Climate Change Forces Polar Bears To Swim Farther For Food Due to Melting Ice Caps

A study found that polar bears showed an increased pattern of long-distance swimming due to climate changes in summer sea ice. Polar bears from the Beaufort Sea are swimming longer due to sea ice melting faster and moving farther from the shore.

Scientists from the University of Alberta and Environment and Climate Change Canada pushed for the study to understanding the swimming behavior of polar bears. Researchers have found that polar bears are forced to swim farther to look for food due to the melting ice caps. Published in the journal Ecography, the study was completed using satellite-linked telemetry-tracked populations of polar bears in the Hudson Bay and Beaufort Sea.

In 2012, the Arctic sea ice hit an all-time record low, according to Science Daily. Around 69 percent of adult female polar bears that were tracked swam more than 31 miles or 50 kilometers at lease once.

In a similar 2011 study on climate change collated by the U.S. Geological Survey, polar bears swam non-stop for as long as ten days to look for ice caps that have not melted. Out of the 50 female polar bears whose movements were recorded, one bear swam 420 miles non-stop in just ten days.

New studies have shown that swimming for long distances is energetically draining to polar bears, according to Nicholas Pilfold, lead author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at San Diego Zoo Global. Pilfold explains that if the sea ice continues to melt due to climate change, this may have serious implications for the groups of polar bears living near the Arctic Basin.

The frequency of swimming differed between polar bears depending on their age, body size, sex and geographic features of the region. Female polar bears with young cubs were found to swim less to avoid submerging their young cubs in cold waters due to climate change.

Although polar bears expending a huge amount of energy is no surprise, the study also revealed how much the extra exercise is affecting the bears. Researchers note that being forced to the water more often can damage their health.

The survival rates of polar bears could start to decline as less sea ice becomes available because of climate change. Fear over their survival has also classified polar bears as threatened species by the U.S. government, according to Daily Mail.