Extinction Of Polar Bears Essay

1390 Words3 Pages

Global warming has become a more prominent issue every decade since the mid 1900s. The increased temperatures are leading to substantial ice loss. This loss in ice is causing severe destruction to polar bear habitats and homes and is leading to their extinction. It also is affecting their food supply. Global warming is making it harder for polar bears to repopulate and is causing a decrease in the overall size of each bear. The chemicals associated with global warming are getting into the food chain and eventually into the polar bears themselves. Global warming is causing the extinction of polar bears in the arctic because it’s destroying their homes, decreasing their food supply, is affecting chemicals in the air and in their food, decreasing the average size of the bears, and contributes to a decrease in reproduction. Scientists all across the world have spent many decades trying to figure out the cause of global warming. They have determined that global warming is the result of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, …show more content…

The most frequently found substances are called Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs. Examples are industrial by-products, heat resistant chemicals such as PCBs, and pesticides like DDT (Threats to Polar Bears). “Bears with high levels of some POPs have low levels of vitamin A, thyroid hormones, and some antibodies (Threats to Polar Bears). These are important for the growth and reproduction of the bears. High levels of POPs are frequently found in mother polar bear’s milk. This causes the cubs to often have lower survival rates due to poisoning (Threats to Polar Bears). The pollutants start in the lower levels of the food chain and work their way up. They accumulate and the concentration gets higher for every step up. The POPs are hard to get rid of meaning they stay in the food chain for many years (Threats to Polar

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