Vladimir Melnik

Contest: Arctic biodiversity
Note: Climate change: survival in green Arctic
Locate: Franz Josef Land archipelago
City: Russian Arctic
Comment: This summer I was in expedition exploring Franz Josef Land archipelago and saw something new and unusual: polar bears on green grass! The summer is a difficult season for polar bears. In recent years warming in Arctic resulted in loss of sea ice which is critically important for bears as they can hunt only from ice surface. The polar bears which stay on the islands doomed to meager ration and starvation.
The shot was taken during scientific expedition 'Open Ocean: Arctic Archipelagoes'