Arctic Sea Ice Loss: Scientists Capture Polar Bear’s Point of View [VIDEO]

A latest "point of view" video reveals that even polar bears are reacting to ice loss in the arctic.

The video, released by the U.S. Geological Survey, presents the first 'point of view' from polar bears on Arctic sea ice loss. This unique insight into the daily lives of the bears was possible after scientists attached video cameras on collars of four female polar bears north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. 

"We deployed two video cameras in 2013, but did not get any footage because the batteries weren't able to handle the Arctic temperatures," said Dr. Todd Atwood, study leader for the USGS Polar Bear Research Program. "We used different cameras this year, and we are thrilled to see that the new cameras worked."

The video cameras on collared bears were deployed as a part of the new study that aimed at understanding the response of polar bears to loss of sea ice as a result of drastic climate change.  Using this footage, biologists are getting a deeper insight into the behavior and the energy the bears expend during their daily activities.

For decades, scientists have been making an effort to study the movements of polar bears as well as the use of their habitat with the help of radio and satellite telemetry. They mostly focused on determining the location of the polar bears.  But this latest video retrieved from the video collars helps scientists associate the information of location from the collar with the real behavior recorded by the cameras.

"Although these collars were only on for about 8-10 days, scientists can start to understand the activity patterns of polar bears, for example how often they eat, hunt, rest, walk, and swim and how these behaviors may be affected by sea ice conditions and other variables. Ultimately, this information will help scientists examine the energetic rates and nutritional demands of these animals and the potential effects of declining sea ice conditions," says research biologist and University of California Santa Cruz PhD student,  Anthony Pagano.

In the year 2008, the polar bears were listed as threatened on the endangered species list due to loss of sea ice habitat. The research aims to draft some guidelines for polar bear conservation programs