Lower than ordinary ice circumstances off Labrador have resulted in only a few polar bear sightings – Watts Up With That?
Reposted by Polar Bear Science
Posted on April 14, 2021 |
I’ve been wondering since last year why there are virtually no reports of polar bears on land in Labrador and also on the north coast of Newfoundland. This year there was little ice off Newfoundland other than the northern peninsula, but relatively much ice off the south coast of Labrador.
Canadian ranger and polar bear guardian Jefferey Keefe of Black Tickle (on an island off the Labrador coast) said in a CBC radio interview (April 13, 2021) yesterday that they had 72 sightings in the community over the season of 2019. last year they had 7 and so far they have only had 2 sets of tracks – but no actual bear sightings. He estimated the average number of sightings per year to be around 20 and had spoken to his colleagues in Makkovik (north of Rigolet on the map below) and their experiences are similar. It appears that numbers have been falling across southern Labrador, despite a bear seen in Charlottetown (south of Black Tickle) last week.
Keefe said the sea on the island has been very rough that year and the young sea ice cracked almost immediately as soon as it formed. They currently have no ice in their port, which is unusual. He believes this lack of nearshore ice keeps the bears farther out on the pack ice: the bears are still out there but are just taking different routes this year. In view of the current ice conditions on site, he does not expect any further visits this season.
Below is a detailed ice map of the region from that year: Black Tickle is located south of Cartwright, which is highlighted on the map.
In 2019, I followed the published polar bear sightings in Labrador, not all of which were in Black Tickle. I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss any (Crockford 2020) but there were nowhere near 72 reports in total, let alone 72 just in Black Tickle. See here (mid-February); here (end of February); here (mid-April); here (end of May).
However, I was also pretty sure that not every single sighting brought the news, which that information confirms. A total of 72 sightings in 2019 in Black Tickle alone are impressive! There were an impressive number of sightings in Newfoundland in 2017.
The ice came to Labrador early in 2019 and has been relatively heavy all spring. There was lighter ice in 2020, but not as late and light as this year. From the comments of Sgt. Keefe, it appears that the wind and sea conditions near the coast had a greater impact on potential polar bear visits in southern Labrador than the ice conditions far offshore. While a population collapse would also explain the dramatic drop in sightings, there is no evidence that Davis Strait numbers have come down much as some have predicted.
Listen to the whole thing on the tape at 1.30pm-6pm.
Crockford, SJ 2020. Polar Bear Condition Report 2019. Global Warming Policy Foundation Report 39, London. PDF Here.
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