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

• Published in: Polar biology Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. 89 - 100
• Main Authors: Wiig, Øystein, Atkinson, Stephen N., Born, Erik W., Stapleton, Seth, Arnold, Todd, Dyck, Markus, Laidre, Kristin L., Lunn, Nicholas J., Regehr, Eric V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-01-2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abundance; Aerial surveying; Aerial surveys; Aquatic mammals; Bears; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Distance; Ecology; Fast ice; Fjords; Helicopters; Life Sciences; Marine mammals; Microbiology; Oceanography; Offshore; Original Paper; Pack ice; Plant Sciences; Polar bear; Polar bears; Polynyas; Sampling; Sea ice; Subpopulations; Surveys; Tracking; Ursus maritimus; Zoology; Arctic region; Abundance; Polar bear; North Water Polynya; Distance sampling; Kane Basin; Aerial survey; Ursus maritimus
• ISSN: 0722-4060; 1432-2056
• DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02974-6

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.