It's Becoming Un-polarbear-able

Figure 1: Patty and her cubs

Who is Patty?
Have you ever wondered what it's like to live in the freezing, icy conditions of Alaska? Patty and her two babies are well accustomed to their climate (Figure 1). Climate is a region's normal weather. It is influenced by the atmosphere, which is in the sky and circles all of earth. Patty is able to live in cold areas because her body is made for it. She has a thick coat of fur to keep her warm and she's a great swimmer which helps her get food for herself and her cubs. Patty also has paws that are made for walking on ice without slipping. They are covered with little bumps known as papillae. Papillae are used to grip the ice along with sharp nails (1). Patty is a big fan of seals as their fat helps her to store energy for many days. Polar bears like Patty aren't able to live anywhere else, but what happens if  her climate changes?                                          💧                               💧                                     💧

Figure 2: The greenhouse effect

It's Getting Warmer!
Climate change is a change in the earth's weather caused either naturally or by humans. Today, we use a lot of energy to get from place to place and to produce goods. These actions emit, or give off, a certain type of gas called greenhouse gas. The greenhouse gases in our atmosphere make the surface of earth warmer (2) (Figure 2). The change in temperature can be noticed across our whole planet, but Patty and her babies might be in the most danger. Patty lives in an area where the temperature needs to be stable meaning it needs to be really cold all the time. If the weather changes, she isn't prepared or able to adapt to her new conditions.         💧                       💧
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Figure 3: The loss of glaciers

Danger?

Lovable and beautiful polar bears like Patty are struggling to survive. If the earth is getting warmer, ice in Alaska is melting (Figure 3). Polar bears need the ice to live as it's hard to travel and hunt without it. Remember, they mainly eat seals who also need ice to live (3). The loss of sea ice really hurts polar bears in the summer. As it gets warmer, the ice goes further and further away from the shore. So, Patty will have to choose whether to starve herself and her babies or swim a very far distance to get to the ice. She is using a lot of her energy to get food, something that she is not used to. If she gets to the ice sheet far away from the shore, she might have a tough time finding food because seals don't typically live in this area (4). Also, she will be very tired and might not have enough energy to make it all the way back to her cubs. Many polar bears live the same way Patty lives. They struggle to survive and are close to being extinct, meaning none of them will be living anymore. Humans aren't helping polar bears out at all as they like to hunt them for their fur or for fun. How could they do such a thing?! The good news is that there are some people trying to save Patty and other polar bears.        💧                                                                 💧                                                💧                                                          💧             
Let's Help Patty
It's not fun to think that polar bears might not be on our planet some day. They bring a lot of joy to everyone and are needed in their cold environment for other animals to survive. All polar bears, including Patty, are having a hard time getting their food because of the ice melting.  We want polar bears to live as long as possible! People are finally realizing what is happening to them and are doing the best they can to save them. Years ago nothing was being done about climate change. Hopefully, our whole world will become even more knowledgeable to save precious animals like Patty and the polar bears.

References

Greenhouse effect [Photograph]. (2017). Retrieved from: http://science.jrank.org/kids/pages/74/PLANTS-OUR-PLANET.html

Polar bears [Photograph]. (2017). Retrieved from: https://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/climatechange/effects-on-polar-bears/

Polar bears [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/polar-bear-facts/

(1) Polar Bears International. (2017). Characteristics. In Polar Bears 101. Retrieved from: https://polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears/characteristics/

(2) Polar Bears International. (2017). Habitat. In Polar Bears 101. Retrieved from: https://polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears/habitat/

(3) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (February 2011). Retrieved from: https://unfccc.int/files/press/backgrounders/application/pdf/press_factsh_science.pdf

(4) World Wildlife Fund. (2017). Polar Bears and Climate Change. Retrieved from: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/polar-bears-and-climate-change