| Abstract: | Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) give birth in dens of ice and snow to protect their altricial young. During the snow-free season, we visited 25 den sites located previously by radiotelemetry and characterized the den site physiognomy. Seven dens occurred in habitats with minimal relief. Eighteen dens (72%) were in coastal and river banks. These "banks" were identifiable on aerial photographs. We then searched high-resolution aerial photographs (n = 3000) for habitats similar to those of the 18 dens. On aerial photos, we mapped 1782 km of bank habitats suitable for denning. Bank habitats comprised 0.18% of our study area between the Colville River and the Tamayariak River in northern Alaska. The final map, which correctly identified 88% of bank denning habitat in this region, will help minimize the potential for disruptions of maternal dens by winter petroleum exploration activities. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70024240 |
| Citation Author: | Durner, G. M.; Amstrup, S. C.; Ambrosius, K. J. |
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| Citation End Page: | 121 |
| Citation Issue: | 2 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Arctic |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 7 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | Remote identification of polar bear maternal den habitat in northern Alaska; 2001; Article; Journal; Arctic; Durner, G. M.; Amstrup, S. C.; Ambrosius, K. J. |
| Citation Start Page: | 115 |
| Citation Volume: | 54 |
| Citation Year: | 2001 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Remote identification of polar bear maternal den habitat in northern Alaska; 2001; Article; Journal; Arctic; Durner, G. M.; Amstrup, S. C.; Ambrosius, K. J. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| Date Other: | Mon, 1 Jan 2001 00:00 -0600 |
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