The study will show how the polar bear population is disturbed across the Arctic region. Also, scientists will be able to assess the accumulated environmental damage based on the materials.

The specialists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the polar bear population in the Bear Islands Nature Reserve in northern Sakha for the first time. They have used drones to take pictures of the Bear Islands Nature Reserve's islands and mainland territories.

An Orlan-10 long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has sent more than 25,000 aerial photographs. The scientists have used AI to process all photos during the expedition. They have used a specially trained neural network to detect polar bears on the received images.

We counted more than 150 polar bears during the monitoring. The exact figures will be available as we process all the images, the expert told TASS.

According to scientists' forecasts, the polar bear population may decrease by 30% by 2050. There are currently about 25-27 thousand polar bears worldwide. Sakha is home to the Laptev population, estimated at 800-1200 animals.

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