At the northernmost reaches of the world, the Arctic is changing at an extraordinary pace.
Sea ice is disappearing, temperatures are rising and ecosystems are being forced to adapt to conditions they have never experienced before. Yet, in Svalbard, some polar bears appear to be doing surprisingly well.
So, what does that actually tell us about climate change?
For this Seashell Spirit feature, we spoke to Cicely after her trip to Svalbard, where she photographed polar bears in their natural environment and explored the complex relationship between sea ice, prey availability and Arctic wildlife. From her first arrival in Longyearbyen to the unforgettable moment she came face-to-face with a polar bear, Cicely takes us beyond the headlines to explore why Svalbard’s polar bears appear to be thriving for now, what that tells us about a changing Arctic, and why there is so much more to their story than meets the eye.
What was it like arriving in Svalbard for the first time, and what struck you most about the Arctic environment?
Svalbard was really unlike anywhere I’d visited before. I’ve only ever visited cities or coastal villages, so arriving in the remote town of Longyearbyen, one of the northernmost settlements in the world, was a crazy experience. There are a few shops and houses in the town, but once you leave the settlement, the landscape just seems to stretch endlessly. It’s a place where people must carry rifles when leaving the ‘safe zone’, in case they encounter a polar bear, and where it’s highly recommended not to lock your car in case a polar bear enters the town and you need to make a quick getaway. In a place surrounded by miles of nothingness, car theft isn’t really much of a problem! It just felt like such a different way of life, and I loved learning about it all.
If sea ice is disappearing, why did the polar bears you encountered appear to be doing so well? What do you think is the most important thing people misunderstand about this apparent paradox?
In Svalbard and the wider Barents Sea region, there are several possible explanations for why polar bears have remained in relatively good condition despite substantial sea-ice loss. One leading theory for their increase in weight is the increase in walrus populations. After being hunted close to extinction, the walrus received legal protection in Norway in 1952. Numbers have since recovered to roughly 5,000 animals around Svalbard, providing a reliable source of fatty food for the polar bears. A second theory is that the increasing reduction of sea ice could mean that the seals are forced to congregate in smaller, denser areas, providing a smaller hunting area for the polar bears.
One thing that has not yet been fully explored in the scientific literature, but something that should be taken into consideration in this discussion, is the effects of epigenetics. A case study that springs to mind could explain this phenomenon. During the Dutch Hunger Winter, a Nazi blockade left an estimated 4.5 million Dutch people severely malnourished for approximately five months. Decades later, researchers found that the children and grandchildren of people who had starved showed significantly higher rates of obesity and heart disease. The starvation didn’t just affect the individual who experienced it firsthand; it changed how genes were expressed, impacting the ways that both the survivors and their descendants stored fat and held onto energy. This raises the question of whether this has happened with the polar bears, where the offspring of polar bears who first faced the retreating ice have had a change in gene expression, meaning they store and hold onto energy more efficiently. This hasn’t been explored yet, so we don’t know for sure, but I think it’s an interesting theory, and that's part of what makes this subject so interesting. We can observe that some polar bears are doing well now, but that doesn't necessarily tell us what will happen as environmental conditions continue to change.
You make an important distinction between Svalbard’s polar bears and polar bears elsewhere. How important is geographical context when talking about the effects of climate change on wildlife?
It’s a very important discussion to have. One of the biggest things I’ve taken away from looking into this topic is that we can’t talk about ‘polar bears’ as though it is just one population responding to climate change in the same way. Of the 19 recognised polar bear subpopulations, the picture looks different depending on where you look. Western Hudson Bay populations have declined significantly, from 1,185 bears in 1987 to 949 in 2011 and just 618 in 2021. In the Southern Beaufort Sea, the population declined significantly in the mid-2000s following extreme sea-ice loss and has since stabilised at a number roughly 40% below its initial recorded size. Svalbard’s resilience is therefore not representative of the whole picture. Winter temperatures in the Barents Sea have risen by nearly four degrees Celsius since the 1970s. These conditions have, for now, provided polar bears with the abundance and concentration of prey needed to keep them well fed. But we can’t assume that this will remain the case for the foreseeable future.
So, I think the real takeaway is that climate change doesn’t produce the same outcome everywhere. Local ecology, prey availability, sea-ice dynamics, behaviour and the ability of animals to adapt all matter.
You were taking photographs throughout the trip as well as writing about what you were seeing. Was there a particular moment or image that really stayed with you, and why?
Seeing my first polar bear was probably one of the most incredible moments of my life. Seeing such a powerful predator in its natural environment, something I had previously only seen in documentaries on TV, was just beyond words. We spent around an hour with this particular individual, during which time he walked along the coast, played with some seaweed and in the snow, and even had a few rolls down a snowy hill. With a camera in hand, it’s easy to become engulfed in trying to take the perfect picture, but after about 30 minutes, I put the camera back in my dry bag and just sat with the bear, taking in the moment as much as I could, before he eventually disappeared over the snowy hilltop.
What do you hope people take away from your work about the complexity of Arctic wildlife and conservation?
We are going through what can only be described as a climate emergency, but that doesn't mean every species, population, or ecosystem will respond in the same way. Svalbard's polar bears are a good example of this complexity. Despite drastic changes to their environment and extreme sea-ice loss, they have so far shown a remarkable ability to adapt and, in some cases, maintain good body condition. But I don't think we should interpret this as a reason to not take this issue seriously. Svalbard is warming at roughly three times the global average, faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. Sea ice is declining, permafrost is disappearing, and the wider food web is being affected. This is the fascinating thing about nature; wildlife doesn't just respond to climate change by either surviving or dying. They go through behavioural changes, changes in diet, in distribution and maybe even changes that we don't yet fully understand. This is one of the reasons why continued research and observation are so important. Seeing a healthy polar bear in Svalbard doesn't mean climate change isn't happening. At the same time, seeing a population decline elsewhere doesn't tell us the whole story of what is happening across the Arctic. I hope people start to look beyond the headlines and the media, and become more curious about what is actually happening in these ecosystems. The more we understand what is going on in these ecosystems, the better placed we are to protect them.
Support Cicely’s Work Beyond the Arctic
Alongside her scientific work, Cicely is also the founder of aqualogie, a jewellery and apparel brand inspired by the beauty and wildness of the ocean. Designed by hand, and inspired by Cicely's own experiences with ocean life, aqualogie creates pieces that bring a little of that connection to the everyday. If you’d like to discover more of Cicely’s work and explore the collection, click here.
Thank you for sharing your Seashell Spirit with us, Cicely! Follow on Instagram. Eager to read more from Cicely? Check out our 2024 interview all about the ocean's apex predators.. sharks!
