@aederocher.bsky.social
Reposted
Let me excerpt the concluding paragraph:
October 31, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Let me excerpt the concluding paragraph:
The benefit of being in a Tundra Buggy is that a bear is close but not a threat...
November 1, 2025 at 2:15 AM
The benefit of being in a Tundra Buggy is that a bear is close but not a threat...
Nowhere close to freeze up in Hudson Bay this year. It's far too warm. No sea ice anywhere. Things can change quickly but the Bay has to cool a lot before ice strong enough to support polar bears shows up. Watch the Bay live here:
explore.org/livecams/pol...
explore.org/livecams/pol...
October 29, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Nowhere close to freeze up in Hudson Bay this year. It's far too warm. No sea ice anywhere. Things can change quickly but the Bay has to cool a lot before ice strong enough to support polar bears shows up. Watch the Bay live here:
explore.org/livecams/pol...
explore.org/livecams/pol...
Latest polar bear paper exploring their role in providing carrion to other vertebrate species. Polar bears provide approximately 7,600,000 kg/year of carrion biomass for scavengers across their range.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... [open access]
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... [open access]
October 28, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Latest polar bear paper exploring their role in providing carrion to other vertebrate species. Polar bears provide approximately 7,600,000 kg/year of carrion biomass for scavengers across their range.
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... [open access]
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... [open access]
Mom & cub on the shores of Hudson Bay on the polar bear cam (explore.org/livecams/pol...). Timing of sea ice freezing up is critical for cub survival. If mom runs out of stored energy, she stops nursing & cubs have little stored energy of their own as they are growing so fast. This is a weak link.
October 26, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Mom & cub on the shores of Hudson Bay on the polar bear cam (explore.org/livecams/pol...). Timing of sea ice freezing up is critical for cub survival. If mom runs out of stored energy, she stops nursing & cubs have little stored energy of their own as they are growing so fast. This is a weak link.
No alarm for Hudson Bay polar bears yet as there's time for things to cool but at these temperatures, the Bay will still be warming. Normal for this date is -3 C to -9 C. It's a bit cooler further north but not cold. 1 kg of body mass loss per day - how long can they wait?
October 26, 2025 at 5:13 PM
No alarm for Hudson Bay polar bears yet as there's time for things to cool but at these temperatures, the Bay will still be warming. Normal for this date is -3 C to -9 C. It's a bit cooler further north but not cold. 1 kg of body mass loss per day - how long can they wait?
Hudson Bay polar bears are waiting (& will be for quite a while with the current weather - it's well above normal temperatures there). For now, most bears will still have lots of stored energy but the skinniest will be seriously hoping for sea ice to form so they can start feeding again.
October 25, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Hudson Bay polar bears are waiting (& will be for quite a while with the current weather - it's well above normal temperatures there). For now, most bears will still have lots of stored energy but the skinniest will be seriously hoping for sea ice to form so they can start feeding again.
Not much sign of freeze up coming anytime soon in Hudson Bay. At these temperatures, the Bay will need to cool for a while. Now, it's all about the weather & colder is better for polar bears. You can watch the Bay (& sometimes polar bears) here: explore.org/livecams/pol...
October 14, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Not much sign of freeze up coming anytime soon in Hudson Bay. At these temperatures, the Bay will need to cool for a while. Now, it's all about the weather & colder is better for polar bears. You can watch the Bay (& sometimes polar bears) here: explore.org/livecams/pol...
Reposted
Record high temperatures are currently being set across the northernmost portions of the #Arctic. In fact, it is effectively ice-free on the Atlantic side of the Arctic all the way up to about 85°N latitude! This includes record low sea ice around Svalbard.
Graphic by zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
Graphic by zacklabe.com/arctic-tempe...
October 11, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Hudson Bay polar bears are waiting for the ice to form. It's +18 C (64 F) right now in Churchill & way above normal so they'll be waiting for a while. Bears are now about 120 days on land & have lost about 120 kg (265 lb). Bears without enough energy risk dying: it's survival of the fattest.
October 11, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Hudson Bay polar bears are waiting for the ice to form. It's +18 C (64 F) right now in Churchill & way above normal so they'll be waiting for a while. Bears are now about 120 days on land & have lost about 120 kg (265 lb). Bears without enough energy risk dying: it's survival of the fattest.
