Bleak photo of polar bear with plastic in its jaws in the remote Arctic shows pollution's 'pervasive grip'

Polar bear with plastic in its mouth standing on rocks.

An image capturing a polar bear with plastic hanging from its jaws has been shortlisted for the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 award. The image, taken on Kiepert Island in the Svalbard archipelago off Norway, by photonaturalist Celia Kujala serves as a "a stark reminder that even the uninhabited reaches of the Arctic are not exempt from the pervasive grip of plastic pollution," competition representatives wrote in a statement emailed to Live Science.

The photograph is shortlisted in the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Impact) category, which also includes a photo of a dead fin whale waiting to be butchered at a facility in Iceland, shark fins drying on a roof in Indonesia and a gannet, a large white seabird with a yellowish head, trapped in discarded fishing gear hanging from a cliff.

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) photograph highlights the scale of plastic pollution in the Arctic and the impact it has on regional species. Considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, polar bears face multiple threats. A 2016 study predicts their numbers will fall by 30% by the middle of the century.

Climate change is the primary threat, reducing the sea ice on which they hunt. However, plastic is compounding the problem. Polar bears are increasingly turning to landfills for food. An analysis of polar bear stomach contents from the population in the Southern Beaufort Sea off Alaska and Canada found 28% contained plastic. Half of the bears that had eaten plastic also had acute gastritis, potentially leading to painful blockages in their digestive system.

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"There are not enough data to get a clear picture, but it is probable that bears are more likely to ingest plastic when they find human trash as they seek food on shore," John Whiteman, chief research scientist at Polar Bears International and assistant professor of biology at Old Dominion University in Virginia, told Live Science in an email.

"Sea ice loss, and the resulting increase in time spent on land, is making it ever more important to find safe, long-term ways to manage trash — an issue that multiple Arctic communities have tackled with success," he added.

The winners of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024, presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, will be announced on Sept. 12. Shortlisted images for the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Impact) category can be seen below.

Freedivers from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project work to remove a large ghost net from waters of the uninhabited Pearl and Hermes Atoll. At this point, the team had been working for nearly two months straight and removed almost 200,000 pounds of ghost nets from this Marine Protected Area. Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Hawaii (Image credit: Andrew Sullivan-Haskins)

A gannet, entangled in discarded fishing gear, hangs off a cliff. Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands (Image credit: Rebecca Douglas)

A transshipment takes place at sea where boats transfer their catch onto other boats for transport to Myanmar’s mainland. Such transshipments limit the traceability of seafood, hindering catch monitoring, regulation enforcement, and management efforts, contributing to the problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which is prevalent in Southeast Asia. Myeik Archipelago, Myanmar (Image credit: Sirachai Arunrugstichai)

The second biggest whale, the fin whale, lies waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan. Iceland (Image credit: Frederik Brogaard)

A critically endangered smoothnose wedgefish demonstrates the cost of bycatch. Aceh, Indonesia (Image credit: Francesca Page)

Shark fins dry on a roof. The high demand for shark fins in Asian medicine, combined with declining fish stocks, forces many fishers to target these vulnerable species for their livelihoods. East Java, Indonesia (Image credit: Jasmine Corbett)

A bleached coral reef during an episode of stress in 2024. A loss of colour, biodiversity and biomass is evident.Mayotte Island (Image credit: Gabriel Barathieu)

The impact of rising sea levels: Fisherman Abdul Latief (62) sits in his flooded home. His house flooded for the first time in 2008. Since then he has raised it twice, in 2009 and 2019. The floods are getting higher but Abdul doesn't have enough money to raise his house again.Demak Regency, Indonesia (Image credit: Giacomo d'Orlando)

A polar bear plays with a piece of plastic - a stark reminder that even the uninhabited reaches of the Arctic are not exempt from the pervasive grip of plastic pollution.Kiepert Island, Svalbard (Image credit: Celia Kujala)

A coconut octopus found a hideout spot inside a plastic sandwich bag.Philippines (Image credit: Pietro Formis)

A pregnant stingray is trapped in an aquaculture frame, highlighting the issue of bycatch. Currently, about 40% of the world's fish is caught accidentally and is dead or dying when returned to the sea. Portugal (Image credit: João Rodrigues)

A melting ice shelf in the Arctic creates numerous waterfalls. Barents Sea, Arctic (Image credit: Scot Portelli)