Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead
The Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead (CBP) are major, predictable habitat features with ≤15% ice cover in an otherwise ice-covered Beaufort Sea, and thought to provide hunting opportunities for polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774). We assessed 78 adult (female; with and without cubs) and su...
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Canadian Science Publishing
2022
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0023 https://doaj.org/article/218c85b72e2748f2877e318de8dbbc12 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:218c85b72e2748f2877e318de8dbbc12 2023-05-15T14:23:47+02:00 Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead Erin M. Henderson Andrew E. Derocher 2022-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0023 https://doaj.org/article/218c85b72e2748f2877e318de8dbbc12 EN FR eng fre Canadian Science Publishing https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2021-0023 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2021-0023 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/218c85b72e2748f2877e318de8dbbc12 Arctic Science, Vol 8, Iss 2, Pp 395-413 (2022) Cape Bathurst polynya flaw lead Ursus maritimus Beaufort Sea first passage time polynie du Cap Bathurst Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0023 2022-12-30T22:56:53Z The Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead (CBP) are major, predictable habitat features with ≤15% ice cover in an otherwise ice-covered Beaufort Sea, and thought to provide hunting opportunities for polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774). We assessed 78 adult (female; with and without cubs) and subadult (male and female) polar bears’ use of the CBP from October to June 2007–2014. The CBP was up to 725 km wide in autumn, ice-covered in winter, and <306 km wide in spring. Seventy-nine percent (n = 62) of the bears used the CBP (≥1 location <2.4 km, or one 4 h step length, from the CBP). Use was higher for solitary adult females and subadult males, which travelled faster with low turning angles along wider sections than females with offspring and subadult females. Bears were closest to the CBP during the spring hyperphagia season. Although a wider CBP did not prevent crossing, bears primarily crossed from the coast towards pack ice at locations 53% narrower than areas not crossed. Bears might avoid crossing when it would require a long-distance swim. The CBP affects polar bear ecology by providing hunting habitat and a corridor that could increase prey encounters but may affect movement. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Beaufort Sea Ursus maritimus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Cape Bathurst ENVELOPE(-128.068,-128.068,70.579,70.579) Arctic Science 1 19 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English French |
topic |
Cape Bathurst polynya flaw lead Ursus maritimus Beaufort Sea first passage time polynie du Cap Bathurst Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
spellingShingle |
Cape Bathurst polynya flaw lead Ursus maritimus Beaufort Sea first passage time polynie du Cap Bathurst Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 Erin M. Henderson Andrew E. Derocher Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead |
topic_facet |
Cape Bathurst polynya flaw lead Ursus maritimus Beaufort Sea first passage time polynie du Cap Bathurst Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
description |
The Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead (CBP) are major, predictable habitat features with ≤15% ice cover in an otherwise ice-covered Beaufort Sea, and thought to provide hunting opportunities for polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774). We assessed 78 adult (female; with and without cubs) and subadult (male and female) polar bears’ use of the CBP from October to June 2007–2014. The CBP was up to 725 km wide in autumn, ice-covered in winter, and <306 km wide in spring. Seventy-nine percent (n = 62) of the bears used the CBP (≥1 location <2.4 km, or one 4 h step length, from the CBP). Use was higher for solitary adult females and subadult males, which travelled faster with low turning angles along wider sections than females with offspring and subadult females. Bears were closest to the CBP during the spring hyperphagia season. Although a wider CBP did not prevent crossing, bears primarily crossed from the coast towards pack ice at locations 53% narrower than areas not crossed. Bears might avoid crossing when it would require a long-distance swim. The CBP affects polar bear ecology by providing hunting habitat and a corridor that could increase prey encounters but may affect movement. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Erin M. Henderson Andrew E. Derocher |
author_facet |
Erin M. Henderson Andrew E. Derocher |
author_sort |
Erin M. Henderson |
title |
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead |
title_short |
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead |
title_full |
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead |
title_fullStr |
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead |
title_full_unstemmed |
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) use of the Cape Bathurst polynya and flaw lead |
title_sort |
polar bear (ursus maritimus) use of the cape bathurst polynya and flaw lead |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0023 https://doaj.org/article/218c85b72e2748f2877e318de8dbbc12 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-128.068,-128.068,70.579,70.579) |
geographic |
Cape Bathurst |
geographic_facet |
Cape Bathurst |
genre |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Ursus maritimus |
op_source |
Arctic Science, Vol 8, Iss 2, Pp 395-413 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2021-0023 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2021-0023 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/218c85b72e2748f2877e318de8dbbc12 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0023 |
container_title |
Arctic Science |
container_start_page |
1 |
op_container_end_page |
19 |
_version_ |
1766296276886880256 |