Â鶹´«Ã½

Climate and Environment

    • For threatened polar bears, the climate change diet is a losing proposition

    A male polar bear eats a piece of whale meat as it walks along the shore of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, Aug. 23, 2010. With Arctic sea ice shrinking from climate change, many polar bears have to shift their diets to land during parts of the summer, a new study suggests. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File) A male polar bear eats a piece of whale meat as it walks along the shore of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, Aug. 23, 2010. With Arctic sea ice shrinking from climate change, many polar bears have to shift their diets to land during parts of the summer, a new study suggests. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
    Share

    For polar bears, the climate change diet is a losing proposition, a suggests.

    With Arctic sea ice shrinking from climate change, many polar bears have to shift their diets to land during parts of the summer. A study looking at Hudson Bay polar bears tries to figure out if they can keep up their roly-poly figure, which is what's needed and found that an overwhelming number of them are dropping the pounds no matter what they do to try to beef up their weight.

    Some bears find a lot of food -- berries, eggs, sea birds and even caribou antlers -- but it takes so much effort, so many calories are burned trying to eat, that they end up losing weight and expending more energy than they take in, according to a study in Tuesday's journal Nature Communications.

    Other bears go into a stage of semi-hibernation, don't do much, but they also shed the pounds, so either way doesn't work, said study lead author Anthony Pagano, a U.S. Geological Survey wildlife biologist.

    Researchers found that 19 of the 20 bears studied dropped an average of 47 pounds (21 kilograms) over three weeks of being studied in research that monitored their calorie intake, energy use and respiration in the wild. That's losing about 7 per cent of their body mass on average in just 21 days, the study concluded.

    Polar bears try to keep up their weight in the summer after a spring when they feast and fatten prodigiously. In the area of the Hudson Bay where researchers studied, lack of sea ice has meant polar bears are on land three weeks longer than in the 1980s, Pagano said.

    Usually polar bears eat high-fat seals while based on sea ice, near where the seals are. It's especially good hunting in the spring when seal pups are weaning and easy pickings for polar bears before they learn to swim away from the ice base, Pagano said.

    Last September, when Arctic sea ice hit its annual low in September, there was about 1 million square miles (2.6 million square kilometres) less of sea ice than the same time in 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service lists polar bears as a threatened species "due to the loss of its sea ice habitat."

    "This paper clearly shows that polar bears cannot adapt to the pace of change in the Arctic and that the bears are already using everything they have to stay alive," said University of Alberta biologist Andrew Derocher, who wasn't part of the research, but called it profoundly elegant and insightful.

    "This is concerning because of course it really does raise the question of when will the individual bears run out of energy," Derocher said. While research shows that some of the bears will be OK, "other bears were basically right on the edge of where they would potentially suffer from starvation and subsequent death."

    Overall, it shows that it's unlikely polar bears can adapt to living on land, Derocher said.

    When polar bears have sea ice, they feast on seals. Not just the seals, but their fat. About 70 per cent of the polar bear diet while on ice is fat, said study co-author Karyn Rode, a USGS wildlife biologist.

    "They have the highest fat content diet of any species in the world," Rode said.

    University of Washington biologist Kristin Laidre, who wasn't part of the study team, said, "polar bears need sea ice to feed -- this is how they access their primary prey (ice seals). They evolved from grizzly bears to live on a marine diet of fat and they have a remarkable ability to consume and digest lipids."

    To figure out what happens on land, the joint U.S.-Canada team of biologists put video on the bears' collars, fed bears a type of water that allowed their calorie intake and expenditures to be tracked and returned them to the wild to watch.

    The bears' hunt for food was impressive. All but one of them ate grass and kelp, 10 of them feasted on berries, eight of them chomped on bird carcasses, a third of them chewed on bones and four of them ate caribou antlers, with bird eggs, a rodent and a rabbit also consumed.

