Scientists in Canada’s High Arctic are celebrating the first successful detection of a polar bear family at the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) weather station in Eureka, Nunavut using an innovative AI radar detection system, known as Bear-dar.
Developed by Polar Bears International (PBI), in partnership with Spotter Global, Bear-dar has been designed to detect approaching polar bears, regardless of weather conditions or the time of day.
Due to the climate change-driven loss of sea ice, polar bears are being forced to spend more time on land, leading to an increased likelihood of encounters with people. By alerting communities or remote camps, Bear-dar can reduce surprise encounters, helping to keep both polar bears and people safe.
Bear-dar was given its first official deployment and first High Arctic installation at the ECCC weather station, following years of testing and refinement outside Churchill in Manitoba, Canada.
Just-released footage demonstrates Bear-dar’s first confirmed polar bear detection at the site. Previously, it had mostly detected Arctic wolves around the weather station. The video shows a mother and two healthy cubs approaching the weather station, including cubs rolling in the snow and navigating a fence.
Following the alert, staff used vehicles to calmly escort the polar bear family away from the weather station. The family quickly moved toward the sea ice, their preferred habitat for hunting seals.
“The biggest cause for celebration is that Bear-dar works,” says Alysa McCall, Director of Science for Polar Bears International.
“It detected wild polar bears in Eureka for the first time, helping station staff raise the alert for the bears’ approach, safely plan their response, and continue to monitor bear activity throughout the day, while avoiding an encounter.
"After years of development, having the radar and camera do their jobs as intended is quite exciting and satisfying. Any time we can potentially add another tool to our bear safety toolbox, it’s a big deal. More bear-safe tools mean fewer negative encounters, keeping people and polar bears separate and safer.”
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The radar system works by detecting and tracking motion on the landscape. If the characteristics that it detects, such as size or speed, or how it shows up on the radar, looks like a potential polar bear, or something unknown, the weather office staff receive an alert. The workstation emits a ‘beep’ for as long as the track in question is active.
If the radar detects motion in the direction of the station, the computer plays an audible warning of ‘Approaching.’ Staff can see the track overlaid on a map of the area.
A camera is also paired to the radar, which tries to capture a visual image, so staff can evaluate what’s happening. Outside, a beacon light will also turn on to indicate ‘large potential wildlife moving near the weather station.’
The system now needs further refinement, so that it’s able to differentiate, for example, between Arctic wolves and polar bears. “Nearby nesting Arctic terns are also wreaking havoc on the radar, as it tracks them as they fly back and forth,” explains Elbert Bakker, Research Support Specialist for Polar Bears International. “We will work on filtering them out.”
Future Bear-dar installations will also need to be tailored to specific locations, including a site’s particular geography, weather, wildlife species and staff activities. “But what we are learning in Eureka will help Bear-dar be more efficient and effective in other Arctic communities,” says Bakker. “Eventually, we could have a deterrent, such as a loud sound, go off when a polar bear is spotted.”
Video and image credit: Polar Bears International
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