LOSING GROUND
U.S. Biologist Suspended For Authoring Report On Drowned Polar Bears
By Elizabeth C.
IN CASE you’re confused about the real purpose of the U.S.’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, here’s a story to distill the answer: A wildlife biologist who co-wrote a report on dead polar bears that became ammunition for climate activists has been suspended while his “integrity” is investigated.
Dr. Charles Monnett co-authored an article for the peer-reviewed Polar Biology in which he reported seeing dead polar bears during an aerial survey of the Beaufort Sea in 2004.
Monnett and coauthor Jeff Gleason speculated that the melting polar cap has shrunken land mass, thus making it more difficult for the bears to withstand violent storms.
“Drowning-related deaths of polar bears may increase in the future if the observed trend of regression of pack ice and/or longer open water periods continues,” they wrote.
The Alaska-based scientist claimed that no dead bears had been spotted in aerial surveys for 17 years prior to the 2004 sighting — an assertion that’s been questioned by the agency.
Dr. Monnett’s article subsequently was used by activists sounding alarm bells about global warming. “As word of the sightings spread, images of drowned polar bears became a staple for activists who warned that global warming and the retreat of sea ice were threatening the bears’ survival,” the Times reported today.
Monnett was notified of the suspension in a letter signed July 18. His supervisors had approved of the paper’s publication but later “blasted” the scientist after the claims circulated.
In an interview with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which accuses the ocean management agency of harassing Dr. Monnett for political reasons. In an interview with PEER, Monnett said, “They don’t want any impediment to, you know, what they view as their mission, which is to, you know, drill wells up there.”
PEER asserts it’s the Bureau of Ocean Management whose integrity is in question, saying Monnett’s “seven-page paper, which had undergone internal peer review, management review and outside peer review coordinated by journal editors, galvanized scientific and public appreciation for the profound effects that climate change may already be having in the Arctic.”
The Guardian reports today that BOEMRE has been criticized for its work and cites a 2009 Government Accountability Office report concluding:
“Alaska Boemre has continued to ignore science and traditional knowledge in its decision-making about oil and gas development.”
According to PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch said in a statement: “Ever since this paper was published, Dr. Monnett has been subjected to escalating official harassment, culminating in his recent virtual house arrest.”
He warns that “this is a cautionary tale with a deeply chilling message for any federal scientist who dares to publish groundbreaking research on conditions in the Arctic.”
