Harry Stern

Harry SternHarry Stern studies Arctic sea ice and climate using satellite data.  Current interests include the changing sea ice habitat of polar bears and narwhals, and the history of Arctic exploration. He participated in the Around the Americas expedition, sailing through the eastern half of the Northwest Passage in 2009.  He served as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research–Oceans (2007-2010).  He helped to launch the annual Polar Science Weekend at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center, and now runs the event.  He has a B.S. in mathematics and M.S. in applied mathematics.  He has been with the Polar Science Center since 1987 and with the University since 1980.

In The News

Selected Publications

  • Laidre, K. L., S. N. Atkinson, E. V. Regehr, H. L. Stern, E. W. Born, Ø. Wiig, N. J. Lunn, M. Dyck, P. Heagerty, and B. R.
    Cohen. 2020. Transient benefits of climate change for a high‐Arctic polar bear (Ursus maritimus) subpopulation. Global
    Change Biology 26:6251‐6265. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15286

  • Laidre K. L.,  H. Stern, E. W. Born, P. Heagerty, S, Atkinson, Ø. Wiig, N. J. Lunn, E. V. Regehr, R. McGovern, M. Dyck. 2018.  Changes in winter and spring resource selection by polar bears Ursus maritimus in Baffin Bay over two decades of sea-ice loss. Endangered Species Research 36:1-14. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00886

  • Hauser, D.D.W., K.L. Laidre, H.L. Stern, R.S. Suydam, P.R. Richard. 2018. Indirect effects of sea ice loss on summer-fall habitat and behaviour for sympatric populations of an Arctic marine predator. Diversity and Distributions https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12722.

  • Stern H.L., A.J. Schweiger, M. Stark, J. Zhang, M. Steele, B. Hwang; Seasonal evolution of the sea-ice floe size distribution in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 6(1):48, doi:10.1525/elementa.305, 2018.

  • Hauser DDW, Laidre KL, Stern HL, Suydam RS, Richard PR. Indirect effects of sea ice loss on summer‐fall habitat and behaviour for sympatric populations of an Arctic marine predator. Divers Distrib. 2018;24:791–799. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12722

  • Stern, H., A. Schweiger, J. Zhang, and M. SteeleOn reconciling disparate studies of the sea-ice floe size distribution, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 6:49, doi:10.1525/elementa.304, 2018.

  • Pomerleau, C., Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., Ferguson, S.H. et al. (2017) Reconstructing variability in West Greenland ocean biogeochemistry and bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) food web structure using amino acid isotope ratios. Polar Biol 40: 2225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2136-x

  • Regehr, E., R. Wilson, K. Rode, M. Runge, and H. Stern. 2017. Harvesting wildlife affected by climate change: a modeling and management framework for polar bears. Journal of Applied Ecology. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12864

  • Hauser, D.D W., Laidre K. L., Stern H.L., Moore S.E., Suydam, R. S., and Richard, P.R.: Habitat selection by two beluga whale populations in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, PLoS ONE 12(2), doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172755, 2017.

  • Hauser, D. D. W., Laidre, K. L., Stafford, K. M., Stern, H. L., Suydam, R. S. and Richard, P. R. (2016), Decadal shifts in autumn migration timing by Pacific Arctic beluga whales are related to delayed annual sea ice formation. Glob Change Biol. doi:10.1111/gcb.13564

  • Regehr, E.V., Laidre, K.L., Akçakaya, H.R., Amstrup, S.C., Atwood, T.C., Lunn, N.J., Obbard, M., Stern, H., Thiemann, G.W., Wiig, Ø. (2016), Conservation status of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in relation to projected sea-ice declines. Biol. Lett. DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0556.

  • Heide‐Jørgensen, M. P., Hansen, R. G., Fossette, S. , Nielsen, N. H., Borchers, D. L., Stern, H. and Witting, L. (2017), Rebuilding beluga stocks in West Greenland. Anim Conserv, 20: 282-293. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12315

  • Stern, Harry L., Polar maps: Captain Cook and the earliest historical charts of the ice edge in the Chukchi Sea. Polar Geography, 39 (4), 220-227, doi.org/10.1080/1088937X.2016.1236845, 2016.

  • Stern, H. L. and Laidre, K. L., Sea-ice indicators of polar bear habitat, The Cryosphere, 10, 2027-2041, doi:10.5194/tc-10-2027-2016, 2016.

  • Zhang, J., H. Stern, B. Hwang, A. Schweiger, M. Steele, and M. Stark, Modeling the seasonal evolution of the Arctic sea ice floe size distribution, Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene 4, doi:10.12952/journal.elementa.000126, 2016.

  • Zhang, J., A. Schweiger, M. Steele, and H. Stern, Sea ice floe size distribution in the marginal ice zone: Theory and numerical experiments, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 120, doi:10.1002/2015JC010770, 2015.

  • Laidre, K. L., Stern, H., Kovacs, K. M., Lowry, L., Moore, S. E., Regehr, E. V., Ferguson, S. H., Wiig, Ø., Boveng, P., Angliss, R. P., Born, E. W., Litovka, D., Quakenbush, L., Lydersen, C., Vongraven, D. and Ugarte, F. (2015), Arctic marine mammal population status, sea ice habitat loss, and conservation recommendations for the 21st century. Conservation Biology. doi: 10.1111/cobi.12474

  • Yu, Y., H. Stern, C. Fowler, F. Fetterer, J. Maslanik, 2014, Interannual Variability of Arctic Landfast Ice between 1976 and 2007, J. Climate, 27, pp. 227-243, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00178.1.

