We've seen pics for years of polar bears hiking down the Haul Rd/Dalton Hwy to Prudhoe Bay, often headed south, with reports of inter-breeding between polar bears and grizzly bears..
It's not that there's NO ice off of Alaska's North and Northwest coasts. It's that the ice is diminished and less stable.
Though I haven't taken a peek to see what is happening in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada in a long while, where decades ago the polar bears routinely came through town to the town dump. Now that they're notably warmer overall (I assume), that might be an entertaining video to watch... providing one isn't a polar bear or a resident of Churchill... with young snack-size students about...
In the gateway to the Arctic, fat, ice and polar bears are crucial. All three are in trouble | The Associated Press
ON HUDSON BAY (AP) — Searching for polar bears where the Churchill River dumps into Canada's massive Hudson Bay, biologist Geoff York scans a regionwww.ap.org
Steep Decline in Western Hudson Bay Polar Bear Population
A new study shows a drop of 27% over the past five years in the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population.polarbearsinternational.org