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Polar Bear Media/Contacts

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By Alaska Science Center July 31, 2024

If you have questions about research or media inquiries regarding the USGS Alaska Science Center, please contact the Alaska Science Center Communications Web Team.

Return to Media/Outreach or Polar Bear Research

We appreciate all the interest in the USGS research on Polar bears. You can find videos, news releases, USGS top stories and fact sheets on this page and under the news and publications tabs.

Polar Bear Videos

For more information regarding polar bears and polar bear research visit:

 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Polar Bears International

Polar Bears International

Below are other science projects associated with this project.

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Polar bear mother and two cubs on the Beaufort Sea ice.

Polar Bear Research

Polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS Alaska Science Center leads long–term research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. Our studies, ongoing since 1985, are focused on population dynamics, health and energetics...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center
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Polar Bear Research

Polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS Alaska Science Center leads long–term research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. Our studies, ongoing since 1985, are focused on population dynamics, health and energetics...
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Below are multimedia items associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 43
A polar bear den
A polar bear den
A polar bear den
A polar bear den

A polar bear den

A polar bear den

A polar bear den

By
Alaska Science Center
A polar bear den

A polar bear den

A polar bear den

A polar bear den

By
Alaska Science Center

Below are publications associated with USGS Alaska Science Center Polar Bear Research.

U.S. Geological Survey Arctic ecosystem assessments

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) conducts natural hazard and resource assessments of the Earth’s ecosystems and the response of those ecosystems to environmental change, human activities, and land use. Arctic regions of Alaska are important for cultural and economic sustainability and host a wide variety of wildlife species, many of which are of conservation and management interest to...
Authors
John M. Pearce, Caroline R. Van Hemert
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center
Filter Total Items: 26

Modeling the spatial and temporal dynamics of land-based polar bear denning in Alaska

Although polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the Southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) subpopulation have commonly created maternal dens on sea ice in the past, maternal dens on land have become increasingly prevalent as sea ice declines. This trend creates conditions for increased human–bear interactions associated with local communities and industrial activity. Maternal denning is a vulnerable...
Authors
Vijay P. Patil, George M. Durner, David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Comparisons of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) sea-ice projections in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) ecoregions during the 21st century

Climate model projections are commonly used to assess potential impacts of global warming on a breadth of social, economic, and environmental topics. Modeling centers throughout the world coordinate to apply a consistent suite of radiative forcing experiments so that all model outputs can be collectively analyzed and compared. Three generations of model outputs have been produced and...
Authors
David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Using in situ/ex situ research collaborations to support polar bear conservation

A warming Arctic threatens the long-term persistence of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the wild. Historically, little collaboration existed between the in situ and ex situ polar bear scientific communities. However, for the past decade, zoo professionals, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) have partnered to leverage resources and expertise with the goal of...
Authors
Randi Meyerson, Todd C. Atwood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

The ice don’t lie

No abstract available.
Authors
Todd C. Atwood
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Evaluating the efficacy of aerial infrared surveys to detect artificial polar bear dens

The need to balance economic development with impacts to Arctic wildlife has been a prominent subject since petroleum exploration began on the North Slope of Alaska, USA, in the late 1950s. The North Slope region includes polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation, which has experienced a long-term decline in abundance. Pregnant polar bears dig dens in snow...
Authors
Susannah P. Woodruff, Justin J Blank, Sheyna S Wisdom, Ryan H. Wilson, George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood, Craig J Perham, Christina HM Pohl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Intrapopulation differences in polar bear movement and step selection patterns

BackgroundThe spatial ecology of individuals often varies within a population or species. Identifying how individuals in different classes interact with their environment can lead to a better understanding of population responses to human activities and environmental change and improve population estimates. Most inferences about polar bear (Ursus maritimus) spatial ecology are based on...
Authors
Ryan H. Wilson, Michelle St. Martin, Eric V. Regehr, Karyn D. Rode
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Below are news stories associated with this project.

Filter Total Items: 13
Through the Eyes of a Polar Bear

Through the Eyes of a Polar Bear

The first "point of view" video from a polar bear on Arctic sea ice has just become available courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey. 

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