A recent study published in Nature Communications doesn’t paint a very rosy picture for polar bears. These amazing white bears of the Arctic depend on ice as a platform for the hunting of food. With the ice melting earlier due to climate change, polar bears have less of a chance to fatten up for the long spring and summer ahead when food is harder to come by. For females this is devastating as they already fast for eight months when they give birth and take care of their young in dens. Less time to bulk up means weaker females and cubs. I spoke with Dr. Andrew Derocher, who co-authored the study along with three other biologists, about what the results of this study means for polar bear populations. Dr. Derocher is a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta and a scientific advisor to Polar Bears International.