Media release

From: The Royal Society

The erosion of Arctic sea ice triggered by global warming strikes at the very core of long-term viability of polar bears, one of the Arctic’s indigenous ice-dependent species. We have studied how changes in the genetic diversity of polar bears coincide with declining sea ice coverage in the Svalbard Archipelago. We found an alarming 3-10% loss of genetic diversity across only 20 years, accompanied by rapid increase in genetic isolation among regions due to reduced contact with polar bears from the outside. We also show that these detrimental genetic changes are likely to become more severe in the future.