    But the bears had to expend a lot of energy in their efforts to fill their bellies. On average they travelled 58 miles (93 kilometres) with one young female putting in 233 miles (375 miles) in three weeks.

    "This paper adds to a growing body of evidence that polar bears cannot sustain themselves on land as we continue to lose sea ice due to climate warming," said Laidre, who chairs the polar bear specialist group for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the international organization that monitors endangered species status.

    ------

    Associated Press journalist Stephanie Windeler contributed from London.

    The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. 

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

    A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

    A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.

    A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

    Canada

    • Family members and friends of a 43-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Hamilton over the weekend says they’re devastated by his death and are seeking answers and justice for their loved one.

    • A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

    • Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.

    • A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    • A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

    • A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed forward Max Pacioretty on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury, the team announced Monday.

    • Canada will be without captain Alphonso Davies for its upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    For the second year in a row, the ‘Gift-a-Family’ campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.

    Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.

    A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.

    As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.

    A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts – not for themselves, but for those in need.

    A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.

    Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.

    A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.

    • Flames shot out of windows and debris came showering down onto the street as crews battled a fire at a North Vancouver highrise Monday afternoon.

    • Second World War veteran Percival Smith was a teenager when he entered the British Merchant Navy, but after years at sea he emerged as a man who returned to a family he "couldn't even recognize" after the war.

    • Police nabbed an alarming number of drunk or drug-impaired drivers in Abbotsford, B.C., over the long weekend – including 11 on Friday night alone.

    • Family members and friends of a 43-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Hamilton over the weekend says they’re devastated by his death and are seeking answers and justice for their loved one.

    • Police are searching for two suspects who are wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in North York in late September.

    • Toronto is expected to see an economic boost to the tune of nearly $300 million thanks to Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour, which will be making a stop in Canada’s largest city for a six-show run later this month.

    • EXTENDED VIDEO

      EXTENDED VIDEO

      Calgarians observed Remembrance Day at a number of different ceremonies across the city on Monday, including at the Hangar Flight Museum.

    • A memorial walk was held Sunday afternoon by the Calgary branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to “honour the Canadian soldiers who died fighting for peace in the past and the Ukrainian soldiers who are giving their lives for freedom today,†according to a media release.

    • Members of Siksika Nation east of Calgary marked Remembrance Day on Monday with a morning ceremony and an afternoon veterans powwow grand entry.

    • Dr. Ronald Weiss, who performed nearly 60,000 vasectomies on Ottawa men, establishing him as the "Wayne Gretzky" of the procedure, has died.

    • Crowds gathered in Ottawa and eastern Ontario on Monday to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of Canada.

    • The company confirms it will open the new Chipotle at 5671 Hazeldean Road on Thursday, in the former location of Benny & Co.

    • A 36-year-old Montreal man who was out on bail after allegedly uttering death threats against his partner is now accused of murdering her on the South Shore.

    • Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Montreal on Monday to mark Remembrance Day and honour Canadians who sacrificed their lives in the great wars and beyond.

    • Seventy seniors will be losing their homes come July as Manoir Louisiane, a private seniors’ residence in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough will be closing down.

    • Edmonton's Beverly Memorial Cenotaph on Monday hosted its 104th Remembrance Day service to honour past and present veterans.

    • A poster campaign is creating awareness commemorating Edmonton-area soldiers who never came home.

    • Thousands of Maritimers turned out in wet weather Monday to remember those who have served, and continue to serve, in Canada's armed forces for Remembrance Day.

    • A Cape Breton senior recalls her life in German-occupied France, and her mother’s death, during the Second World War.

    • Thousand of people gathered at the Menin Gate in the Ypres, Belgium for Monday’s Remembrance Day Ceremony.

    • Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with the attack and robbery of a 62-year-old woman.

    • A sacred fire burning in Winnipeg has brought healing and hope to some members of Xavia Skye Lynn Butler’s family.

    • A Manitoba-shot Christmas movie was on the nice list at the box office last weekend.

