In the seemingly pristine Arctic environment, polar bears are threatened by the spread of hormone-disrupting chemicals and global warming. This affects the polar ice edge ecosystem, the habitat of walrus, seals and penguins, as well as bears.

Global warming could already be having a negative impact on polar bears. In Canada's Hudson Bay, polar bear numbers have been declining according to a study by Canadian Wildlife Services. Ice on the bay is melting an average of three weeks earlier than in the mid-1970s. This forces polar bears to retreat further inland before they have been able to replenish their reserves of fat by feeding on seal pups, which live on the ice.

The polar bears in the Hudson Bay are unique in the Arctic because they don't eat for six to eight months of hibernation and rely on winter hunting for survival. Longer ice-free periods during the artic summer leave polar bears stranded onshore for longer periods. The delay in freeze-up causes polar bears to lose critical fat reserves affecting reproduction and the ability of pregnant females to produce enough milk for their cubs. Scientists can already document a 15 percent drop in birth rates.

The World Meteorological Organization, along with the UN, set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to assess the impact of climate change. The Artic was found to be extremely vulnerable, more so than any other area on earth.

Ice bergs ,they sleep on the ice in the snow ,and eat what is in the water ,like seals,fish,and they are known to hunt man for food ,should one wanders into their territory
no with so much ice melting ,many are swimming around ,they will have to move towards land masses soon if the ice disappears altogether.

Or they will die in the water.
already some are having to cross to great a gaps between ice and they drown.