As part of the Kara Summer 2016 expedition, scientists conducted a unique study of polar bears and other animals from the Barents to the Chukchi seas.

For the first time since Russia has been studying polar bears on the New Siberian Islands, De Long Islands, Severnaya Zemlya, Novaya Zemlya, the Taimyr Peninsula and the Izvestiy TSIK Islands, Marine Mammal Council experts conducted a comprehensive study including collecting biological samples and tagging bears with satellite transmitters. This was possible thanks to radically new and safe transmitter tags. This system allows tracking the movement of polar bears of various sex and age, which significantly expands the horizons of their study.

The collected material, including biological samples, the results of satellite tracking, and data on the polar bear’s habitat, distribution and behaviour during the expedition, will undergo extensive laboratory research and thorough analysis.

Kara Summer 2016 expedition was held at the request of the Rosneft Arctic Research Centre and was the most ambitious expedition in the field of Arctic fauna studies. The collected data will help update the current understanding of the biology and ecology of individual species – indicators of the stable state of Arctic marine ecosystems. 

(Photo © Viktor Nikiforov)