2013 Arctic Expedition

A great movie is coming out in theatres... the scenery is just awesome and I can't wait to experience it myself next year when we travel to the north pole.

2013 Polar Bear Expedition - Update

So a few sponsorships for product came through this past week... and they will really com in handy while we are in the arctic circle, miles from anyone...

Voltaic Systems is giving us a solar panel the size of a laptop bag so we can ensure we have power to charge batteries and keep the laptops working. This will really come in handy... http://www.voltaicsystems.com

Faber Snowshoes is also goign to ensure we have the gear we need when we need a snowshoe to make th hiking easier. Faber has been making snowshoes longer than we all have been alive (135 years) and will definately come in handy from the arctic circle. Please see their lineup of snowshoes here... http://www.fabersnowshoes.com

We also had a great discussion with WWF Canada. WWF Canada has been an extremely professional and helpful organization to deal with. Yes, you could just say that they want the money we will bring them, but lets face it, we are small potatoes and they really could have just left us to our own devices and taken our money if we got any. But they didn't, they are working with us to help us be successful.

We will be getting an afternoon to have access to interview and talk to their scientists before we travel. That way we will hav eall the background information we need prior to our departure.

They are also giving us a letter of endorsement so our sponsors can have that added level of comfort that we are "indeed" working with WWF Canada.

They have also offered to put up a page on the WWF Canada website that you can go to to read about what we are doing and donate to WWF Canada. You can also read about the expedition at the photographers lounge website, www.photographers-lounge.com

Thanks for reading along and keeping up to date on the trip updates.

Kev

The Polar Bear has become "the canary in the coal mine"

In 2004 a scientific analysis of a rare polar bear fossil indicates that the large, iconic animal of the north evolved in the relatively recent past from common brown bears. The discovery suggests polar bears' ancestors migrated toward the North Pole in response to global warming approximately 150,000 years ago, and adapted quickly to their new Arctic habitat. Could recent climate change once again be forcing this large carnivore to be forced to adapt to different ways of survival?

Dramatic changes, caused by global warming, are taking place in the Arctic that threatens the survival of the Polar Bear. Global warming is melting the polar ice caps, robbing the bears of the ice floes they need to hunt prey. As the sea ice melts, now months faster than in recent history, polar bears are forced ashore to spend longer periods of time in the summer fasting on land.

If the Arctic ice cap continues to melt sooner and form later, polar bears will become too thin to reproduce and if they do not adapt will become extinct by the end of this century if they do now repeat a reversal of the adaption they were once forced to undergo.

The polar bear’s home – the Arctic – is experiencing the effects of global warming more than any other place on the face of the earth. Temperatures in the Arctic are rising at almost twice the rate of that of the rest of the world, and it is threatening to place the entire Arctic ecosystem in jeopardy.

Since 1979 the extent of summer ice has declined by about 30 percent – sea ice that not only provides hunting ground for polar bears, but shelter and transportation for seals, walrus, arctic foxes, and the Inuit people. The underside of the ice also provides a surface for algae that supports cod, char, beluga, and narwhal.

While that may seem insignificant to you sitting in front of your computer in your urban dwelling thousands of miles away from the arctic; consider this! The white sea ice also has a cooling effect on your climate by reflecting light away from Earth’s surface. As the ice melts, global warming advances even more quickly. This residual effect will have dire consequences on our drinking water, local wildlife that the health of you and your family.

The polar bear is now unfortunately the proverbial "canary in the coal mine" of the serious threat global warming poses to wildlife species around the world, unless we take immediate and significant action to reduce global warming pollution.

So, we are headed north, if you have been following my blog you see that four of us are travelling to the arctic circle to raise money to help fight climate change and do what we can to increase awareness of the issue… through photos, interviews, discussions, articles, you will hear our personal impressions… no scientific speak, no ulterior motive… just the findings in laymen terms.

You can follow Kevin Pepper, Ethan Meleg, John E. Marriott and Tim Vollmer. You can interact with us and engage in the conversation while we are in the Arctic Circle. We are planning on leaving in May of 2013 to go on our expedition… and until then we will be discussing the topic on this blog and on twitter.

Thanks for reading…

Kev

Polar Bear Quick Facts

Here are some quick facts on the Polar Bear...

The top speed of a polar bear is 40kph.

The Polar Bear has 42 razor sharp teeth. With jagged back teeth and canines larger than grizzly teeth, they pack quite the bite

12 inch wide paws-- a natural snowshoe that helps them trek across treacherous ice and deep snow

A Polar Bear has 3 eyelids - the third helps protect the bear's eyes from the elements

A Polar Bear has 4 inches of fat under its skin
Their skin is black

A Polar Bear has a blue tongue

The polar bear tends to swallow food in large chunks rather than chewing.

The average polar bear can consume 4.4 pounds of fat per day.

The bear's stomach can hold an astonishing 10-20% of its body weight.

The polar bear's digestive system is very efficient, absorbing approximately 84% of the protein and 97%of the fat it consumes.