Earth Science Collection

Researcher Egbert Schwartz and PolarTREC teacher Justin Kendhammer will travel to the Dry Valleys of Antarctica in search of life in the seemingly barren soil. One of the questions they will attempt to answer is whether microbes in the soil are native to Antarctic soil or whether they have been blown onto the continent from elsewhere in the world.

This one hour webinar with PolarTREC teacher Lisa Seff shares ideas and experiences on bringing polar science into your classroom and community. Her work focuses on the oceanographic conditions of bowhead whale habitat.

Satellite observations of circulation features associated with a bowhead whale feeding ‘hotspot’ near Barrow, Alaska. Remote Sensing of Environment. 115:2168-2174
Okkonen, S.R., C. Ashjian, R.G. Campbell, J.T. Clarke, S.E. Moore, and K.D. Taylor. 2011.

Alaska Marine Mammal Stock Assessments, 2012

Learn about how scientists measure salinity, temperature, and depth (CTD). Information can be found in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels, as well as in English or Spanish language.

Overview

NASA's Operation IceBridge images Earth's polar ice in unprecedented detail to better understand processes that connect the Polar Regions with the global climate system. IceBridge uses a specialized fleet of aircraft and the most sophisticated suite of science instruments ever assembled to gather data on sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets. The data gathered today will allow future scientists

Overview

NASA's Operation IceBridge images Earth's polar ice in unprecedented detail to better understand processes that connect the Polar Regions with the global climate system. IceBridge uses a specialized fleet of aircraft and the most sophisticated suite of science instruments ever assembled to gather data on sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets. The data gathered today will allow future scientists

Overview

It's All About Repetition! In this lesson, we will learn what repeat photography is, and discuss how it can be used in scientific analysis.

Introduction

What is repeat photography? It is the taking of photographs from the same location, over time, to document changes. This tool has become extremely useful in science, as a qualitative way to

Gain a basic understanding of ocean water properties and how they interact: Temperature, Salinity, and Density.

Beginning with the definition of ocean currents, NOAA presents a multiple resources on types of currents, measurements, and currents affect our lives.

This 5 minute interview with polar researcher Carin Ashjian gives a glimpse into her study of oceanography and marine ecosystems in the Arctic.

Most everyone knows that the Arctic is located at the top of the planet and home to the north pole. But did you know the average winter temperature is minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and during summer, the temperature can climb to plus 50 degrees? That the Arctic is the only place polar bears live? And the Titanic struck an iceberg

Windows to the universe is brought to you by the National Earth Science Teachers Association. Tabs specific to the Arctic Ocean and Oceanography are available from this main page. Information can be found in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels, as well as in English or Spanish language. You can also access additional information on: * Arctic Currents * [Ocean Conveyor

Overview

This lesson was written for the 2012 Arctic Ocean Ecosystem Workshop and was inspired by the research work conducted off the coast of Barrow, Alaska by researchers Steve Okonnen and Patricia Yager with PolarTREC teachers Lollie Garay and Chantelle Rose. Students will engage in a series of exercises to investigate seasonal change in the Arctic ecosystem based on authentic

Article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger newspaper and on www.nj.com about Bruce Taterka's PolarTREC expedition.

This one hour live web event is hosted by Mark Buesing. Mark worked with the NASA IceBridge team to survey polar ice over Greenland in 2013.

Journal article about Lesley Urasky's PolarTREC expedition, Glacial History in Antarctica, published in "In the Trenches", the news magazine of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers.

An article about Lesley Urasky's PolarTREC expedition, Glacial History in Antarctica during the 2010-2011 research season that appeared in the University of Wyoming's Alumnews.

Rawlins Daily Times newspaper article about Lesley Urasky's upcoming PolarTREC expedition to Antarctica for the 2010-2011 research season

This one hour PolarConnect event is with Jamie Esler and the research team in central Iceland. The focus of this event is on drumlin formations and their importance.

Here is a great interview with Dr. Iverson on Iowa Public Radio. He gives an excellent overview of the research, why he has chosen Mulajokull as a location, and the significance of understanding glacial mechanics and movement in light of global climate change.

This one hour PolarConnect event is Nell Kemp and Bruce Taterka at Toolik field station studying wolf spiders and tundra/microbial interactions, respectively.

Overview

The long-term objective of PolarTREC teacher Lesley Urasky's expedition research in Antarctica (Glacial History in Antarctica) is to determine the rate at which glaciers have receded since the Last Glacial Maximum. This lesson is designed to give students an understanding of the Last Glacial Maximum, the climatic conditions that lead to glacial periods, and how the rate of glacial

Overview

There is so much media hype and public misunderstanding regarding the issue of climate change that advanced students need to be equipped to sort through the information available, find data from appropriately moderated scientific data bases, and learn to support their views with good scientific evidence rather than emotion. This lesson provides the outline for giving students some preliminary

This presentation to the District 128 school board highlighted the science and adventure of NASA's Operation IceBridge and why science, technology, engineering, and math are vital to all our students. Links and credits to videos in the presentation can all be found in the video information on YouTube.

Read this online interview with PolarTREC teacher Jamie Esler for a snapshot of his cool summer plans. Mr. Esler will be joining polar researchers Dr. Neal Iverson and Dr. Thomas Hooyer, and Scandinavian colleagues, in a remote location of Iceland for three weeks for his PolarTREC Expedition. The team will be conducting research on drumlins, a unique type of glacial