  • Laidre, K.L., E.W. Born, P. Heagerty, Ø. Wiig, H. Stern, R. Dietz, J. Aars, and M. Andersen, 2014, Impacts of multi-decadal sea ice loss on habitat selection of female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in East Greenland, Polar Biology, submitted.

  • Dietz, R., E.W. Born, R. Stewart, M.P. Heide-Jørgensen, H. Stern, F. Rigét, L. Toudal, C. Lanthier, M. Villum Jensen, and J. Tielmann, 2013, Movements of walruses (Odobenus Rosmarus) between Central West Greenland and Southeast Baffin Island, 2005-2008, North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) Scientific Publication Series, Volume 9.

  • Geilhufe, M., D.B. Percival, and H.L. Stern, 2013, Two-dimensional wavelet variance estimation with application to sea ice SAR images, Computers & Geosciences, 54, 351-360.

  • Laidre, K., Heide-Jorgensen, H. Stern, and P. Richard, 2012, Unusual narwahl sea ice entrapments and delayed autumn freeze-up trends, Polar Biology, 35, 149-154, doi: 10.007/s00300-001-1036-8

  • Schweiger, A., R. Lindsay, J. Zhang, M. Steele, H. Stern, R. Kwok, Uncertainty in modeled arctic sea ice volume, J. Geophys. Res., 116, C00D06, doi:10.1029/2011JC007084, 2011.

  • Heide-Jorgensen, M.P., M. Iversen, N.H. Nielsen, C. Lockyer, H. Stern, and M.H. Ribergaard, 2011, Harbour porpoise respond to climate change, Ecology and Evolution, accepted.

  • Dietz, R., E.W. Born, R. Stewart, M.P. Heide-Jorgensen, H. Stern, F. Riget, L. Toudal, C. Lanthier, M. Villum Jensen, and J. Tielmann, 2011, Movements of walruses (Odobenus Rosmarus) between Central West Greenland and Southeast Baffin Island 2005-2008, submitted to NAMMCO Special Walrus Issue.

  • Stern, H.. Record Number of Yachts Traverse Northwest Passage in Summer 2009, Polar Times, 3(15), 2010.

  • Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., K.L. Laidre, D. Borchers, T.A. Marques, H. Stern, and M. Simon, 2010, The effect of sea-ice loss on beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in West Greenland’, Polar Research, doi:10.1111/j.1751-8369.2009.00142.x, 2010.

  • Stern, H. L. and R. W. Lindsay, 2009:  Spatial Scaling of Arctic Sea Ice Deformation. J. Geophys. Res., 114, C10017, doi:10.1029/2009JC005380.

  • Lindsay, R. W., J. Zhang, A. Schweiger, M. Steele, and H. Stern, Arctic sea ice retreat in 2007 follows thinning trend, J. Climate, 22, 165-176, doi:10.1175/2008JCLI2521.1, 2009.

  • Stern, H.L., and R.W. Lindsay,’ Spatial scaling of Arctic sea ice deformation’, J. Geophys. Res., 114, doi:10.1029/2009JC005380, 2009.

  • Stern, H.L., R.E. Moritz, E. Lettvin, D. Schatz, and L. Russell (2008), Polar Science Weekend: A University / Science Center Collaboration, Eos Trans. AGU, 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract ED33A-0620.

  • Rampal, P., J. Weiss, D. Marsan, R. Lindsay, and H. Stern, 2008, Scaling properties of sea ice deformation from buoy dispersion analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C03002, doi:10.1029/2007JC004143.

  • Joughin, I., I. Howat, M. Fahnestock, B. Smith, W. Krabill, R. Alley, H. Stern, and M. Truffer, 2008, Continued Evolution of Jakobshavn Isbrae Following its Rapid Speedup, J. Geophys. Res., 113, F04006, doi:10.1029/2008JF001023.

  • Rampal, P., Weiss, D. Marsan, R. Lindsay, and H. Stern, 2008, Scaling properties of sea ice deformation from buoy dispersion analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C03002, doi: 10.1029/2007JC004143.

  • Lindsay, R.W., J. Zhang, A. Schweiger, and M.A. Steele, Seasonal predictions of ice extent in the Arctic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 113, C02023, doi:10.1029/2007JC004259, 2008.

  • Heide-Jørgensen, M.P., H. Stern, and K. Laidre,’ Dynamics of the ice edge in Davis Strait’, Journal of Marine Systems, 67, 170-178, 2007

  • Stern, H.L., 2005, North Pole, in Encyclopedia of the Arctic, Mark Nuttall, editor, Routledge, New York.

  • Stern, H.L., 2005, Arctic Circle, in Encyclopedia of the Arctic, Mark Nuttall, editor, Routledge, New York.

  • Perovich, D., E. L. Andreas, J. A. Curry, H. Eiken, C. W. Fairall, T. C. Grenfell, P. S. Guest, J. Intrieri, D. Kadko, R. W. Lindsay, M. G. McPhee, J. Morison, R. E. Moritz, C. A. Paulson, W. S. Pegau, P. O. G. Persson, R. Pinkel, J. A. Richter-Menge, T. Stanton, H. Stern, M. Sturm, W. B. Tucker III, and T. Uttal. “Year on ice gives climate insights.” EOS, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 80 (41), 481-486, 1999.

  • Steele, M., J. Zhang, D.A. Rothrock, and H. Stern: The force balance of sea ice in a numerical model of the Arctic Ocean,, J. Geophys. Res.102(C9), 2106121079, doi:10.1029/97JC01454, 1997.

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