From Polar Bear Science

Dr. Susan Crockford

An article in a UK newspaper yesterday contains a claim made by local residents that polar bears which used to hang around Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow) in western Alaska, are ?moving to Russia? (i.e. the Chukchi Sea) in a ?mass exodus?. It?s certainly possible but if so, it should come as a surprise to no one and is good news for polar bears.

If the allegation is upheld by scientific evidence, polar bears will not have beenpushedout of Alaska by lack of summer sea ice (i.e.?forced to migrate?) but ratherpulledinto the Chukchi Sea by abundant food resources that did not exist when summer ice cover was more extensive. It?s a big difference and it speaks to the benefits of less summer sea ice that no one wants to discuss.

Moreover, moving temporarily to where conditions suit…