The ice is melting in the Artic Ocean, and soon there will be nothing but open water during the summer months. This extraordinary phenominum is happening at a much faster rate than the scientists had predicted. The white arctic ice cap has always reflected the suns rays back into the atmosphere, allowing the temperatures to stay seasonably normal. Now with the open dark water the heat from the sun is being absorbed by the sea, raising the temperature of the water and surrounding atmosphere. This increased temperature is effecting not only the melting of the ice but also the thawing of the tundra in the far north. A vast amount of methane gas is stored in the tundra, and as it awakens the methane gas is being released into the atmosphere. Methane is much more damaging then CO2 in heating up the planet and the effect is to accelerate global warming at an even more alarming rate.
The polar bear has become a metaphor for the disruption of the natural balance in the Arctic. Their food of choice are the seals and they have relied for centuries on the ice flows to get out to their hunting grounds. Now with so little ice available for haul outs, they are forced to swim inordinate distances to find a meal. Aerial photos have show the mighty bear swimming in the vast open ocean, no longer concerned about it's hunger but instead frantic to find an ice flow to keep from drowning. This sculpture shows a wire polar bear holding onto a sliver of ice/wood in a vast sea of green and blue gels.
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