Polar bear family on the ice off Churchill Manitoba (taken from a helicopter), courtesy Explore.org
Polar bear family on the ice off Churchill Manitoba (taken from a helicopter), courtesy Explore.org
After five good sea ice seasons in a row for WH polar bears, this repeat of an early freeze-up means a sixth good ice season is now possible for 2019-2020.

This is the third year in a row that freeze-up of Western Hudson Bay (WH) ice has come earlier than the average of 16 November documented in the 1980s.

Reports by folks on the ground near Churchill confirm polar bears are starting to move onto the sea ice that's developing along the shore after almost 5 months on land.

Thanks to Laurel for this link.