Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
Research

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conduct polar bear research in Alaska. A long term mark-recapture study in the Southern Beaufort Sea is underway to determine population size, productivity, and how polar bears are responding to their changing environment. USGS and USFWS have also been monitoring the fall distribution of polar bears annually along Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast using aerial surveys. USFWS and USGS also study polar bears in the Chukchi Sea to try to determine the status and trends of bears in that region.

ADF&G and the USFWS–Marine Mammals Management Office are collaborating on a project to evaluate the feasibility of 3 methods to detect polar bear dens in the Beaufort Sea. For more information see Cooperative Maternal Polar Bear Den Detection Project.

For more information on USFWS polar bear research, see the USFWS Polar Bear Research in Alaska (PDF file).