First a cow … now a polar bear, seen off West Seattle this morning. A texter sent that photo from Don Armeni Boat Ramp. The bear is in the area for this protest across the bay later this afternoon:

A family-friendly vigil happening Saturday, September 15 near the Pier 91 cruise terminal will highlight how human-caused climate change is impacting the health of the world’s oceans, especially the Arctic. The vigil will feature a floating art installation in Elliott Bay of a polar bear perched on a melting iceberg.

The vigil is happening on Arctic sea ice minimum day, the annual day when the sea ice extent is at its lowest. Sea ice minimum — which occurs in mid-September of each year — happens when the ice stops melting and the glaciers begin to accumulate again. The vigil will also draw attention to the role cruise ships play in accelerating the melting ice in the Arctic and contributing to sea level rise by burning heavy fuel oil, the dirtiest fossil fuel available for marine transportation.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center tracks sea ice at nsidc.org. A September 4 blog post by NSIDC says this year’s sea ice minimum is expected to be one of the ten lowest in the satellite record.

The event coincides with two other international vigils for Arctic sea ice minimum day, in London and Rotterdam. The event is also part of the region-wide Salish Sea Day of Action.

The vigil is happening by the Magnolia cruise-ship terminal 3-5 pm. (The ship in the background is the new megaliner Norwegian Bliss, docked today at Pier 66 downtown; the port touted its environmentally friendlier features earlier this year.)