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In Search of Polar Bears in the Arctic Summer: Part II

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Polar bears spend their lives wandering the Arctic sea-ice that has no delineated borders. The beautiful lumbering beasts can 鈥20 to 50 miles a day and hundreds of miles in a year鈥攁cross countries and even continents in the frozen region circumventing the North Pole. They鈥檝e been tracked moving across the ice from Greenland to Canada and back, which is one reason scientists are unsure about their exact numbers. But most agree that the polar population is dwindling, and their future is threatened.

Over the course of two weeks, I watched more than a dozen different bears on their journeys as I made my way to the North Pole. A 鈥渉ome range鈥 for polar bears 鈥 who are largely solitary, except for the two years when a female breeds and raises cubs 鈥 can vary from 20,000 to 135,000 square miles, although there are few around the pole itself. Their coats are actually translucent, appearing white as a reflection of the sun. Under two coats of fur, their skin is black. Half of a polar bear鈥檚 life is in search for food, mainly seals, which are also in due to the warming climate that is reducing the Arctic habitat. These are some of my encounters with a species known as 鈥渟ea bears.鈥

Polar bears, Robin Wright
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Polar bears Robin Wright 6
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Polar bears, Robin

Polar Institute

Since its inception in 2017, the Polar Institute has become a premier forum for discussion and policy analysis of Arctic and Antarctic issues, and is known in Washington, DC and elsewhere as the Arctic Public Square. The Institute holistically studies the central policy issues facing these regions鈥攚ith an emphasis on Arctic governance, climate change, economic development, scientific research, security, and Indigenous communities鈥攁nd communicates trusted analysis to policymakers and other stakeholders.   Read more

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