More polar bears on land have been encountering more people in the Arctic, a perfect storm of dangerous conditions, one scientist says.

"It was pretty crazy how much water just kind of showed up," said Michelle St. Martin, whose field season was cut short by melting sea ice.

The bears that come to the northern village of Kaktovik are climate refugees, on land because the sea ice they rely on for hunting seals is receding.

The habitat overlap of polar bears and their main prey, ringed seals, is disappearing and the bears are instead getting closer to nesting birds.