The return of Svalbard sea ice coincides with the birth of seals and the feeding fortunes of polar bears

From polar bear science

Susan Crockford

It seems that every fall And winter At least for the past decade, there has been much controversy about the lack of ice in the Svalbard Sea and this is a tragedy for polar bears. And like the hands of a clock, before the end of winter (March 30) every year, ice pack back on time for spring: for brimmed and bearded seals to give birth–and for polar bears to gobble up chubby babies.

This year there is even ice in the south like bear island (Bjørnøya) and it is only March 15. This has happened many times now in 10 years ago. Too much for disaster! And soon Norwegian biologists will be out checking the health of these bears, which they do every year and report their results online for everyone to see.

global sea ice in mid-March

Sea ice chart for the Barents . Sea

Sea ice chart for Svalbard

Sea ice chart for Svalbard