The Polarbear on Spitsbergen.

The good news is: There are still Polarbears on Spitsbergen. But the bad news is that Spitsbergen will be one of the first places where the Polarbears will disappear in the future. Then the title should change to: The Polarbear who lived on Spitsbergen.


Two polarbears walking on the sea ice nearby the front of a glacier.
During the winter the sea-ice reach the North- and East-coast of Spitsbergen. The South- and West-coast are always sea ice free due to the warm gulf stream. But due to the effect of global warming the period that the sea ice is covering the North- and East-side of Spitsbergen is getting shorter and shorter. The polarbear needs that sea ice to get to Spitsbergen and back. The Polarbear needs also that sea ice to have access to his food: the seal.

If the period that the sea ice is covering the North- and East-side of Spitsbergen is getting to short, the polarbear will disappear from Spitsbergen. Due to the earlier melting of the sea ice during summer/spring and the later moment of freezing of the sea water again in autumn, the polarbear has to swim more to get from ice to ice when there is open water between it.

Polarbears can swim, but he is using a lot of energy when he is swimming. That makes him very tired and more hungry so he needs more food. A polarbear has more chance of success when he is hunting for seals when he is fit and strong. To much swimming makes him weak and give him less chance of getting some food. The polarbear will become weaker and weaker and at the end die due to hunger and exhaustion.


A female polarbear taking care of her young.
Of course the situation write her above is not complete and the reality of the live of the polarbear is more complex. But one thing is sure: Less sea ice will give the polarbear more problems to survive. The pictures here above shows a female polarbear with her young. They looks healthly. It was amazing to see them walking over the sea ice.
But the first polarbear I saw on Spitsbergen was not alive any more. The picture here under is not the nicest polarbear picture. The cause of dead of this young polarbear could have had all kind of reasons, one of them is written here above.
Let's hope that Spitsbergen is not becoming a big graveyard of Polarbears!!


Living on Spitsbergen is becoming more difficult for polarbears.


This page is just new and will grow every day, so please come back again for more information.

Last update on january 25th 2009.