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If you have questions about research or media inquiries regarding the USGS Alaska Science Center please contact:

We appreciate all the interest in the USGS research on Polar bears. Information can be obtained from the web information below.

USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) was asked by the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a series of analyses to help reduce uncertainty in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing decision for the polar bear.  The USGS produced a series of reports, including projections of the future population trends of polar bears.  These projections were supported by a strong foundation in empirical data from long-term USGS studies.  The Department of the Interior saw a need to conduct similar analyses for other species in the Arctic, thus beginning the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative.

Decisions Informed by the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative

Through the Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) Initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is informing key resource management decisions by better understanding how wildlife populations of special interest to the Department of the Interior (DOI) are responding to rapid physical changes in the Arctic. Below are some examples of how CAE research is informing decision-making.

Science for Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing-related Decisions

Incidental Take Regulations for Polar Bears and Pacific Walrus for the Chukchi Sea issued June 12, 2013

Science Informing Endangered Species Act Decisions and Recovery Planning

USFWS Polar Bear Recovery Team

Recent Fact Sheets and Publications:

For most recent fact sheets and publications visit - https://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/polar_bears/pubs.html

News Releases:

• 6/29/2016 - Polar Bear Outlook Favorable Under Certain Scenarios
• 5/11/2016 - Polar Bear Point of View Video
• 4/20/2016 - How Climate Change Might Affect Polar Bears Bodies
• 6/30/2015 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions Remain the Primary Threat to Polar Bears
• 4/1/2015 - Polar Bear Unlikely to Thrive on Land-based foods
• 1/6/2015 - Polar Bears Shifting to Areas with More Sea Ice - Genetic Study Reveals
• 12/15/2014 - New Scientific Study Supports that Capture-based Research is Safe for Polar Bears
• 11/17/2014 - Southern Beaufort Sea Polar Bear Population Declined in the 2000s
• 7/9/2014 - Observing Polar Bears from Space
• 6/6/2014 - Through the Eyes of a Polar Bear
• 7/30/2013 - Zoo Polar Bear Sports High-Tech Neckwear for Conservation
• 4/6/2012 - Technical Announcement: Polar Bears in Alaska Observed with Patchy Hair Loss and other Skin Lesions

Other USGS links:

USGS Top Stories

What’s on the Menu for Arctic Polar Bears? Zoo polar bears Conrad and Tasul help scientists unlock decades’ worth of data.  (February 23, 2015)

Through the Eyes of a Polar Bear Swim, eat, and mate! Catch the first ever polar bear POV footage from the Arctic. (June 6, 2014)

Polar Bears, Long-Distance Swimming, and the Changing Arctic Long polar bear swims provide tantalizing clues. (May 1, 2012)

Videos

• Science Friday Video "Breakthrough: Polar Bear Witness" (June 2017)
• Polar Bear Point of View (POV) Cams (Spring 2016)
• Polar Bear Research at the San Diego Zoo (2016)
• Polar Bear Research at the Oregon Zoo (August 2015)
• Polar Bear Aids Scientists in Research (February 2015)
• Polar Bear Research - B Roll 1 (Spring 2014)
• Polar Bear Point of View (POV) Cams (Spring 2014)
• Tasul's Collar (July 2013)

For more information regarding polar bears and polar bear research visit:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/alaska/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/pbmain.htm

U.S. Geological Survey: https://alaska.usgs.gov /science/biology/polar_bears/index.html

Polar Bears International: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/