Collapasing Polar Bear Research?

In what feels like a follow up to a past post on Polar bears having to swim longer distances due to ice melt another (sort off) related  story has made the news.

It seems a scientist called Charles Monnett has been placed on administrative leave  because of "integrity issues." He and his team was responsible for publishing research in 2006 on deaths among polar bears swimming in the Beaufort Sea. Just about all the reports, like this one, have clearly made the case that these integrity issues were to do with that particular report with the clear implication that the validity of that report is now questionable. In fact WTFUWT actually states; 'his “research” is collapsing' while also linking the whole thing to AL Gore  who "he single-handedly inspired".

The problem is that it looks as if these accusations are all nonsense. I have no idea what these "integrity issues" are and until it all comes out in public saying anything is speculation but it seems that it has nothing whatsoever to do with his 2006 work or his scientific integrity because his employer, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, has obviously felt the need to publicly state that;

The agency placed Mr. Monnett on administrative leave for reasons having nothing to do with scientific integrity, his 2006 journal article, or issues related to permitting, as has been alleged. Any suggestions or speculation to the contrary are wrong.

So I think we can safely scratch all the insinuations about this research collapsing. What about Al Gores inspiration? Well Gore may well have seen this report and felt the need for inclusion in his famous climate change presentation but the threat to polar bears was well established before 2006. The 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment had already used research from as far back as 1999;

Changes in the extent and type of sea ice affect the distribution and foraging success of polar bears (Ferguson et al., 2000a,b; Mauritzen et al., 2001; Stirling et al., 1993). The earliest impacts of warming will occur at their southern limits of distribution, such as at James and Hudson Bays; and this has already been documented by Stirling et al. (1999)

Put simply, polar bears are far better of with the ice conditions they evolved to thrive in.

So Monnett's report was just more evidence adding to an already growing body of research and as my previous post on the subject shows that body of evidence has continued growing after his report. Still I doubt the facts will hold little sway with the anti global warming crowd and I'm sure they will be quoting and linking to these misinformed stories for years to come every time someone mentions the very real threat to the biodiversity in the Arctic from AGW.