Global warming has been a huge controversial topic throughout society in recent years. With global changes that affect so many people, environments, and living things, attention is brought to the issue to make it clear what is actually happening. “During the period 1979 to 2006, the annual sea ice area in the arctic decreased by about 3.2% per decade.”(Wiig) The Earth is warming, which obviously makes drastic changes to certain habitats of many species. The polar bear inhabits the arctic, which is a polar region that sits right on top of the globe. The arctic is made up of sea ice and land that is for the most part covered in snow, which fits perfectly for the life of a polar bear. Polar bears depend on this region for much more than just
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One of the most prominent assets of the arctic include the sea ice. Polar bears need sea ice as a terrace for hunting, and with sea ice platforms drifting farther apart and reducing in size, it has become more threatening to obtain food from sea and polar bears will soon have to scavenge for other food. Observing this large mammal, it would be irrelevant to say that such a creature wouldn’t need an excessive amount of food to keep itself healthy. According to Oystein, a polar bear weighing around 200 kg, which is the size of an average bear, needs to consume around 2 kg of blubber each day just to keep itself nourished and able to survive.(Wiig) Blubber is a huge part of a polar bear's diet, with seals being their number one prey. But with global warming taking effect, it’s not just the fact that the sea ice depletion isn’t allowing them to hunt, the fact comes to seals retreating from their natural habitat as well. Other than seals, polar bears will also feed on marine life, which has felt the effects of global warming from the rising temperatures of the ocean. Jerry explained, these high temperatures have caused fish to retreat to more stable areas for food and living which depletes the polar bears source for energy.(Yugovich) Hunting for food has become a severe obstacle polar bears have had to face. Without a sustainable supply of food for polar bears, these animals and potentially their cubs can be in a great deal of
One of the most prominent assets of the arctic include the sea ice. Polar bears need sea ice as a terrace for hunting, and with sea ice platforms drifting farther apart and reducing in size, it has become more threatening to obtain food from sea and polar bears will soon have to scavenge for other food. Observing this large mammal, it would be irrelevant to say that such a creature wouldn’t need an excessive amount of food to keep itself healthy. According to Oystein, a polar bear weighing around 200 kg, which is the size of an average bear, needs to consume around 2 kg of blubber each day just to keep itself nourished and able to survive.(Wiig) Blubber is a huge part of a polar bear's diet, with seals being their number one prey. But with global warming taking effect, it’s not just the fact that the sea ice depletion isn’t allowing them to hunt, the fact comes to seals retreating from their natural habitat as well. Other than seals, polar bears will also feed on marine life, which has felt the effects of global warming from the rising temperatures of the ocean. Jerry explained, these high temperatures have caused fish to retreat to more stable areas for food and living which depletes the polar bears source for energy.(Yugovich) Hunting for food has become a severe obstacle polar bears have had to face. Without a sustainable supply of food for polar bears, these animals and potentially their cubs can be in a great deal of