Polar bears and movement patterns

A small number of female polar bears (N = 5-10) are tagged with satellite telemetry collars every year. Their movement patterns provide information regarding habitat use, delineation of different sub-populations, and general activity patterns.

The movement patterns of two tagged bears can be followed at www.panda.org. Satellite tag data is very useful for studies related to possible impacts of climate change on polar bears. Bears can be followed to see if they reach the sea ice and hunt along the ice edge in summer, or alternatively if they remain on land during the summer months.

This sort of information will be used in the context of assessing adult female condition and cub survival for bears using the different summer habitats. Sea ice is the traditional summer habitat of polar bears, but this unique environment is thinning in the Arctic and the extent of the sea ice is also declining – creating concerns for the well-being of polar bears over the coming decades.

In a broader context the telemetry data will also be viewed in research projects that explore how environmental conditions might interact with health and levels of different pollutants. This NPI programme is financially assisted by Canon and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Prosjektleder: Dr. Jon Aars