A mother polar bear sits up in a bed of kelp so she can nurse her young cub on the shores of Hudson Bay, Manitoba. She is waiting for the sea ice to freeze so she can head out on this frozen platform from which she will hunt seals to replenish her depleted energy and fat reserves. In some places of the Arctic, such as northern Norway and Russia, the temperature has risen by as much as 15 degrees F. There are places where there is available sea ice for 20 fewer weeks each year. Please check out the Climate Change special issue in National Geographic this month. #followme on @paulnicklen to see an entire body of work on the most important topic of our time. #arctic #polarbear #nurse #nursing #mother#gratitude #explore #nature #smile #love #beauty #adventure #travel @natgeocreative @thephotosociety #instagood #tbt #follow #followme #photooftheday #happy #tagforlikes #beautiful #like #picoftheday #summer #fun #friends by natgeo http://ift.tt/1MoExW7 – Gatlinburg Garden Castle Rainbow Tower Library Imagination Station Temple Water Spirit Guardian Labyrinth Treasury Magic Healing