Let's break the ice on our changing environment 🧊⁣ ⁣ An international team of scientists has tracked a group of genetically distinct polar bears who have been isolated for hundreds of years, surviving on ice melanges, a mix of sea ice, and pieces of glacial ice carved off tidewater glaciers in Southeast Greenland. The team studied the bears for seven years and combined their findings with new genetic data analysis and decades of historical and Indigenous knowledge.⁣ ⁣ Research indicates that climate change will cause the ice conditions in Northeast Greenland to resemble Southeast Greenland in the late 21st century. While this small genetically distinct group of bears has adapted to the warming world, scientists warn that glacier ice will not be able to sustain the current populations of polar bears.⁣ ⁣ The images from orbit seen here were captured with Landsat 8 and 9, showing the bear's habitats throughout the year. Teams also used Moderate Resolution Imagine Spectroradiometer instruments aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites, as well as data from the National Snow Ice and Data Center to document fjord and offshore ice environments.⁣ ⁣ Credits: NASA/Thomas W. Johansen (image 1); NASA/@USGS (images 2 and 3)⁣ ⁣ #ClimateChange #Arctic #NASA #Earth #Landsat #PolarBears⁣