Meet the researchers

Jenny Bytingsvik, PhD fellow from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, studies a sample of polar bear tissue to monitor health.

Magnus Andersen, Norwegian Polar Institute researcher, examines a tranquilised female polar bear up close.

Magnus Andersen, polar bear researcher at the Norwegian Polar Institute, conducts tests onboard the arctic research vessel Lance.

WWF works with different agencies who monitor the health of polar bears around the Arctic.

This important work helps us to understand the impact that different threats, such as climate change and toxic pollution, are having on different polar bear populations. An important part of polar bear research is understanding the movements of the bears, particularly their movements in relation to sea ice.

Learn more about the tracking polar bears in the Arctic

These are the agencies that WWF works with to track polar bears in the Arctic:

Norwegian Polar Institute (Svalbard & Barents Sea, Norway)
US Geological Survey (Beaufort Sea & northern Alaska, USA)
University of Alberta and the Canadian Wildlife Service (western Hudson Bay, Canada)
University of Alberta, Nunavut Department of Environment and Parks Canada (Foxe Basin, Canada)
Ontario Natural Resources (southern Hudson Bay, Canada)