Geological Survey

Description

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Alaska Science Center (ASC) is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research to support an investigation of the stress hormone cortisol in polar bear hair. Both the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) and Chukchi Sea (CS) subpopulations of polar bears have experienced similar sea ice loss leading to assumed population responses that have been divergent (i.e., SB: decreasing; CS: stable). Physiological links between environmental conditions and polar bear population vital rates have been elusive, making it difficult to strengthen environmental ties to population trends above a correlative level. The goal of this project is to characterize the concentration of cortisol in polar bear fur, accumulated during the previous year¿s ice-free season, and use the resulting data with known indices of sea ice conditions, reproductive status and polar bear health, to explain the factors that likely drive population status. Will make available 30+ years of capture data on polar bears and remotely-collected sea ice imagery to facilitate this work. Envision a study that draws a link between polar bear physiology and population status.

Who can apply

• Others

Contact

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