Sea ice is declining sharply for all 19 polar bear populations in the Arctic

Sea ice decline is hitting all 19 subpopulations of polar bears in the Arctic during the spring and fall, the times of year when they're most vulnerable, a new study found. 

This study is the first to examine dates of spring sea ice retreat and fall ice advance across polar bear habitats around the Arctic. Previous studies had either examined sea ice loss in general or seasonal timing shifts among specific subpopulations. 

The new research, published in The Cryosphere on Wednesday, found that polar bears are being forced onto land earlier in the spring than they were just a few decades ago, thereby depriving them of their main food source, travel route and breeding grounds for a longer time period. In addition, polar bears are waiting a longer period of time before they can venture back onto the ice in the fall.  Read more...

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Source: www.Mashable.com