An Update on Arctic Sea Ice and the Polar Bear: Anuri

Dec 1, 2024

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According to the most recent numbers from the National Snow and Ice Data Center, sea ice has reached the continent of Greenland, the Northwest Passage, the northern borders of Canada, Alaska, and Russia, and has surrounded Wrangel Island north of the Bering Strait. Sea ice has begun to emerge off the northwestern coast of Hudson Bay, but is no more than 30%-40% in concentration. Similarly, a low-concentration patch of sea ice is beginning to form off the southern coast of the Svalbard Archipelago.

Though sea ice is beginning to tighten its grip on the Arctic this winter, there is still reason for concern. The Arctic Sea Ice Extent (area of ocean with at least 15% sea ice) today is nearly 2 million square kilometers less than a decade ago, and at the beginning of November, the Arctic Sea Ice Extent was nearly 1 million square kilometers behind measurements from one year ago in 2023. The measurements for sea ice in the month of October ‘24 are the fourth lowest in the forty-six years satellite records have been kept, but thankfully there are more than 200,000 square kilometers today of sea ice than in 2020 at this time. The NSIDC sees ice spreading at a near-average pace except in the Barents and Kara Seas, as well as the Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, and the Canadian Archipelago.

As temperatures begin to slowly plunge below freezing within the Canadian Archipelago, polar bears eagerly await the sea ice of Hudson Bay to form. In the early weeks of November, temperatures in Churchill, Manitoba, climbed as high as 44° before finally leveling off in the mid to low 30s in week four. However, with last week’s temperatures seeing highs of 25° and lows of 6°, it is safe to say that it is only a matter of time until the polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba, will be able to finally begin their trek across the Arctic sea ice.

In early August, the most recent information from Polar Bears International showed ‘Anuri’ and her cub safely reaching shore on May 6, 2024, near Whale Cove on the western coast of Hudson Bay as sea ice was melting. In the beginning of October, Anuri’s collar came online again and indicated that she had spent her summer traveling south to Salmon Creek, which empties into Hudson Bay north of Mukaysew Island. Since then, Anuri has traveled north to Cape Churchill, which lies roughly 30 miles east of Churchill, Manitoba, and the headquarters of Polar Bears International! Whether she intends to visit Polar Bears International or not, we do not know for sure, but nevertheless, we wish her safe travels as she begins another winter campaign on the soon-to-freeze ice fields of Hudson Bay.