The Norwegian Bay population is bounded by heavy multi-year ice to the west, islands to the north, east, and west and polynyas to the south . From data collected during mark-recapture studies, and from satellite tracking of polar bears, it appears that most of the polar bears in this population are concentrated along the coastal tide cracks and ridges along the north, east, and southern boundaries . The preponderance of heavy multi-year ice through most of the central and western areas has resulted in low densities of ringed seals and, consequently, low densities of polar bears.