Thank you so much for the opportunity to listen and see the scientists. They were so informative and full of passion for their subject!  I can't wait for the reruns!  Some of the speech went into fast speed after pauses and so I'm hoping that will be ironed out. I am glad today they focused on the global warming problems and gave us some hope and directives for what we can do personally to help slow it down.

From Patrick and Brandon...

1.  According to the UN page on polar bears, "polar bears in the Hudson Bay area are unique in the Arctic because they fast for six to eight months of hibernation and rely on winter hunting for survival."  This would imply that other polar bear populations do not fast for an extended period of time.  Will the loss of sea ice affect these other populations of polar bears as dramatically as the Hudson Bay bears?

2. According to Dr. Mitchell Taylor, Polar Bear Biologist,  "Climate change is having an effect on the west Hudson population of polar bears, but really, there is no need to panic. Of the 13 populations of polar bears in Canada , 11 are stable or increasing in number. They are not going extinct, or even appear to be affected at present."  and he also states, "It is noteworthy that the neighbouring population of southern Hudson Bay does not appear to have declined, and another southern population ( Davis Strait ) may actually be over-abundant."    Why do scientists differ so drastically on the plight of the polar bears and do you agree or disagree with Dr Taylor's assessments and why.

3. While we know that global warming is occurring, How can we be positive that greenhouse emmissions produced today are the direct cause.  Hasn't the earth always undergone dramatic climatic changes in cycles?  By graphing temperatures over the last 100 years, we have seen several periods of warming and cooling in approx. 40 year cycles.  And some graphs show that the average temperature in the Arctic in the 1940's was actually higher than it is today. 

Thank you for allowing us to participate in the question and answer discussion. 

Are there uranium mines planned in the Churchill area in the near future, as RJK Explorations LTD implies on their website?

How would this affect the Churchill Polar Bear population?

Thank you for answering!

Sylvia / Schleswig Holstein / Germany

On the morning of the 6th we noticed a collared bear with her two cubs. Can you please discuss the information you get from the collars..how these bears are collared and if you recognize certain bears here..like Dancer!

Hello to Dr. Moore, Dr. Amstrup, and Dr. Derocher!

We enjoyed the live broadcast on Nov 1st and are looking forward to Nov 7th.  We decided to ask a few more questions.

1. Could you give an annual timeline of locations and behaviors for the Cape Churchill polar bear population?

2. With an increasing need for conservation awareness on our planet, what are the top three actions that you would like to inspire teenagers to do to be more mindful of their environment’s future?

3. We understand that the decreased ice period has caused a detriment to the polar bears, but to what effect has human urban expansion had on the bears’ habitat?

Thank you for this opportunity to be with you on the tundra!

Mrs. Fowler's 8th grade earth science class at South Middle School, Rapid City, SD

Question:  Do the cubs of the year eat kelp too?  Thank you, Lin..Vancouver Island.

Thanks again for this great experience. It didn't work out for me, the screen kept freezing and buffering,  only the final part was ok. I'm looking forward to next week's broadcast and the upcoming archived version.

Really interesting discussion today.  Thanks so much to all involved for bringing this to us, and looking forward to next week.

Really looking forward to next week..Thank you all for the experience!! It was very informative.

Hello Everyone,

On behalf of the Polar Bear Cam team, I'd like to thank you for joining us today!  And for your patience as the techs worked out the audio issues. There are always challenges in broadcasting from such a remote location.

A number of you may have heard your  name mentioned at the end of the broadcast as a special thanks for participating and posting a question in this forum.

Early next week we will post a link to the archived-version of today's broadcast.  And, now that we have all of the technical bugs worked out, be sure to join us next week, on Wednesday, November 7th for another live -- and loud -- Expert Q&A broadcast.
 

Best,

Lisa, Mary, and the WildCam Team


 

I have been listening to them for 30 minutes now..interesting talk

It's too bad we can't hear what is being said. Maybe you will have a replay so we can watch/ hear it then!

Thanks,

Lorraine 

Hello,

My family loves watching the polar bear cam, so thank you for letting us view them and for promoting polar bear awareness.

We are wondering why the PBCam viewing season is so short this year? Could you elaborate on what determines the viewing times?

Thanks.
 

Are you making a transcript of this session because no one can hear you. Thanks.

Please realize that there is no sound coming from your discussion and no one can hear your answers to the questions - this has been since the very beginning of your answer session.

We can't hear them

Do you, as Polar Bear experts, agree with listing Polar Bears under the federal Endangered Species Act? 

Anchorage Daily News: November 1, 2007 (Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin)
http://www.adn.com/news/environment/story/9421511p-9333999c.html
By Tom Kizzia

Palin says polar bear protection as endangered is unjustified

Unfazed by new studies predicting the disappearance of polar bears from Alaska, Gov. Sarah Palin is repeating her opposition to listing the bears as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

There's still too much uncertainty about the future melting of the polar ice cap to justify such a listing, Palin told the federal government last week. And declaring any species "threatened" because of possible global warming effects would "open the floodgates" for petitions affecting thousands of other species, she said.

