CHAPTER ONE ARE POLAR BEARS IN TROUBLE A tired and hungry polar bear climbs ashore from the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean The bear has returned to solid ground after a winter of hunting seals on sea ice Just a few weeks ago this part of the Arctic was frozen solid But the summer warmth has turned much of sea ice to water The melting forced the polar bear to make a decision It could stay on the ice or swim to land in search of Polar bears spend time both on land and on sea ice 5
Polar bears cannot hunt seals effectively without sufficient amounts of sea ice 66
food This time of the year is known as the fasting period for polar bears Without many seals to feast on the bears survive mainly off the fat they have stored in their bodies In the last few decades though the ice has been melting earlier This change has left polar bears with less time to harvest seals on the sea ice and build up fat The bears must find other food sources in order to survive This change in routine tells a lot about what is happening to the Arctic ecosystem Polar bears are bioindicator animals Bioindicators are plants or animals scientists study to better understand the health of an ecosystem The problems polar bears face can help people understand worldwide problems such as climate change Polar bears can also teach humans about the effects of pollution When a polar bear eats a seal the bear does not consume just the meat The bear also eats substances that have built up in the seal’s body Seals live in water And their bodies take in whatever 7