Western Hudson Bay polar bears are staying put & saving their energy. It's cooking there today at 27 C (81 F). At these temperatures, the Bay will still be warming. Field crew out now monitoring the bears report them in good condition with good subadult recruitment. Bodes well for this year.
September 14, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Western Hudson Bay polar bears are staying put & saving their energy. It's cooking there today at 27 C (81 F). At these temperatures, the Bay will still be warming. Field crew out now monitoring the bears report them in good condition with good subadult recruitment. Bodes well for this year.
Western Hudson Bay polar bears are doing what they usually do during the ice-free period: nothing. Energy conservation is the priority. For moms with cubs, avoiding other bears is also important (infanticide risk). Now the bears wait for cold & sea ice to return.
August 18, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Western Hudson Bay polar bears are doing what they usually do during the ice-free period: nothing. Energy conservation is the priority. For moms with cubs, avoiding other bears is also important (infanticide risk). Now the bears wait for cold & sea ice to return.
Latest from @ualberta.bsky.social polar bear research & Environment & Climate Change Canada.
"percent of solitary females that were pregnant declined significantly over time and between time periods from 85% in 1982–90 to 73% in 1991–2021." Open access:
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
"percent of solitary females that were pregnant declined significantly over time and between time periods from 85% in 1982–90 to 73% in 1991–2021." Open access:
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
August 7, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Latest from @ualberta.bsky.social polar bear research & Environment & Climate Change Canada.
"percent of solitary females that were pregnant declined significantly over time and between time periods from 85% in 1982–90 to 73% in 1991–2021." Open access:
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
"percent of solitary females that were pregnant declined significantly over time and between time periods from 85% in 1982–90 to 73% in 1991–2021." Open access:
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Reposted
The extraordinary loss of August #Arctic sea ice thickness over the last four decades...
Data available at psc.apl.uw.edu/research/pro.... More info at climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data...
Data available at psc.apl.uw.edu/research/pro.... More info at climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data...
August 7, 2025 at 12:38 AM
The extraordinary loss of August #Arctic sea ice thickness over the last four decades...
Data available at psc.apl.uw.edu/research/pro.... More info at climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data...
Data available at psc.apl.uw.edu/research/pro.... More info at climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data...
Great to see & on my reading list. The anti-science nonsense about polar bears by climate change deniers was intense. Fortunately, the "counterpoint" media looked for on climate change effects on polar bears has evaporated as the key sources was toppled. We may, however, be moving into a new era.
August 5, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Great to see & on my reading list. The anti-science nonsense about polar bears by climate change deniers was intense. Fortunately, the "counterpoint" media looked for on climate change effects on polar bears has evaporated as the key sources was toppled. We may, however, be moving into a new era.
Reposted
We are featuring select articles available in IBA’s peer-reviewed journal, URSUS.
McGeachy et al. “Possible sexually selected infanticide by polar bears in western Hudson Bay”.
Full post on our IG & FB pages!
Full article: doi.org/10.2192/URSU...
IBA Members get access to all URSUS articles.
McGeachy et al. “Possible sexually selected infanticide by polar bears in western Hudson Bay”.
Full post on our IG & FB pages!
Full article: doi.org/10.2192/URSU...
IBA Members get access to all URSUS articles.
August 5, 2025 at 8:32 PM
We are featuring select articles available in IBA’s peer-reviewed journal, URSUS.
McGeachy et al. “Possible sexually selected infanticide by polar bears in western Hudson Bay”.
Full post on our IG & FB pages!
Full article: doi.org/10.2192/URSU...
IBA Members get access to all URSUS articles.
McGeachy et al. “Possible sexually selected infanticide by polar bears in western Hudson Bay”.
Full post on our IG & FB pages!
Full article: doi.org/10.2192/URSU...
IBA Members get access to all URSUS articles.
Western Hudson Bay polar bears are well spread out from Ontario to Nunavut (including 1 well to the NE). More bears went south than "normal" but it was also reflected in spring captures with many bears having no prior history. Now they wait for freeze-up (29 C, 84 F) forecast so it's hot!
August 1, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Western Hudson Bay polar bears are well spread out from Ontario to Nunavut (including 1 well to the NE). More bears went south than "normal" but it was also reflected in spring captures with many bears having no prior history. Now they wait for freeze-up (29 C, 84 F) forecast so it's hot!
