Facts about Effects of Climate Change on Polar Bears
- 05
Melting sea ice forces polar bears to swim longer distances between ice floes, increasing drowning risk and energy expenditure for mothers with cubs.
- 04
Increased rainfall events in the Arctic, linked to climate change, can ice over food sources and freeze polar bear cubs inside dens, raising cub mortality rates.
- 03
Rising temperatures in the Arctic are causing pregnant polar bears to den in areas with less stable snowpack, threatening the survival of newborn cubs.
- 02
Longer ice-free seasons force polar bears to fast on land for extended periods, depleting fat reserves they depend on for survival and cub-rearing.
- 01
Shrinking Arctic sea ice caused by climate change reduces polar bears' ability to hunt seals, their primary prey, leading to declining body condition and reproductive rates.