Palin said the polar bear has become "a metaphor in the highly charged climate change debate." Those petitioning for protection are using the bears to affect national policy on such distant issues as carbon emissions, which should be addressed in other ways, she said.

The Palin administration is skating on thin ice with such arguments, environmentalists say. The emphasis on uncertainty lines up the state against the preponderance of global scientific opinion, which foresees continued warming due significantly to human-caused emissions.

An array of new polar bear studies released by the U.S. Geological Survey in September buttressed the case for protection, predicting two-thirds of the world's polar bears -- and all of those in Alaska -- would be gone in 50 years because of the shrinking summer ice cap.

A decision by the Interior Department whether to list the polar bears as threatened is expected by January. (click link for more...)

changing environment and extinction

do you think that the polar bears have the ability/genetic makeup to adapt to their changing environment? can they evolve to live in a much warmer climate/ perhaps with out ice? would this make them a new species? how close would they be to extinction if they cannot adapt?

since mankind cannot control or turnback the climate, what can we do if anything to help prolong their existence and stave off extinction completely? are they and many other species doomed in this century?

Hello to Dr. Moore, Dr. Amstrup, and Dr. Derocher!

My students and I are anxious to participate in the Q & A lesson on Nov 1st.  We have a few questions that we would like to ask after watching the web cam on Wednesday.

1. What is done for polar bears in zoos so that they can behave like the ones we see wild in Churchill?

2. What have we been watching the polar bears eat during their time on the webcam?

3. What current research projects are being done to study polar bears?

~Mrs. Fowler's 8th grade science class in Rapid City, SD

Dear Scientists,

Thank you for this opportunity to ask our questions! 

I would like to know if the bears are coming in to the area at a lower weight (if you can tell) than previous years.  I remember reading in the paper that walruses were coming in too thin. 

Also, are there a lot of reported polar bear drownings because of the lack of ice?

 

Regards, Lin, Black Creek, Vancouver Island 

 

 

 

Dear Scientists,

We are a fifth grade class watching the polar bears from Naples, Florida. This is the second year we have watched the live polar bear cam and based our science unit on the live video. We are excited to hear your show tomorrow and next Wednesday. We hope you can answer our questions. Our questions are:

1. David asks, "What is the size of the polar bear's paw? What is the size of a black bear's paw?

2. Bryce asks, "Do polar bears hunt leopard seals, or are the bears afraid of leopard seals?"

3. Anton asks, "Why doesn't the cameraman/woman follow the bears as much as he/she did last year?"

4. Nicholas asks, "From head to toe, how long can a polar bear grow?"

5. Jacob asks, "How many pounds does the adult polar bear weigh?"

6. Danielle asks, "What is the scientific name for the polar bear?"

7. Aruna asks, "How many different species of polar bears are there?"

8. Anton asks, "How thick is a polar bear's layer of fat?"

 9. Krista asks, "How long is the polar bear's canine teeth?"

10. Marcella asks, "How much does an active polar bear sleep in one day?"

11. Bryce asks, "How long do the polar bear's claws grow?"

12. Abby asks, "What is your favorite football team?" 

Thank you very much and we hope you are staying warm!

The fifth grade class from Royal Palm Academy in Naples Florida.

 

These are questions from the boys.

1. Why are there no polar bears in Antarctica?

2. How far can polar bears swim and how long can they hold their breath?

3. How fast can polar bears run?

4. Are there limits on how many polar bears can be hunted and how has this affected their population?

5. How do polar bears keep from slipping on the ice?

6. What can we do to prevent the extinction of polar bears in the next century? 

7. How many distinct populations of polar bears are there?

8. Some "native groups" believe the polar bear population is actually increasing due to an increase of bears being sited on land.  Others believe that as coastal populations of bears are decreasing, that populations on land are increasing.  Doesn't this show some adaptation of the bears to changes in their enviroment and if so why do most scientists believe the polar bear will be unable to adapt to the change in their enviroment?

9. How will increased oil drilling in Alaska affect the polar bears?

10. As polar bears are considered marine animals, at what age will the young polar bears begin to swim?

11. What is "walking hibernation."

How far out on the ice will the polar bears go and how long will they stay out there ?

How far out will the females with cubs go out on the ice ?

On average, how many seals would a polar bear consume in a day ?

Will global warming have an affect on the polar bears reproduction, will females not want to have cubs because the food is scarce and they can not survive ?

Other than seals what do Polar bears eat in general ?

How bad is the effects of climate change and toxic chemicals on the polar bears ? and what can be done to help save the polar bears

The polar bears ice habitat is shrinking, can the polar bears adapt and survive ? 

What kind of relationship does a mother Polar bear have with her cubs after they are old enough and leave on their own ? If they meet do they recognize each other, do they acknowledge each other, are they friendly or do they avoid each other and not communicate 

How do the polar bears of northern Hudson Bay (Churchill) differ from the Hudson Bay/James Bay bears?

For satellite-tracking of bears, would it not possible to use a chip, similar to the ones used for dog/cat identification, instead of a collar?

How slow/fast is the metabolism of a polar bear?

What physical adaptations enable the polar bear to hunt prey as large as walruses and beluga whales.

Are polar bear cubs born with black skin or does the skin darken as they grow older?