Geological Survey

Description

The USGS Alaska Science Center is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research on "Development of remote sensing as a tool for monitoring polar bears on Wrangel Island and the Chukotka Peninsula". This research will investigate the potential for satellite imagery to be usedto estimate polar bear abundance on Chukotka and Wrangel Islands, land habitats used duringsummer and winter by denning and non-denning polar bears. Data from satellite radio-collarssuggest that up to 75% of pregnant female polar bears in the Chukchi Sea den on Wrangel andnearby, Herald Islands. Furthermore, increased numbers of bears are using Wrangel Islandduring the summer period of minimum sea ice extent in recent years. Satellite radiocollars areexpensive to deploy and provide relatively small sample sizes to gauge trends in land use anddenning behavior of polar bears in this region. Satellite imagery, if successful for monitoringpolar bear land use, would be a much less expensive and productive method for monitoring longtermtrends.

Who can apply

• Others

Contact

Faith Graves, 703-648-7356 <br/>fgraves@usgs.gov <br/>
fgraves@usgs.gov