As the Arctic Warms, Polar Bears become 'Pizzly' Bears

Arctic warming is causing beloved polar bears to migrate further south, resulting in mating with grizzly bears and the hybrid "pizzly bear".

I honestly find it interesting there is such a huge scandal surrounding the Climate Change versus Global Warming movements (respectively) - I do think many organizations and individuals would benefit from scaring the public into thinking it's all man-made, but I also understand that there our planet and the sun both go through different phases and climatic changes naturally.

I fear we may lose Polar Bears in my lifetime, but I really hope this isn't the case. From the article:

While the effects of climate change have been felt in different ways around the globe, the polar regions have been subject to outright changes to their respective topographies, as ice acts as a major feature of their landscapes. Scientists are concerned about the impact of these changes on Arctic wildlife, particularly ones that have adapted to depend on ice formations for survival, such as the polar bear. One effect of the southward push of the habitat of the polar bear is that they are cross-breeding with grizzly bears, producing a hybrid called "pizzly bears". While encounters with the hybrid pizzly have been documented in the past, there are increasing reports of sightings of these odd ursids. Monterey Bay Aquarium scientist Brendan Kelly has been tracking the re-emergence of the pizzly bear, and is concerned about the implications this development has on the issue of biodiversity. "Starting in 2006 I believe, people started encountering hybrids in the wild, and several have been harvested, including one that was second generation hybrid. It’s raised a real question — what will be the impact genetically of this rapid change in Arctic environments?” Kelly has also been studying other animals, including ringed seals, who's ice dens are now often at risk of premature melting, exposing immature pups to predators and the elements.

The black guillemot, an arctic sea bird is also disappearing due to climate change - once a few members from the food chain lose their numbers, the entire ecosystem suffers:

George Divoky, director of Friends of Cooper Island, has studied the guillemot sea bird for forty years. “I studied black guillemots — a sea bird on Cooper Island — for 28 years, seeing no major climate change, and since 2003 have seen rapid changes occur, as well as [changes] in snow and ice cover. Snow used to cover the island up until mid-June. This past spring snow melted from the island in close to mid-May. Ice used to be right next to the island and provide food for the chicks that were being fed on the island — there’s a fish that is under the ice that the parents feed on. The ice now pulls off shore hundreds of miles and chicks starve every year now, so I’ve seen rapid climate change occur and happen to have 28 years of pre-data to show how the change is occurring.”

Source

a reply to: FamCore

This is always happening.

The climate has always changed.

Species come and they go.

It's extremely sad, but so true.

I don't buy all the global warming stuff because I believe in the history of our data in regards to the history of climate change.

Our Sun is responsible for our climate... our future will rely on solar weather to predict our weather on Earth.

However I have metaphysical and spiritual beliefs as well that nag at my gut.... we humans are also causing changes. We are a species in high numbers now. We can manipulate other energies with ours. If most of us are stressed and slaving or just plain chaotic so too will our reality. Its a reflection.

originally posted by: MamaJ
a reply to: FamCore

Our Sun is responsible for our climate... our future will rely on solar weather to predict our weather on Earth.

Please elaborate...considering there are quite a few more variables than the sun that have to do with weather on this planet...and hopefully you contain some science and not just your opinion on this.

And to the OP...I think Polar Bears are my favorite animal on the planet. Really would like them to stick around.

a reply to: FamCore

Can we use the name Grolar bear instead? Pizzley bear just sounds pizzley and those animals are not pizzley.

A warmer climate bear that hunts nothing but meat.....bearnado next on sci-fi.

I wonder where the Polar Bear lived when the Arctic was tropical ?

The collateral damage suffered in the name of science. There could be much worse ancillary effects for defrosting the Antarctic. But just imagine what we'll find under the frozen torpor.....

The great grandfather of the Global Warming crowd:



Alexander Graham Bell, among his many other accomplishments, beat Al Gore by nearly a century:

A single invention, the telephone, would have been enough to guarantee Bell’s place in history. But the scope of his interests and significance of his visionary insights continue to impress, and enlighten. In a paper in 1917, on the depletion of natural resources, he stated that the unchecked burning of fossil fuels would lead to a “sort of greenhouse effect” and global warming.

www.biographi.ca...



Also, polar bear populations are increasing.

originally posted by: Fireflysky
a reply to: FamCore

Can we use the name Grolar bear instead? Pizzley bear just sounds pizzley and those animals are not pizzley.

Thought thats what they were known as anyway ,never heard of prizzly bear.

Peace.

a reply to: FamCore

Perhaps we should attempt to relocate the polar bears to Antarctica,providing them with an environmental niche to which they are partly adapted.

... of course, then they would, by definition, be bipolar.

a reply to: masqua

I found this article Q & A with Dr. Steven C. Amstrup, "chief scientist with Polar Bears International and USGS polar bear project leader for 30 years." who says the following:

A: One of the most frequent myths we hear about polar bears is that their numbers are increasing and have, in fact, more than doubled over the past thirty years. Tales about how many polar bears there used to be (with claims as low as 5,000 in the 1960s) are undocumented, but cited over and over again. Yet no one I know can come up with a legitimate source for these numbers.

Source

originally posted by: Fireflysky
a reply to: FamCore

Can we use the name Grolar bear instead? Pizzley bear just sounds pizzley and those animals are not pizzley.

Sounds so much better - at least here on ATS we can agree on Grolar instead of this ridiculous "Pizzly" term

a reply to: FamCore

Yes, you're right. There are a lot of questions surrounding the Polar Bear populations.

The most frequently pointed out reasons for their possible decline is a decreasing seal population(?) (on which Polar Bears depend as a food source) as well as the loss of Arctic sea ice, where the bears prefer to hunt.

Perhaps those who think they're on the increase are the people who see more and more of the bears moving south and onto land for food.

Where did polar bears live during the last ice age.
Now they eat seals but what did they eat during the last ice age when the polar ice was miles thick were they live now.

How long have polar bears been around.

Just did a search on Google, depending on which news paper, scientist, NGO, vet, wild life survey you care to read, depending on the location, the polar bear population is either up, or down, depending on who took the census, couple of years ago the USGS estimated there were 25,000 bears, not sure of the reach of the estimation, all figures are estimations anyway, I just cannot see every single bear being counted, and some bears counted twice, or even thrice, there is now sure way to count them all properly.

As for Arctic sea ice, I keep seeing reports that its up year on year.