Photographer Patty Waymire wanted to capture polar bears in the picturesque snow, so she traveled to Barter Island, Alaska – and shockingly, there was no snow. “I was surprised when I arrived, to find there was no snow nor was the sea ice forming yet,” Waymire told The Huffington Post. “The locals told me that it was an unusually warm winter and that the snow would be late in arriving. It is one of the warmest winters on record.”
She was quick to spot polar bears on patches of sand and dirt, and decided to capture the unusual view on the camera. “The shot struck me immediately as [the bear] seemed so contemplative, sitting there on the shore of one of the Barter Islands,” she said. “The lack of snow and ice was so evident that it told a story without requiring any words.”
One of the pictures she took titled “No Snow, No Ice” received an honorable mention in a National Geographic photo competition. The shot is said to be a good reflection of the dire effects of global warming.
The photographer says she would like Donald Trump to travel to the Arctic too see what’s happening for himself, so he can understand “why this incredibly special place must be protected.”
