Polar bears drown as ice shelf melts

The Sunday Times ^ | December 18, 2005 | Will Iredale

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

SCIENTISTS have for the first time found evidence that polar bears are drowning because climate change is melting the Arctic ice shelf.

The researchers were startled to find bears having to swim up to 60 miles across open sea to find food. They are being forced into the long voyages because the ice floes from which they feed are melting, becoming smaller and drifting farther apart.

Although polar bears are strong swimmers, they are adapted for swimming close to the shore. Their sea journeys leave them them vulnerable to exhaustion, hypothermia or being swamped by waves

*Snip*

[slowhandluke]

Nice correlation - But does the Co2 rise first or the temperature? Seems to me the Temp goes up and the CO2 concentrations follow.

I think that is what I said, and the chart shows. The Temp goes up and the CO2 follows.

[slowhandluke]

That's very clever, leaving off the last 50 years of the past century. Here is a graph of CO2 levels that doesn't omit the last 50 years. Present = the year 2000.

That's very clever, changing the point at issue. The point is that the CO2 increase follows the Temp. Since you didn't include the last 50 years of temp, your chart is off point.

Then we get into other questions, such as the 8000 year peak in sun spots & solar radiance. Which is also off point.

The point is: the increase in CO2 is an effect of temperature rise, not the cause. If that is true over 1000s of years, it's unlikely to change in the last 50.

[BlueMondaySkipper]

"The researchers returned to the vicinity a few days later after a fierce storm and found four dead bears floating in the water."

I have a few questions:
Arkanside??
Any idea if the bears were male of female?
Where was Bill Klintoon?
Any DNA on thier fur?

[firebrand]

I was using "we" to mean "we inhabitants of the planet." And most of the forest (rainforest) area that is being cut down is being used for cattle, not new forest growth.

I agree that your three questions are three of the questions that have to be asked. Others might be: (4) Can we undo the damage that has been done? (5) Can we stop doing more damage?

Re (3): I think the short-term effects have to be bad, because we don't have time to adjust to them. Some of the food crops that the world depends on have decreased yields as the temperature rises, to cite one of the more dangerous results.

[firebrand]

It's hard to tell from these graphs, since they cover such long periods of time. If what you say is true, it might be that the same factor(s) that cause(s) warming also cause(s) CO2 increase.

An interesting site is the government's website on global warming.

[BlueMondaySkipper]

Polar bears depend on a frozen platform from which to hunt seals, the mainstay of their diet.

Perhaps we can provide them with some large pontoon boats!!

Hi!! My name is BlueMondaySkipper and I'm with "Pontoons for Polar Bears". We are trying to raise money so all the polar bears who have lost thier ice shelf have a place to hunt seals from.

No, we don't have anything against seals...

Yes, I know I called you last summer to raise money to save the seals...

Hello?? Hello?

[Marine_Uncle]

Thanks for ping. Really am not sure who to believe anymore on many of these issues. Regardless of how well laid out and supposed supported by good science/engineering techniques some of these studies claim, it always seems another group will offer a differing opinion.

[dearolddad]

Regardless of whether or not you belive that man caused global warming, this is a real problem. Climate change is real and we need to deal with it.

Please, do tell us how to fix it!

[midwyf]

There is a big push by the enviros to list polar bears. They are in a snit because the presented a petition to the government about the time of the hurricaines, and "no one had the curtesy to answer us". They are surely going to file lawsuits etc to get them listed whether they need it or not. These people have more control over the lives of American citizens than anyone can believe, and they will not stop until they have total control.

[proud_yank]

There is a big push by the enviros to list polar bears. They are in a snit because the presented a petition to the government about the time of the hurricaines, and "no one had the curtesy to answer us". They are surely going to file lawsuits etc to get them listed whether they need it or not. These people have more control over the lives of American citizens than anyone can believe, and they will not stop until they have total control.

How true, and already happening:

Activists sue U.S. to protect polar bears

[proud_yank]

Interesting website. Do you, or anyone here, have any info on volcanoes and their effect on CO2? I have read that they emit huge amounts of greenhouse gases, relative to what people emit.

[frgoff]

Conversation at the Times:

"Sir, we have a problem."
"What is it?"
"Well, polar bears are drowning because of global warming."
"Fantastic! Run the story."
"Um,"
"What's the problem?"
"Polar Bears are white."
"I see. Not sure about writing something sympathetic to whites."
"Yes, sir. You see my problem."
"Well, son, you're obviously new at this, so I'll toss you a bone. You see, it's not like this is a white HUMAN. It's a white animal, and that makes all the difference. In fact, you can even play up the irony. Global Warming caused by whites kills white animals. We'll have the editorial staff do a cartoon of a KKK guy lynching a white polar bear on a white ice floe."
"Wow. Sir. You are amazing."
"That's why I'm the editor, son."

[frgoff]

We haven't even begun to tap the Earth's riches. Humans create their own misery. Lack of planetary resources has nothing to do with it.

[conserv13]

We can't fix it, we'll adapt to it.

[firebrand]

I wasn't thinking in terms of planetary resources, but rather the many things that people can do voluntarily to improve the environment while still having a very high quality of life.

Overconsumption doesn't really make us happy. In fact, it could be the best thing that ever happened to us if we change our focus from the next get to the next get-together.