living in their ecosystem anymore. The extinction of Polar bears will have a drastic and negative effect on the food chain in which they participate. The main issue with the increase of the seal population for the human population is that seals also prey on fish that humans eat. With more seals, fishermen are beginning to catch less and less fish every day. The extinction of the polar bears is not only affecting the environment that they live in, but it is having an affect on human life all across the globe. One change in the food chain in one ecosystem has a drastic effect on the lives of people all across the world.
Below is an illustration of the arctic food chain and the species that will be affected if polar bears disappear.
4. Solutions
The number one solution to the polar bear problem is to recognize and address climate change. Though we may never be able to stop it from happening, we can take action to slow climate change and give polar bears more time to adapt to new environments. The first step is to get governments to recognize the threat and to act on it. If we are to work on this problem it needs to be a global effort as this cannot be halted by one government or organization alone - it is all of our actions that in turn affect the polar bears. Individuals can also make efforts to live more sustainable lifestyles to help reduce the effects of climate change. Examples of how to do this would be riding bikes or walking or taking public transportation more as opposed to driving or driving fuel-efficient vehicles, using less water, and recycling. Reduced use of fossil fuels can reduce levels of greenhouse gases, like CO2, which trap heat in our atmosphere and raise the overall climate. These solutions are all very plausible and things that we can work on, but they will not solve the problem completely. Other ways we can try to help solve the polar bear problem is to start monitoring their populations.⁶ The World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) has already been doing this for several years, and it helps scientists to determine how polar bears may react to further habitat changes. WWF has been the organization that has raised the most money for research that could help save the polar bears. They also work closely with scientists to study the bears and learn more about how they interact with their habitat. Coca-Cola also raises money for polar bears and donates to WWF, last year raising of $2 million. The organization Polar Bears International has also started a campaign called SOS or Save our Sea Ice, which raises money to draw more attention to the importance of climate change to the polar bears. These organizations have been successful in raising attention about polar bears, and tracking the bears has given us more information about what needs to be done, but now that we know more about potential solutions, the next step is to actually apply them. There has not yet been a significant rise to polar bear populations and they have continued to fall. With these efforts, hopefully that can begin to change.
5. Conclusion
Sources
1. "Climate Change." Climate Change. N.p., n.d. Web. Winter 2015. <http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/climate-change#Affect>.
2. "What Does a Polar Bear Eat?" WWF. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/diet/>.
3. The Polar Bear Ursus Maritimus. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2006. Polarbearsinternational.org. Web.
4. Ramanathan, V., and Y. Feng. "Air Pollution, Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change: Global and Regional Perspectives." N.p., n.d. Web. Winter 2015.
5. "Species Profile for Polar Bear (Ursus Maritimus)." Species Profile for Polar Bear (Ursus Maritimus). N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. <http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A0IJ>.
6. "S.O.S." Audubon Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. <http://archive.audubonmagazine.org/features0711/globalWarming.html>.