    • November 11th marks a solemn day across Canada, and Regina is no exception.

    • Fire crews reported that no one was hurt after flames broke out in a home on Robinson Street in central Regina.

    • Regina author Valerie Crowther is celebrating the release of her book ‘War Letters: Linking Lives in the Second World War.’

    • A team of tornado experts are investigating a path of damage through Wellington County.

    • A 15-year-old boy from Kitchener, Ont. is facing a long list of criminal charges as the Waterloo Regional Police Service wraps up a lengthy swatting investigation.

    • Family members and friends of a 43-year-old man who was fatally shot by police in Hamilton over the weekend says they’re devastated by his death and are seeking answers and justice for their loved one.

    • Saskatoon Public Library workers will be on strike Tuesday as part of ongoing contract negotiations with SPL.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP are searching for a suspect after a man was seriously injured in a farm-related incident in Montreal Lake.

    • It was a somber day at Mosaic Stadium as members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders officially cleaned out their stalls and closed the book on the 2024 season.

    • Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

    • Remembrance Day has special meaning for Colleen Ludgate and Paul Cousineau of Timmins, whose daughter, Brittney Shki-Giizis, has taken a temporary sabbatical from the Canadian military to help Ukraine.

    • Remembrance Day celebrations took place across the country Monday, with Canadians reflecting on the sacrifices made by the men and women who served our country.

    • WATCH

      WATCH

      Men and women from Canadian Services, along with those who serve on local police forces marched up Dufferin Ave. toward the cenotaph on Monday morning.

    • Failing to comply with a property standards order issued by city hall could add almost $100,000 to the tax bill of a prominent eyesore in east London.

    • Oxford OPP say that they are investigating a collision that resulted in serious injuries on Sunday evening.

    • A Barrie man is accused of being at the centre of an alleged $2.2 million stolen used car scheme.

    • Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall is acting unilaterally for one of the only times of his tenure thus far to help ensure a renovation project of a youth shelter gets completed.

    • Police say a 51-year-old from Stouffville died after a collision in East Gwillimbury Monday afternoon.

    • A local high school honoured veterans of the “Forgotten War†on Monday.

    • video

      video

      Upwards of 1000 handmade poppies are on display outside Lifetimes on Riverside Retirement home on Riverside Drive East, part of its fourth annual Poppy Project.

    • A pair of thieves ripped the door of an east Windsor sports apparel store on Monday morning, leaving the store owner on the hook for thousands in stolen merchandise.

    • A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    • A B.C. teen has a suspected case of H5N1 avian flu — the first known human to acquire the virus in Canada.

    • Second World War veteran Percival Smith was a teenager when he entered the British Merchant Navy, but after years at sea he emerged as a man who returned to a family he "couldn't even recognize" after the war.

    • A B.C. woman who stole more than $14,000 in volunteer-raised funds that were supposed to be spent on school supplies and programs – including hot meals for vulnerable kids – won't spend any time in jail.

    • The emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver, B.C., will be closed for 31 hours this weekend, the second such closure in a week and the third since the start of November.

    • Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.

    • If you were at the cenotaph Remembrance Day ceremonies in Lethbridge, you may have caught a glimpse of our Dory Rossiter there on crutches.

    • Canadians across the country spent Monday paying tribute to the soldiers who have fought and died while serving Canada.

    • The Southern Alberta Recreation Association is officially announcing the Town of Taber as next year’s host for the Southern Alberta Summer Games.

    • Remembrance Day celebrations took place across the country Monday, with Canadians reflecting on the sacrifices made by the men and women who served our country.

    • Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus was among approximately 120 people who gathered Sunday night for a candlelight vigil near the scene of a vicious attack against a 16-year-old in Cobalt.

    • It was just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down when the Shaft Bottom Boys of Sudbury broke a world record for 'Deepest Concert Underground.' Now, more than four years later, a Timmins band is looking to take the title.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at Â鶹´«Ã½. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½