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Abstract
Spectral reflectance within the 350–2500 nm range was measured for 17 pelts of arctic mammals (polar bear, caribou, muskox, and ringed, harp and bearded seals) in relation to snow. Reflectance of all pelts was very low at the ultraviolet (UV) end of the spectrum (<10%), increased through the visual and near infrared, peaking at 40%–60% between 1100 and 1400 nm and then gradually dropped, though remaining above 20% until at least 1800 nm. In contrast, reflectance of snow was very high in the UV range (>90%), gradually dropped to near zero at 1500 nm, and then fluctuated between zero and 20% up to 2500 nm. All pelts could be distinguished from clean snow at many wavelengths. The polar bear pelts had higher and more uniform averaged reflectance from about 600–1100 nm than most other pelts, but discrimination was challenging due to variation in pelt color and intensity among individuals within each species. Results suggest promising approaches for using remote sensing tools with a broad spectral range to discriminate polar bears and other mammals from clean snow. Further data from live animals in their natural environment are needed to develop functions to discriminate among species of mammals and to determine whether other environmental elements may have similar reflectance.
Highlights
Polar bears, Ursus maritimus are widespread throughout the Arctic, but, like many other Arctic animals, there are increasing concerns that their ecology and population dynamics are being negatively impacted by changes in Arctic ecosystems
Effective management of polar bear populations, including managing harvest, and mitigating threats due to environmental change, requires information on distribution and abundance of bears and how these are changing over time
Our results indicate that all of the mammal species we considered can be very from clean snow based on a combination of very low reflectance in the UVA and high reflectance differentiated from clean snow based on a combination of very low reflectance in the UVA and high in the SWIR (Figures 3–6)
Summary
Ursus maritimus are widespread throughout the Arctic, but, like many other Arctic animals, there are increasing concerns that their ecology and population dynamics are being negatively impacted by changes in Arctic ecosystems. The Arctic is undergoing rapid environmental change due to climate warming, which is leading to many changes in its ecosystem, including loss of multi-year sea ice and longer ice-free seasons [1]. These changes can directly affect polar bears through loss of hunting opportunities on sea ice, resulting in lower reproduction and higher risk of mortality [2,3]. Effective management of polar bear populations, including managing harvest, and mitigating threats due to environmental change, requires information on distribution and abundance of bears and how these are changing over time.
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