This research demonstrates that these apex predators are a crucial link between the marine and terrestrial ecosystems. By hunting seals on the sea ice and abandoning the remains, polar bears transfer a substantial amount of energy from the ocean to the ice surface, making it accessible to other animals. The study identifies at least 11 vertebrate species known to benefit from this carrion, including Arctic foxes and ravens, with an additional eight potential scavenger species.

“Our findings quantify for the first time, the sheer scale of polar bears as a food provider to other species and the interconnectedness of their ecosystem,” says Holly Gamblin, lead author of the study and PhD Candidate in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Science. “What is apparent from this review is that there is no other species that adequately replaces how a polar bear hunts, in which they drag their prey from the water to the sea ice and leave substantial remains for other species to access.”

Past research has emphasized that continued warming in the Arctic and the resulting loss of sea ice directly endanger polar bear populations. However, this new research highlights that a decline in polar bears would not only impact the species itself but the loss of the carrion they provide could have significant consequences for the entire Arctic ecosystem.

“Our research highlights the important role of polar bears as carrion providers,” says Dr. Nicholas Pilfold, Scientist in Population Sustainability at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “The sea ice acts as a platform for many species to access scavenging resources provided by polar bears, and ultimately, declines in sea ice will reduce access to this energy source. Our findings indicate that documented declines in polar bear abundance in two subpopulations have already resulted in the loss of more than 300 tonnes of food resources for scavengers annually.”

These findings highlight the interdependence of arctic wildlife species and their shared vulnerabilities in the face of rapid environmental change. With polar bear populations continuing to decline, this research underscores the urgency of conservation efforts to protect them, not only for their own sake but for the species that rely on them.

Link to study: https://www.authorea.com/users/793787/articles/1290812-predators-and-scavengers-polar-bears-as-marine-carrion-providers?commit=8312ffd1b368d798b4758110ab2c469160173010

DOI: 10.22541/au.174585452.23211757/v1

About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance 

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation leader, inspires passion for nature and collaboration for a healthier world. The Alliance supports innovative conservation science through global partnerships and groundbreaking efforts at the world-famous San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, both leading zoological institutions and accredited botanical gardens. Through wildlife care expertise, cutting-edge science and continued collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have been reintroduced to native habitats. The Alliance reaches over 1 billion people annually through its two conservation parks and media channels in 170 countries, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television, available in children’s hospitals across 14 countries. Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success possible. 

About University of Manitoba

The University of Manitoba (UM) is recognized as Western Canada’s first university. It is part of the U15, ranking among Canada’s top research-intensive universities and provides exceptional undergraduate and graduate liberal arts, science and professional programs of study. UM campuses and research spaces are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Dene and Inuit, and on the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. UM recognizes that the Treaties signed on these lands are a lifelong, enduring relationship, and we are dedicated to upholding their spirit and intent. Our collaboration with Indigenous communities is grounded in respect and reciprocity and this guides how we move forward as an institution. For more information, please visit umanitoba.ca.

For the town of Churchill, in northern Manitoba, this brings a lot of opportunity but there are fears it could also have environmental consequences. “We’re not just observant based, we’re actually doing studies to address challenges, issues associated with a rapidly opening Hudson Bay,” said Dr. Feiyue Wang, Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) Department of Environment and Geography 
and Centre for Earth Observation Science and Director of the CMO. “With increasing shipping and development in the region, you have an increasing risk of oil spills.”

To read the full article, please visit CTV News.

To listen to the full interview, please head to CJOB.

This endowment fund was established at the University of Manitoba to honour the memory of Dr. David Barber, Distinguished Professor and Founding Director of the Centre for Earth Observation Science. Dr. David Barber also held a and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair Arctic System Science and Climate Change.

Dr. Tim Papakyriakou and Lucette Barber presenting the awards.

The fund, which has so far awarded $140,000 to 19 recipients, is meant to support graduate students who are conducting or have conducted thesis research pertaining to the Arctic and who demonstrated outstanding leadership and/or excellence in Arctic research.

Use the following link to find out more information about the D.G. & V.E. Barber Memorial Fellowship in Arctic Research, including past recipients and details for how the fund is supported.

Below are the recipients from Spring Convocation 2025, including their project titles:

• Madhurima Chakraborty, M.Sc. – Exploring the environmental factors controlling iceberg season severity along the east coast of Canada
• Veronica Coppolaro, Ph.D.  – Passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals and vessel noise in Hudson Bay
• Zakhar Kazmiruk, Ph.D. – Marine microbiology in the changing Canadian Arctic
• Lisa Kulchyck, M.Sc. – Evaluating the relationship between lipids and body condition in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested for subsistence in the Western Arctic 
• Nicole Loeb, Ph.D. – Extreme Precipitation in Greenland and the Baffin Bay Region: Changes, Drivers, and Impacts on Land Ice

This is the deepest one ever pulled in Canada. Ice cores are samples that can provide information about the past.

