Escape to the cold? MPR's Sven Sundgaard on his trip to the subarctic

Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard is high up in the Canadian tundra in Churchill, Manitoba, the “polar bear capital of the world” leading a learning vacation of 12 Minnesotans to see the polar bears and learn about how they’re being affected by a rapidly warming climate.

He spoke with MPR News guest host Catharine Richert on Minnesota Now about his trip.

For the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or read the Sven’s brief below.

Here, in October and November the polar bear population skyrockets to several hundred and outnumbers local permanent human residents. 

The reason for so many polar bears is a unique combination of geography and climate. The current in Hudson Bay flows in such a way that the ice first develops in November near or north of Churchill and the last of the ice breaks up mid summer just to its southeast.

This means bears come off the ice in the area and migrate through Churchill to get to the developing ice.

Sea ice is vital to the polar bear life cycle. Polar bear diet consists primarily of high fat seals and while polar bears are fast and nimble in the water, they’re not match for a seal.

They need sea ice as a hunting platform to catch seals. An average, healthy adult polar bear needs to consume about 40 seals in a season to maintain a healthy body. 

Climate change is making this season of ‘feasting’ shorter and ‘fasting’ longer as the ice is developing later into November and even sometimes December and the ice is breaking up earlier through July or even sometimes June.

In fact, polar bears are spending on average, two to three weeks longer on land than they did 40 years ago. That may not sound like a lot except when you consider that they eat almost nothing late summer through late fall. 

Cubs and mothers are most vulnerable to these changing ice conditions. A polar bear mother has to eat enough to maintain a pregnancy and to provide for her cubs.  

The 2022-2023 season was not a good one. The ice developed a few days later than normal late last November but most importantly, the ice went out nearly three weeks early this summer.

Ice break up started in mid June this year, accelerated by a 90 degree high in Churchill at the end of June, a temperature that was 31 degrees hotter than normal. Even this week, two days of freezing rain blanketed the area, something that used to be unheard of decades ago. 

We’re expecting highs in the 20s and 30s, far above the normal high in the teens and overnight lows that should be near zero in mid November. Ice is behind schedule and likely to freeze up late again this year until sustained cold weather can set in.

We did have our first polar bear sighting today leaving the town of Churchill en route to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre where we’ll be staying this week.

The centre accommodates researchers from around the world normally but also accommodates tourists during polar bear season for ‘learning vacations.’

This polar bear was sizing up a dog in a residential yard outside the town. Polar bears generally do not like dogs, just like black bears.

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Correction (Nov. 14, 2023): In the original audio version of this story, we erroneously perpetuated a widespread viral claim about the legality of locking car doors in Churchill, Manitoba. While it is customary for residents of Canada's "polar bear capital" to leave car doors unlocked in case someone needs to jump in to escape a bear, it is not illegal to lock doors.