Polar bear life on melting sea ice as Arctic warms twice as fast as global average- Video n transcript at Heating Planet blog

Once he would have found seals resting on thick flows. Now the ice is broken, scattered into fragments. Each step is uncertain. Each stretch of water a new challenge. The polar bear, ruler of the Arctic, is a hunter, a traveler, and a survivor. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as global average- Once short swims between flows were routine. Today, the gaps are widening. Some polar bears swim over 60 m without rest. WATCH: WildPulse Morning channel report w transcript below: 4K Polar Bear Walking Across Melting Sea Ice- transcript: good morning everyone. Far in the frozen 0:02 north where the sea meets the sky, an 0:05 ancient predator still walks the ice. 0:09 The polar bear, ruler of the Arctic, is 0:11 a hunter, a traveler, and a survivor. 0:14 But today, its kingdom is changing. The 0:18 ice is thinning, the seasons are 0:20 shifting, and every step across this 0:23 frozen world is harder than the last. 0:27 This is the story of a polar bear s 0:29 journey across the melting sea ice. A 0:32 portrait of resilience in a vanishing 0:35 wilderness. Arctic spans 14 million 0:38 square kilon home to unique wildlife. 0:42 Polar bears, seals, whales, seabirds. 0:46 Sea ice is central to the ecosystem. A 0:49 floating platform of life. The Arctic is 0:52 a land of extremes. 0:54 Endless night in winter, unbroken 0:57 sunlight in summer. Sea ice is its 0:59 heartbeat, expanding and retreating with 1:02 the seasons. On this frozen ocean, life 1:05 depends on ice. From seals resting and 1:09 breeding to seabirds nesting to whales 1:12 navigating under shifting flows, the 1:14 Arctic is a world built on frozen water. 1:18 Largest land carnivore up to 600 kilo 1:21 adaptations. thick fur, black skin, fat 1:25 reserves, sharp claws, dependence on sea 1:28 ice for hunting seals. The polar bear is 1:31 the master of this realm. Weighing as 1:34 much as half a ton, yet capable of 1:37 swimming for days, it is perfectly 1:39 adapted to the frozen ocean. Its thick 1:43 coat insulates against the cold. Its 1:46 sharp claws grip the ice and its black 1:48 skin captures the faint warmth of the 1:51 Arctic sun. But above all, the polar 1:54 bear depends on sea ice. It is not just 1:57 a hunting ground. It is home. The bear 2:00 we follow is a lone male searching for 2:03 seals, but ice is fragmented. Must cross 2:06 miles of thin ice and open water. Our 2:10 story follows a lone wanderer, a male 2:12 polar bear, walking across the ice. He 2:16 has traveled for days without a 2:18 successful hunt. Once he would have 2:20 found seals resting on thick flows. Now 2:24 the ice is broken, scattered into 2:26 fragments. Each step is uncertain. Each 2:29 stretch of water a new challenge. Polar 2:32 bears rely on seal hunting. Strategy: 2:36 Wait by breathing holes. With melting 2:38 ice, seals are harder to catch. The bear 2:42 makes several failed attempts. He waits 2:45 still as the ice itself near a seal's 2:47 breathing hole. Hours pass. The ice 2:51 shifts and cracks. At last, movement. 2:54 The flash of a seal. But the bear's 2:56 strike is too late. The sea closes 2:59 again. For the bear, each failed hunt 3:02 costs energy. With less ice, there are 3:05 fewer opportunities and longer journeys 3:08 between them. Polar bears are strong 3:10 swimmers, increasingly forced to swim 3:12 long distances as ice retreats. 3:14 Exhaustion, risk of drowning, especially 3:17 for cubs. The bear plunges into icy 3:20 water, paddling across open sea. Once 3:24 short swims between flows were routine. 3:28 Today, the gaps are widening. Some polar 3:30 bears swim over 60 m without rest. 3:34 For cubs and weaker adults, the ocean 3:36 can be deadly. Our bear hauls himself 3:39 onto a fragment of ice, dripping and 3:42 weary. 3:44 His journey is far from over. Arctic 3:48 warming twice as fast as global average. 3:51 Sea ice shrinking at alarming rate. Loss 3:55 of habitat threatens polar bears and 3:57 entire ecosystem. 4:00 The Arctic is changing faster than 4:02 anywhere else on Earth. In just 40 4:05 years, half its summer sea ice has 4:07 vanished. The ice grows thinner, melts 4:10 sooner, and breaks apart more easily. 4:12 For the polar bear, the foundation of 4:14 its world is disappearing. Visuals: 4:17 Mother bear with cubs. Bear successfully 4:20 catching a seal. Conservation teams 4:22 tracking bears. 4:25 Despite challenges, bears adapt. Some 4:27 hunt differently. Scavenge or follow 4:30 whale carcasses. Cubs still being born. 4:34 Survival possible with action. 4:36 Conservation efforts. Protected areas. 4:39 Reducing emissions. Arctic research. And 4:42 yet the polar bear still endures. 4:44 Mothers give birth in snow dens guiding 4:47 their cubs onto the ice. Bears follow 4:49 whale carcasses or scavenge new sources 4:52 of food. Scientists track their 4:55 movements working to protect what 4:56 remains. With time and action, there is 4:59 still hope for the Arctic's great 5:01 wanderer. Bear continues across ice, 5:05 always searching. Symbol of resilience, 5:07 but also fragility. Represents wider 5:10 struggle of climate change. The bear 5:13 walks on across ice, across water, 5:16 across a land forever shifting. His 5:18 journey is endless, his survival 5:21 uncertain. Yet with every step, he 5:24 reminds us of what is at stake. Not just 5:26 for him, but for the Arctic and for the 5:29 world beyond. 5:31 In the silence of the North, a polar 5:34 bear crosses the melting ice. A 5:36 survivor, a sentinel, and a warning. The 5:40 Arctic's fate rests with us. For as long 5:43 as the ice endures, so too may its great 5:46 bear. *** WildPulse Morning channel