Winnipeg Sun, MSN: Polar bears in Canada’s high Arctic are most vulnerable to climate change, research shows

A report by researchers including from the University of Manitoba indicates that polar bears further north may be less able to adapt to climate warming.

Published Wednesday in Ecology Letters , the report “ Assessing the risk of climate maladaptation for Canadian polar bears ” includes a map with hotspots of polar bear vulnerability and resilience across Canada, home to two-thirds of the world’s polar bears.

“This research is a first look at the genetics behind the vulnerability of polar bears in warming climates, and we found that while polar bears in the high Arctic face the most challenges to climate change, those at lower latitudes may be more robust to continued warming,” says lead author Dr. Ruth Rivkin, postdoctoral research fellow with Polar Bears International, University of Manitoba, and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

You can read more in the Winnipeg Sun or MSN