Interview: As Arctic Ocean Melts, A Refuge Plan for the Polar Bear

With the Arctic Ocean heading toward a largely ice-free state in summer by mid-century, scientists are looking closely at areas that may retain remnant sea ice and help preserve ice-dependent creatures. Researchers have identified a key spot north of Canada and Greenland, which they say could be a kind of Noah’s Ark in the age of global warming. In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Stephanie Pfirman, an Arctic ice expert and co-chair of the Environmental Science Department at Barnard College, describes how the refuge could harbor substantial numbers of polar bears, ringed seals, and other Arctic creatures until the end of the 21st century and, possibly, beyond. The good news, says Pfirman, is that if humanity begins to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, the ice refuges could preserve Arctic species and enable them to repopulate the region if ice levels eventually recover.

Read the interview