Wiig Øystein, Atkinson Stephen N, Born Erik W, Stapleton Seth, Arnold Todd, Dyck Markus, Laidre Kristin L, Lunn Nicholas J, Regehr Eric V
Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Blindern, P.O. Box 1172, N-0318 Oslo, Norway.
Wildlife Research Section, Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut, P.O. Box 209, Igloolik, NU X0A 0L0 Canada.
Polar Biol. 2022;45(1):89-100. doi: 10.1007/s00300-021-02974-6. Epub 2021 Nov 22.
There is an imminent need to collect information on distribution and abundance of polar bears () to understand how they are affected by the ongoing decrease in Arctic sea ice. The Kane Basin (KB) subpopulation is a group of high-latitude polar bears that ranges between High Arctic Canada and NW Greenland around and north of the North Water polynya (NOW). We conducted a line transect distance sampling aerial survey of KB polar bears during 28 April-12 May 2014. A total of 4160 linear kilometers were flown in a helicopter over fast ice in the fjords and over offshore pack ice between 76° 50' and 80° N'. Using a mark-recapture distance sampling protocol, the estimated abundance was 190 bears (95% lognormal CI: 87-411; CV 39%). This estimate is likely negatively biased to an unknown degree because the offshore sectors of the NOW with much open water were not surveyed because of logistical and safety reasons. Our study demonstrated that aerial surveys may be a feasible method for obtaining abundance estimates for small subpopulations of polar bears.
迫切需要收集有关北极熊分布和数量的信息，以了解它们如何受到北极海冰持续减少的影响。凯恩盆地（KB）亚种群是一群高纬度北极熊，分布在加拿大北极地区和格陵兰西北部，围绕北水多冰区（NOW）及其以北地区。我们于2014年4月28日至5月12日对KB北极熊进行了线 transect 距离抽样航空调查。在北纬76°50'至80°之间的峡湾中的固定冰和近海浮冰上，乘坐直升机总共飞行了4160线性公里。使用标记重捕距离抽样协议，估计数量为190只熊（95%对数正态置信区间：87 - 411；变异系数39%）。由于后勤和安全原因，未对NOW有大量开阔水域的近海区域进行调查，因此该估计可能在未知程度上存在负偏差。我们的研究表明，航空调查可能是获取北极熊小亚种群数量估计的可行方法。
