As temperatures rise in Seattle, people may cool off in an air-conditioned theater watching a movie about the Arctic. The Arctic is warming faster than any other place on Earth, and the changes there affect the entire planet. A new production, 鈥�,鈥� narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, screens May 25 and May 27 at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.
, a researcher at the 黑料吃瓜网 Applied Physics Laboratory, appears in the film doing fieldwork on Wrangel Island, an island off the northeast coast of Russia that is home to the world’s highest concentration of polar bears. He and 黑料吃瓜网 glaciologist will field audience questions after of the film, which focuses on the changing Arctic environment.
黑料吃瓜网 News asked Regehr a few questions about his research studying a population of polar bears that traverse the waters between Alaska and Russia.
When do you typically go to Wrangel Island, and how long do you spend there?
I鈥檝e been leading polar bear research on Wrangel Island since 2016. I typically spend about one month there each fall, although the entire trip takes two months because the island is so remote. Unfortunately, everything has been on hold since early 2022 due to the political situation with Russia.
Who are your usual collaborators? What was it like to have a film crew with you?
The research project is a collaboration between the 黑料吃瓜网, the UNESCO Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve, the U.S. government, and others. Having a film crew was fun. The only downside was that it meant keeping track of more people, to make sure they didn鈥檛 wander off and bump into a bear.
How did you come up with the technique, shown in the film, that uses a wire enclosure to collect polar bear fur for DNA analysis?
A colleague in Alaska developed the first 鈥渉air snare鈥� traps for polar bears, and then engineers here at the 黑料吃瓜网 Applied Physics Laboratory improved the design to make the traps lightweight and collapsible. I came up with the secret polar bear sauce (it鈥檚 really old fish, old cheese and walrus blubber) that we put inside the traps as a scent attractant.
What do you wish people knew about polar bears?
Actually, I鈥檓 constantly amazed by how much the public knows about polar bears 鈥� especially kids. It鈥檚 great. But if there was one thing I鈥檇 emphasize, it鈥檚 that polar bears are directly connected to the people that live and work in the Arctic. Climate warming is rapidly changing things for both bears and humans.
Why is important to study polar bears on Wrangel Island?
The U.S. and Russia share a polar bear population, most of which ends up on Wrangel Island each fall to wait for the sea ice to reform. I鈥檝e tagged a bear in Alaska in April, and then stood 10 feet from that same bear on Wrangel Island in October. Polar bears don鈥檛 recognize political boundaries, so it’s critical that the U.S. and Russia work together to conserve these awesome animals.
Previously, Regehr also worked on the BBC series , narrated by David Attenborough, where he appears in episode 6. That series is available on Amazon Prime and Google TV.
For more information, contact Regehr at eregehr@uw.edu.