Reposted
Dr. Andrew Derocher (URSUS Editor & IBA member) has spent decades studying polar bears in Western Hudson Bay. This study tracks polar bear movements, body condition, and sea ice ecology to support conservation planning. @aederocher.bsky.social
#bearconservation #polarbears #arcticresearch
#bearconservation #polarbears #arcticresearch
July 29, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Dr. Andrew Derocher (URSUS Editor & IBA member) has spent decades studying polar bears in Western Hudson Bay. This study tracks polar bear movements, body condition, and sea ice ecology to support conservation planning. @aederocher.bsky.social
#bearconservation #polarbears #arcticresearch
#bearconservation #polarbears #arcticresearch
Welcome home (almost all). Western Hudson Bay polar bears are ashore. High variation in onshore dates this year: some early & some late. Increased variation in polar bear ecology with climate change is common. We have a new paper soon showing high variation in pregnancy rates.
July 23, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Welcome home (almost all). Western Hudson Bay polar bears are ashore. High variation in onshore dates this year: some early & some late. Increased variation in polar bear ecology with climate change is common. We have a new paper soon showing high variation in pregnancy rates.
It's very unusual to see polar bears still out on so little sea ice. This is a change in behaviour compared to the past when 30% ice cover meant heading for land. Perhaps the hunting is still good? Perhaps they need to fatten more? Maybe they found a few solid bits of ice?
July 22, 2025 at 2:28 AM
It's very unusual to see polar bears still out on so little sea ice. This is a change in behaviour compared to the past when 30% ice cover meant heading for land. Perhaps the hunting is still good? Perhaps they need to fatten more? Maybe they found a few solid bits of ice?
Some Hudson Bay polar bears STILL out on the last bits of sea ice. It's an interesting change in behaviour to have the bears out on so little ice. There's a reason for it: seals. No chance of killing a seal on land but they can out on the ice. Must be naive seals that come near the last ice.
July 12, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Some Hudson Bay polar bears STILL out on the last bits of sea ice. It's an interesting change in behaviour to have the bears out on so little ice. There's a reason for it: seals. No chance of killing a seal on land but they can out on the ice. Must be naive seals that come near the last ice.
For those curious about Bear E4, it's an adult male caught near Cape Churchill in Manitoba this spring who was on northern Québec a few days ago but has now moved to Mansel Island, Nunavut. This fellow isn't scared of swimming.
July 10, 2025 at 2:53 PM
For those curious about Bear E4, it's an adult male caught near Cape Churchill in Manitoba this spring who was on northern Québec a few days ago but has now moved to Mansel Island, Nunavut. This fellow isn't scared of swimming.
With so little ice left in western Hudson Bay, a surprising number of polar bears still hanging on to the last bits. This behaviour contrasts to the past when 50% ice cover had the bears ashore within weeks. The bears know what they're doing (or trying to do) [in an evolutionary context].
July 10, 2025 at 2:47 PM
With so little ice left in western Hudson Bay, a surprising number of polar bears still hanging on to the last bits. This behaviour contrasts to the past when 50% ice cover had the bears ashore within weeks. The bears know what they're doing (or trying to do) [in an evolutionary context].
Reposted
One of the warmest spots in the #Arctic relative to average last month was across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (>5°C above the 1981-2010 mean). We will have to wait and see later this summer how the Northwest Passage fares.
Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis.
Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis.
July 10, 2025 at 12:11 PM
One of the warmest spots in the #Arctic relative to average last month was across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (>5°C above the 1981-2010 mean). We will have to wait and see later this summer how the Northwest Passage fares.
Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis.
Data from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social ERA5 reanalysis.
Churchill is warm: for context, normal is max 17°C & min 7°C. Sea ice has disappeared in the west with the more typical pattern of southern remnant ice (current & wind driven). We'll update tracked polar bear locations soon but if any bears are still out in Hudson Bay, they're on tiny bits of ice.
July 9, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Churchill is warm: for context, normal is max 17°C & min 7°C. Sea ice has disappeared in the west with the more typical pattern of southern remnant ice (current & wind driven). We'll update tracked polar bear locations soon but if any bears are still out in Hudson Bay, they're on tiny bits of ice.