What will be the impacts on freshwater ecosystems?
5.1.1 Polar bears give birth and hunt on sea ice and they need it to travel from one region to another. Survival of mothers and cubs in the spring depends on the mothers’ hunting success, which, in turn, depends on the stability and extent of sea ice. Less winter sea ice means that female polar bears have to go longer without food, which impacts their fat stores, and, in turn, their reproductive success. Complete loss of summer sea-ice cover, which may occur in the course of this century, could threaten the survival of polar bears as a species or force them to adopt a land-based summer lifestyle. Living on land would not be without risks due to competition with other predators, possible cross breeding with brown or grizzly bears, and interactions with humans. More…
