No sea ice, no problem for these Barents Sea bears — for now

Muzammil Hussain January 30, 2026

A white polar bear mom is unconscious while a smaller baby cub leans against it in a snow-covered field.

Studying close to 800 bears over nearly 25 years shows that polar bear populations in the rapidly warming Barents Sea, off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia, are doing better than polar bears in other parts of the Arctic.

Studying close to 800 bears over nearly 25 years shows that polar bear populations in the rapidly warming Barents Sea, off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia, are doing better than polar bears in other parts of the Arctic. A white polar bear mom is unconscious while a smaller baby cub leans against it in a snow-covered field.

Studying close to 800 bears over nearly 25 years shows that polar bear populations in the rapidly warming Barents Sea, off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia, are doing better than polar bears in other parts of the Arctic.