(rg.ru) - To count the Arctic bears, the science team used the good old method of aerial photography. Exploratory flights took place in August-September last year, and they passed over the western part of Hudson Bay, including the city of Churchill. The one that is considered nothing less than the "world capital" of polar bears: there are almost more of them than the townspeople themselves in the vicinity of this Arctic city. It turned out that in comparison with previous observations, the number of bears decreased by about 25 percent. So, scientists found 618 bears, although a 2016 study recorded 842 individuals. By the way, the bear population is counted every five years.
Canadian experts emphasize that the demographic crisis mainly affected females and their cubs. And although a lone bear cub in the Canadian Arctic is not yet "mission impossible", the negative dynamics are very alarming: the very existence of polar bears in these parts is under threat. The main reason for the bearish problem is very prosaic - the ill-fated global warming. It's no secret that polar bears live on the sea ice, which is their key habitat - only the Arctic ice continues to melt at an enormous pace. The Guardian cites data from American scientists, according to which the ice in the Hudson Bay has become approximately two times less than in the 1980s. It is noteworthy that then the number of Arctic bears was also almost twice as much (1200 bears). Global warming, which is now being shouted everywhere, is doing its job: the Guardian emphasizes that "the far north of the planet is warming up four times faster than the rest of the world."
However, other factors may be contributing to the decline in the polar bear population in the Canadian Arctic. The authors of the study remind that poachers also make their "contribution" to the reduction of the bear population. In addition, bears may migrate to nearby snowy regions, meaning their total numbers may not fall as rapidly. However, there is no doubt that even this alignment is a direct consequence of global warming.
"Somewhere in the world, where it's always cold, bears rub their backs against the earth's axis," read the lines from the famous Soviet song. Until recently, these words perfectly described the neighborhood of the Canadian Churchill. However, a freshly baked scientific report clearly shows that everything is not so safe in this snow and ice kingdom.
