On thin ice, more polar bears move from Svalbard to Franz Josef Land
February 27 marks International Polar Bear Day, but there is no reason to celebrate at Svalbard where the entire west- and north coasts of Spitsbergen and Nordaustlandet are open waters. Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting seals.
Senior Scientist Jon Aars can from his office at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø see where the polar bears he is studying are moving. With tracking collars attached to the neck, each bear sends a daily position via satellite. For Aars, the females are of particular interest.
