A sow and a pair of half-grown cubs recently paid a visit to the Polish Research Station in southwestern Svalbard without causing any more trouble than racing heart-rates, according to a report in The Guardian today.
Money quote from the leader of the expedition [my bold]:
This year the team had seen more polar bears than usual, he added. Usually there were around 20 bear sightings a year, but this year there had been close to 40 sightings since June and they expected to see more in their final three months.
“So far, we have not observed any clearly emaciated individuals. This year is probably a good year for Svalbard’s polar bears because there is a lot of sea ice here compared to recent years,” he said [The Guardian, 2 April 2024, see photo above].
Polish Research Station, Hornsund
Svalbard sea ice above average
Most of the ice around Svalbard is mobile pack ice, and contrary to expectations given reported global temperatures, coverage has been hovering about average since September last year, depending on winds, with levels dropping briefly in early winter but rebounding to above average over the last week or so. The chart below hasn’t been updated since 27 March but daily reports to 2 April from the Norwegian Ice Service confirms that readings are still above the long-term 1991-2020 average:
Svalbard ice chart
Note the abundant ice off the southwest coast, where the Polish Research Station is located:
I’m surprised we haven’t heard reports of bear sightings around the weather station on Bear Island (Bjørnøya) to the south, which has been surrounded by ice for more than a week now. The last sighting on Bear Island I’m aware of during March occurred in 2019 (photo below).
However, as suggested in the report by the Polish crew, it’s likely many such sightings take place that don’t make the news become they don’t come with a headline-worthy photo opportunities. In May 2020, there was ice at Bear Island in early May.
Barents Sea charts
Svalbard sea ice in context for the wider region:
NSIDC Masie data shows Barents Sea ice steadily rising since early March 2024:
It remains to be seen how long the sea ice will hang around. However, these spring months are when polar bears gorge themselves on baby seals. As long as the bears can consume enough fat during this time, they are protected from the adverse effects of fasting over the summer months when sea ice ice retreats into the Arctic Basin.
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