“By analyzing this ice core, we should get a 10,000-year record of climatic conditions over the Canadian Arctic,” says researcher David Babb. “This is the first time we’ve been able to do something like this.”

To read the entire story, please follow the link to CTV Winnipeg.

You can also watch a short clip about this story by following the link to CTV News YouTube.

The Globe and Mail also wrote this in-depth piece and you can follow the link to read it: In Canada’s high arctic, scientists on mission to drill deep into climate history

While studying sea ice conditions and climate in the High Arctic, Babb took a moment to show his Jets pride, capturing a photo that caught the team’s attention and got reposted by the Jets themselves.

He joins CBC’s Marjorie Dowhos to talk about his work and what it means to bring a piece of home to the top of the world. Follow the link to CBC Manitoba and you will hear the entire conversation. 

Dr. Babb also made time to talk about his research and love the Winnipeg Jets with the morning crew at QX 104. 

To hear that conversation, please follow the link to QX104.

The Müller Ice Cap Project, led by Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, a Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Ice, Freshwater Marine Coupling, and Climate Change, aims to extract a 600-meter ice core, which will provide a roughly 10,000-year record of climate and sea conditions in the Canadian Arctic.

Map showing the location of Müller Ice Cap.

In 2023, the research team visited Müller Ice Cap to conduct ice-penetrating radar surveys and select a suitable drill site for the climate record they seek. This year, the team is returning to drill the core.

Over the next two months, the team will drill the 600-meter ice core in 2-3-meter sections. This process will require the drill to be attached to a cable, making hundreds of runs up and down the hole until it reaches bedrock. The 2-3-meter sections of the ice core will be transported to the Canadian Ice Core Laboratory in Edmonton, where they will be analyzed in the fall.

David Babb, a researcher at the Centre for Earth Observation Science at UM, notes that the northern latitude and high elevation of the drill site provide an excellent opportunity to understand past climatic conditions in the Arctic.

While researchers know that sea ice extent and glaciers are rapidly changing, it remains unclear how these changes compare to those of the past. This project will significantly improve their understanding of past Arctic sea ice and climate conditions, offering crucial insights into ongoing changes in the region.

To follow the research team’s progress, check out their daily blog, Field updates from Muller Ice Cap.

The $30,000 solar panel will reduce the hydro bill, plus excess power generated by it can be put on Manitoba Hydro’s grid.

Debbie Armstrong, an instructor in the environment and geography department, who is a technician at the ultra-clean trace elements laboratory, wrote the proposal to acquire the panel.

To read the entire story, please follow the link to the Winnipeg Free Press.

That work is led by a master’s student at the University of Manitoba, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It’s taking place in Foxe Basin, home to one of Canada’s largest walrus populations.

“They’re really sensitive to any underwater noise and it might affect their behaviour,” said Marine Cailleau, a marine biology master’s student at the University of Manitoba who’s leading the research. 

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC North.

From a remote site in Antarctica, an international research team including Dr. Dorthe Dahl-Jensen from UM, has achieved a historic milestone. The scientists successfully drilled a 2,800-meter-long ice core, reaching bedrock beneath the Antarctic ice sheet and uncovering the oldest ice core ever retrieved.

The Beyond EPICA team of scientists

“This achievement is monumental for climate and environmental science,” said Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Sea Ice, Freshwater-Marine Coupling and Climate Change at the University of Manitoba. “This ice core provides the longest continuous climate record known, and we hope it will help us understand the connections between Earth’s carbon cycle and temperature changes throughout history.”

This breakthrough offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore Earth’s climate and atmospheric history, including the relationship between temperature and greenhouse gases during the most distant periods of the ice age.

“Congratulations to the Beyond EPICA team for this extraordinary discovery,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice President (Research and International). “UM scientists continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and with bold research that will provide solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.”

The ice core is poised to reveal invaluable insights into the planet’s past climate patterns, which are believed to be linked to greenhouse gases preserved in the air bubbles trapped within the ice. It is hoped that this information will give the team clues about how the Earth will respond to rising temperatures.

“The success of this drilling campaign far exceeded our expectations,” said Dahl-Jensen. “We are eager to begin extracting the detailed climate information stored in these ice cores, collaborating with the broader team of scientists to unlock this crucial data.”

The research project was made possible by the collaboration of scientific and logistical teams from across Europe. The project is funded by the European Commission, with support from national partners across Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

To learn more about Beyond EPICA Oldest Ice project, visit the project website:  https://www.beyondepica.eu/en/