An on-ice aerial survey of the Kane Basin polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ) subpopulation.

Autor: Wiig Ø; Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1172, N-0318 Oslo, Norway., Atkinson SN; Wildlife Research Section, Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut, P.O. Box 209, Igloolik, NU X0A 0L0 Canada., Born EW; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland., Stapleton S; Field Conservation Program, Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN 55124 USA., Arnold T; Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA., Dyck M; Wildlife Research Section, Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut, P.O. Box 209, Igloolik, NU X0A 0L0 Canada., Laidre KL; Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland.; Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA., Lunn NJ; Environment and Climate Change Canada, CW-422 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9 Canada., Regehr EV; Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Polar biology [Polar Biol] 2022; Vol. 45 (1), pp. 89-100. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 22.
DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02974-6
Abstrakt: There is an imminent need to collect information on distribution and abundance of polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) to understand how they are affected by the ongoing decrease in Arctic sea ice. The Kane Basin (KB) subpopulation is a group of high-latitude polar bears that ranges between High Arctic Canada and NW Greenland around and north of the North Water polynya (NOW). We conducted a line transect distance sampling aerial survey of KB polar bears during 28 April-12 May 2014. A total of 4160 linear kilometers were flown in a helicopter over fast ice in the fjords and over offshore pack ice between 76° 50' and 80° N'. Using a mark-recapture distance sampling protocol, the estimated abundance was 190 bears (95% lognormal CI: 87-411; CV 39%). This estimate is likely negatively biased to an unknown degree because the offshore sectors of the NOW with much open water were not surveyed because of logistical and safety reasons. Our study demonstrated that aerial surveys may be a feasible method for obtaining abundance estimates for small subpopulations of polar bears.
Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
(© The Author(s) 2021.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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