It can be hard to see a polar bear from a helicopter. When Jon Aars heads out for his annual research trips, he scans the landscape for flashes of movement or subtle variations in color, the polar bear fur set off against the white snow.
Dr. Aars said that you see the footprints before you see the bear. The bear is where the footprints stop.
Dr. Aars is one of many polar bear researchers at the Norwegian Polar Institute, which has an outpost on Svalbard. Every year, the institute has staged field trips into the wilderness to find and study polar bears.
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The basic biology and ecology of the bears have been shed light on over the decades, helping scientists keep tabs on how the animals are dealing with climate change. With the sea ice retreating quickly, some of the bears have to swim long distances in order to find places to den. Dr. Aars said that the bears seem to be strong.
As researchers worry that it will change, annual field trips will help uncover problems early.
Scientists pull them off.
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In the spring, when female bears are emerging from their dens with newcubs, the sea ice is solid enough to support dangerous research. The scientists traverse the archipelago by helicopter to maximize the area of study. If you have a helicopter and land on the ice, you risk an accident with the helicopter.
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The team, which typically includes two biologists, a veterinarians, a helicopter pilot and a mechanic, begins scanning the landscape for bears once airborne. The researchers use a tranquilizer dart to try and catch one. If they hit their mark, it takes a few minutes before the bear is on the ice.
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The researchers get to work. They wrap a piece of fabric around the bear's eyes to block the sun's rays and set up equipment to monitor its heart rate, blood oxygen levels and body temperature.
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They measure the animal's length, girth, and skull. They look at its teeth, which can give an idea of its age.
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You start getting good at it when you do that with hundreds of bears. The female bears are weighed in a way that requires them to be hoisted into the air on a stretcher. The bears are too heavy to be weighed.
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They put the blood sample into a pocket so it doesn't freeze. Dr. Aars said to put it in your jacket. The scientists will be able to answer a lot of questions about the animal's life, such as what it is eating. Sometimes a bear covered in blood is a sign that it has just eaten a seal. Does it have parasites? Is it exposed to a lot of pollutants? They can use the samples to learn more about the genetics of the local polar bear population and sketch out ursine family trees.
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Satellite collars are given to some of the female bears. The researchers can calculate the amount of time the bears spend swimming with the help of a "saltwater switch" on the collars.
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The bears are given several identifying marks, including an ear tag, a chip in the ear, and a tattoo inside the lip. They painted a number on the back of the bears. When the bear sheds its fur, the number will disappear, preventing the scientists from capturing the same bear during the same field season. Dr. Aars said they don't want to bother that bear again.
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The process for a single bear takes about an hour, while the process for a female withcubs takes about an hour. The veterinarians gives a drug to reverse the sedative when the researchers are done.
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Sometimes the researchers wait for the bear to come to make sure it is safe up and walking. The bears keep their distance, but for Dr. Aars, the work has become routine and he doesn't fear the bears. He said that the bear is not saying, "I want to kill that guy." I think it's more about seeing if it's ok and thinking about other things.
They are back in the air looking for a bear.
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Anna has covered the polar regions for 10 years and is a photojournalist.
