Polar Regions, Research, & Polar Regions, Research, & Applications in the ClassroomApplications in the Classroom

Shannon GrahamJune 25, 2007

Climate change is for real. We have just a small window of opportunity and it is closing rather rapidly. There is not a moment to lose.“ - Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Polar RegionsPolar Regions

• Arctic– North Pole to Arctic Circle

– 66.5°N latitude

– 4 million residents

• Antarctica– South Pole to Antarctic

Circle

– 66.5°S latitude

Windows to the Universe

News!News!

• Late 19th century– increased in CO2 (NY Times)

• 1970’s

– Increased variability than entire century

• Mean temperature change– 1.2°C per 100 years

• Sensitivity of polar regions– Arctic 2 x more than other regions

• (3.0°C since 1970)

– Antarctica 5 x more than global average • (2.5°C since 1945)

Greenhouse GasesGreenhouse Gases

Carbon dioxide CO2

Methane CH4

Nitrous oxide N20

Ozone O3

• Seasonal fluctuations of CO2 levels

– Spring: plants absorb CO2 & release O2

– Winter: decaying plants release CO2

• respiration & decomposition

Snow & Ice – high reflectivity of solar radiation

Greenhouse gasesCarbon insulation

Air temperature

Global WarmingGlobal Warming

• Few of many Changes– Storms– Temperature– Sea levels– Sea ice volume– Marine & terrestrial

species

• Few of many Causes– Electricity– Factories– Vehicles– Agricultural byproducts– Burning of fossil fuels– Deforestation

Angie Allen

Thermokarst: ~ 5 meters

↑ ground temperature & soil moisture levels↑ CH4 from exposed soil

↑ erosion

• Glacier National Park, MT • ~ 150 glaciers in 1910 • < 30 left• potential increase of sea levels

• Kilimanjaro• Snow melted > 80% since 1912

• Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica• Snow formation/decay – 8 days earlier than 1960’s

• Earlier bird nesting • Weakened snow floes – impacting polar bear, seal, walrus populations

Loss of Glaciers & SnowLoss of Glaciers & Snow

Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research

Clifford Grabhorn

4,500 km2 (2,800 miles)

• Thermohaline circulation– Water temperature, precipitation, & salinity influences sea

densityArgonne National Lab

Impacting Flora & FaunaImpacting Flora & Fauna

• Few of many examples….• Population decline

– Caribou (1961: 24,000 - 1997: 1100)

– Polar bears: endangered?

• Thriving populations– Invasive insects

– i.e. Bark beetle – 3.4 mil acres 10 years

• Adaptation efforts– Animals moving north

– Shrubs/Trees

Snow DensitySnow Density You can’t judge the snow by its cover.You can’t judge the snow by its cover.

Shannon GrahamWashington School for the Deaf

Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic

What is insulation?What is insulation?

water

ice

snow

Which pond has good insulation?Can we determine snow density by observation?

Pond A

Pond D

Pond B

Pond C

130.5 kg/m3

175.5 kg/m3

Pond A

Pond B

Snow densitySnow density

DensityDensity

Definition: Density is mass per unit volumeD = M / V

Mass (g) Volume (cm3)

Density (g/cm3)

To find volume (tube): ( * r2) h

h = snow depthr = radius

= pi (3.14)

Part 2: Data Collection TechniquesPart 2: Data Collection Techniques

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

ReviewReview

• Classroom activities developed by other TEA teachers– http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_classroommaterials.html

• Shannon’s e-journals during field work in AK– http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_grahamfrontpage.html

• Adaptation to this activity– Leave tray out for 24 hours and re-calculate density

– Add water to 1 or 2 trays for more variations of density