New Survey: Polar bear numbers increased 42% over last 11 years in key population – Some of them ‘as fat as pigs’

Via: http://polarbearscience.com/2015/12/23/survey-results-svalbard-polar-bear-numbers-increased-30-over-last-11-years/

Survey Results: Svalbard polar bear numbers increased 42% over last 11 years

Results of this fall’s Barents Sea population survey have been releasedby the Norwegian Polar Institute and they are phenomenal: despite several years with poor ice conditions, there are more bears now (~975) than there were in 2004 (~685) around Svalbard (a 42 30% increase) and the bears were in good condition.

Svalbard polar bear fall 2015_Aars

Oddly, in a September report right after the count, biologist Jon Aars reported them in “excellent” condition, with some of them “as fat as pigs.” I guess “good” is the same as “excellent.”

Bears in the Russian portion of the Barents Sea were not counted this year because the Russians would not allow it; the previous total count, from 2004, was 2,650 (range ~1900-3600) for the entire region.

map-BarentsSea

In the map above (courtesy the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group), the Svalbard archipelago is on the left (Norwegian territory) and the archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya on the right (Russian territory).

Oddly, the comments made by lead researcher Jon Aars to a Norwegian newspaper (in English), which picked this up yesterday (“Polar bears make a comeback” ), were far more positive than those in the press release (which is likely all that western media will see).

UPDATE 24 December 2015: The new population survey number for Svalbard is actually a 42% increase over the 2004 number. Thanks to Arvid Oen, a WUWT reader, for alerting Anthony Watts to the error, and to Anthony for passing it along. Title and text fixed accordingly, apologies to any others who have picked this up. Cheers and Merry Christmas.

Here is what Aars stated in the press release (pdf here):

“A rise in the population does not come as a big surprise, as population numbers previously have been low due to the fact that these bears were hunted until 40 years ago, Dr. Aars added.”

[Except that polar bear specialists have been saying the population has almost certainly declined because of sea ice conditions, yet despite the poor conditions in recent years, the bears are doing better than ever]

But here is what local reporters (NTB: News in English from Norway, published 23 December 2015), who were able to contact him for an interview, had to say:

“Researchers from Norsk Polarinstitutt in Tromsø have conducted their

Obama: Climate and ISIS now contained

So what’s to worry about? Haven’t we been reassured that UN coalitions led by President Obama will vanquish 4 billion years of climate change (“the gravest threat to our planet, national security and future generations”) along with a lesser threat posed by the spread of radical Islamic terrorism (ersatz workplace violence)?

Remember when he promised during his June 4, 2008, speech upon winning the Democratic primaries: “This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal”?

And also when on the day before ISIS (or “ISIL”) attacks in Paris which killed 130 people he toldgeorgieABC’s George Stephanopoulos: “From the start, our goal has been first to contain, and we have constrained them.”

As a matter of fact, both problems are apparently related. Speaking at the recent UN Paris climate fear-fest, Obama observed that by fostering “dangerous” ideologies, climate change “in some ways is akin to the problem of terrorism and ISIL.”

He even hailed the conference as nothing less than “an act of defiance” in the face of terrorism. (Take that, you climate crisis skeptics and head-severing evil-doers!)

hilwitchStill, there’s obviously lots more work to be done. For example, the Obama Administration and heiress-apparentHillary Clinton have both declared unfinished business in combating a leading cause of terrorism, namely, lax American gun control legislation.

As Obama said in the immediate wake of the December 2 attack by two ISIS-connected assailants which slaughtered 14 people and wounded 21 at the San Bernardino, Calif., Regional Center, “And we’re going to have to, I think, search ourselves as a society to take measures that would make it harder, not impossible, but harder, for people to get access to weapons.”

Presidential hopeful Clinton agreed. Placing blame on guns while avoiding any mention of more than a dozen homemade pipe bombs found in the two murderers’ possession, she told a New Hampshire campaign audience, “No matter what motivation these shooters had, we can say one thing for certain — they shouldn’t have been able to do this.”…

Bette Midler blames warm Christmas weather on ‘ignorant selfish climate deniers’

Bette Midler tweet: “Dec. 22, 2015, 63 degrees in NYC. I would like to thank the ignorant selfish climate deniers for all their goodwill toward the planet.”

Climate Depot’s rebuttal to Bette Midler: “This makes no sense. With the ‘historic’ UN climate summit agreement, ‘global warming’ has been solved! We have already been told by the likes of NYT’s Paul Krugman, that the UN climate ‘deal’ may have ‘saved civilization.’ So sorry Ms. Midler. Climate skeptics are not to be blamed. The UN has solved ‘climate change.

Also, Ms. Midler, how do you reconcile your views? In 2014, you used cold snowy weather as proof of ‘climate change’, but in 2015, you use warm weather?! See: Bette Midler in 2014 after cold snap: ‘If you live in The South and still believe Climate Change doesn’t exist, wake up. And buy a snow shovel’ 

Bette Midler in 2014 used cold and snow to prove ‘climate change’:

Also See:

Boston Globe on Christmas warmth: ‘Wrong. This Isn’t Climate Change. There have been many snowless Decembers before. Climate change isn’t responsible for this warm December. This year, it’s connected to a strong El Nino and the polar vortex.’

Climate Hustle’ Movie To Debunk Claims That ‘Global Warming’ Causes Every Weather Event – Watch exclusive clips of ‘Climate Hustle’: First Time Broadcast of Select Clips

Satellites show no ‘global warming’ for 18 1/2 years

2010: NYT: ‘Bundle Up, It’s Global Warming’ — ‘Overall warming of atmosphere is actually creating cold-weather extremes’

I can’t stand this Dec. heat, but it has nothing to do with global warming’

Global Warming’ Causes Both Warm & Cold Winters

Related Links: 

BETTE MIDLER: SNOW IN SOUTH PROVES CLIMATE CHANGE EXISTS: ‘If you live in The South and still believe Climate Change doesn’t exist, wake up. And buy a snow shovel’ – January 29, 2014

 

Bette Midler: ‘Highlight of the Inaugural Speech for me was hearing the two words ‘climate change’! Let us hope it means the issue will now be addressed’