Polar+Bears+-+JMH



 Because of global warming, the population of polar bears are dramatically decreasing.

Evidence of global warming effecting polar bears
In Seattle last month, 40 polar bear specialists members of World Conservation Union claimed polar bears to be considered as a **vulnerable species**. Although polar bears has been classified as endangered animals for quite a while now, the situation is only worsening. Scientists predict that polar bears will be extinct if there isn't going to be any action taken to stop it. Scientist say the ice in the arctic are **melting 3 weeks faster** than it did 35 years ago. For the polar bears, this is crucial because it means they almost have a month less of good hunting season. Now, there is **only 25,000** polar bears left in the whole arctic when before, polar bears were just abundant. Scientists say17% of polar bears decreased in the last 10 years in the west coast of Hudson Bay in Manitoba province. **1200 died** when 1000 was estimated to die. This means **200 more** polar bears died than the original estimation. Polar bears are dying faster than we expected! If in **17% has declined** in 10 years, if you 17% X 5 = 85% and if you 17% X 6 = 102% Does this mean in 50 years, 85% of the whole polar population will be gone? Is this telling us that in 60 years, polar bears will be extinct? OMG! Do that math people. If you have the brain!! This got to stop! //(Global warming threatens polar bears - World - theage.com.au)//



 GLOBAL WARMING IS KILLING THEM!  The heat suffocates them, the melted ice drowns them the storms swallow them.

The heat suffocates the polar bears


The rise in temperature **due to global warming** is a major issue for these guys. The picture above shows us clearly how the bear is in **pain**. Its eyes are opened but it doesn't even have the strength to attack or run away from the man. An action that any normal, healthy polar bears would have made. The Alaskans report that they've seen many polar bears dying from **heat exhaustion**. //(ecoEnquirer: Polar Bears Suffering Heat Exhaustion)//

"Jeremiah Johnson, a local hunter who tracks and kills polar bears "because they are there" has seen three of the behemoths collapse before him in just the last month. "It just isn't sporting to shoot one of these creatures when they are suffering like this," Johnson said as he recounted his attempts to revive a bear he was ready to shoot." //(ecoEnquirer: Polar Bears Suffering Heat Exhaustion)//

The quote above is directly from the article I got the picture from. Jeremiah Johnson, a polar bear hunter, was about to shoot it but couldn't, and went to comfort it when it fell down and lost conscience. In this area where polar bear population is quite dense, the average temperature has risen from 20 degrees below to 15 degrees below. This if **5 degrees higher**!! This excess heat is too much for the polar bears to handle. The climate is changing **too fast** even before the polar bears can adapt to it. //(ecoEnquirer: Polar Bears Suffering Heat Exhaustion)//

"... the bears start dropping like flies." //(ecoEnquirer: Polar Bears Suffering Heat Exhaustion)//

The melted ice drowns them


The picture above shows a polar bear stranded in the middle of ocean. They look lost and they have no idea where to go. There is not much ice for the polar bears to carefree live on. In addition, the sea level has risen, making it worse. The ice melts as the arctic gets hotter, automatically, the polar bears are losing their habitats. Polar bears spend most of their time living on floating ice - hunting, rasing their youngs, sleeping, etc. Many dead polar bears has been found off of Alaska, it's been expected that the polar bears drowned after swimming long distance in the ocean. Before 2004, in a survey that was based on Alaska, the U.S. Minerals management Service said they barely saw a lone bear only once every two years off of ice in the middle of ocean. Drowning polar bears were so rare that it wasn't even recorded in the survey document. Also, from 1979 to 1991, 87% were found on ice floats, but only 54% are found on ice. The rest are found on ocean, beaches, or around a dead body of a whale. Before, polar bears were rarely seen all gathered up at a dead whale because they liked hunting seals on ice, which is their favorite. This change of their behavior also tells us how the global warming is a crisis and even a bigger issue for the polar bears. //(Is Global Warming Killing the Polar Bears? - WSJ.com.)//



The storms swallow them


Dramatic climate change brings storms and hurricanes. Not only the rising heat, or the lack of snow, but the fierce storms that the global warming brings to these polar bear is just another way for them to die. A few days after a strong storm, 4 dead polar bears were floating in water but 40 polar bears are estimated dead. (//Is Global Warming Killing the Polar Bears? - WSJ.com.)//

This is a photo taken from the satellite by using the radio collars on two polar bears. Notice that one is taken on June 28th and the next photo is taken on August 3rd. Less then two months passed, yet, look at the difference in the two pictures. The one above has much more ice than the one below when only short time has passed. Imagine where the polar bears will live when the ice they had been living on disappeared completely and turned into open water in just less then two months? It's definitely too much change happening too quickly, even before they can adapt to it. This is how serious global warming is. //(WWF)//

Bibliography WEBSITES HardenSeattle, Blaine. "Global warming threatens polar bears - World - theage.com.au." theage.com. 1 June 2009 .

CARLTON, JIM. "Is Global Warming Killing the Polar Bears? - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com. 1 June 2009 .

"ecoEnquirer: Polar Bears Suffering Heat Exhaustion." ecoEnquirer: Environmental News That Will Make You Smile. 1 June 2009 .

"WWF." The Polar Bear Tracker. 1 June 2009 .

PICTURES "Polar Bears and Global Warming." Marin Academy | Academic Course Links. 1 June 2009 .