Hi Christina! Your excitement about your journey comes through nicely in your journals! My students are writing about what a journey like this would be like for them- look for those on your return :) Question: Are the bears being monitored from recently attached collars? And if so, who attached them before this expedition? Also, what is the average size of bear they will fit? Enjoy every minute! Lollie

Cristina Galvan

Hi Lollie!So glad to hear from you! I'd love to get a post like that from your
students. The team here would love something like that for our days with
down time.
The research team (John, Hank, Merav, Eric, and George) came out to Barrow
in the spring to attach collars to the bears. The caught the bears on
land to place the collars on. Some of the bears traveled north as the ice
retreated in the summer. Some of the bears stayed on shore for the
summer.
Our team is working to capture and collect data on the bears that traveled
north. There is a second group of researchers that is tracking the bears
that remained on the shore.
Most bears fit a collar that is 26.5 inches in circumference. You should
measure that length out and show it to the kids so they can get an idea of
how big a polar bears neck is!
Thanks for the questions and I'm looking forward to more!
-Cristina