In Search of Polar Bears in the Arctic Summer: Part II

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In Search of Polar Bears in the Arctic Summer: Part II

By Robin Wright on August 13, 2024

Polar bears Robin Wright 8 — A polar bear mother nursing her cubs.
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Polar bears spend their lives wandering the Arctic sea-ice that has no delineated borders. The beautiful lumbering beasts can —20 to 50 miles a day and hundreds of miles in a year—across countries and even continents in the frozen region circumventing the North Pole. They’ve been tracked moving across the ice from Greenland to Canada and back, which is one reason scientists are unsure about their exact numbers. But most agree that the polar population is dwindling, and their future is threatened.

Over the course of two weeks, I watched more than a dozen different bears on their journeys as I made my way to the North Pole. A “home range” for polar bears – who are largely solitary, except for the two years when a female breeds and raises cubs – can vary from 20,000 to 135,000 square miles, although there are few around the pole itself. Their coats are actually translucent, appearing white as a reflection of the sun. Under two coats of fur, their skin is black. Half of a polar bear’s life is in search for food, mainly seals, which are also in due to the warming climate that is reducing the Arctic habitat. These are some of my encounters with a species known as “sea bears.”

Polar bears, Robin Wright — Global warming "is literally melting the sea-ice underneath the paws of the polar bear.” (Morten Jorgensen, "Polar Bears: Beloved and Betrayed")
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Polar bears, Robin Wright 3 — Polar bear takes a moment to look at its reflection in a melting pond.
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Robin Wright polar bear 4 — For a polar bear, standing can signal an interest in play or provide a better way to see and smell something the bear cannot identify.
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Polar bears Robin Wright 6 — A polar bear spends most of its life in, around, or on sea ice.
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Polar bears Robin Wright 7 — A polar bear takes a moment to look back on its Arctic visitors.
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Polar bears, Robin — A mother guides her two cubs across the ice. As sea ice disappears, polar bears are increasingly forced on land, where they have less access to seals and sustenance.
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About the Author

Robin Wright

Distinguished Fellow;
Author and columnist for The New Yorker

Polar Institute

Since its inception in 2017, the Polar Institute has become a premier forum for discussion and policy analysis of Arctic and Antarctic issues, and is known in Washington, DC and elsewhere as the Arctic Public Square. The Institute holistically studies the central policy issues facing these regions—with an emphasis on Arctic governance, climate change, economic development, scientific research, security, and Indigenous communities—and communicates trusted analysis to policymakers and other stakeholders. Read more