Polar Bears in the Deep Offshore Regions of the Beaufort Sea: A Preliminary Study to Estimate Distribution and Density in Previously Under-Surveyed Area, 2011-2012

The aerial survey of polar bears in the offshore region of the Beaufort Sea was conducted between March 21 and March 30, 2012. A total of 7 776 km were flown on transect with 4 observers and 2 pilots. A total of 4 bears were sighted in the primary study area, which consisted of 2 adult females and 2 yearlings. Insufficient data prevented an estimated sightability function, so existing data was used to estimate polar bear density in the area, which was found to be one of the lowest polar bear densities across their range. Observation data is available in both excel and csv formats. For the GPS data, the dates and coordinates that do not correspond to the area of study and time period of this metadata were acquired during off-survey flight time. The GPS data is available in both text and gpx formats.