Tundra and Brooks Range
End of Toolik Adventure I am now back in Livermore, California and have been putting off writing this journal post. I guess I want to feel like I am still in the Arctic! Some things I especially…
River ice
Measuring Fluid Dynamics in the Field So far I've seen research being done to document types and prevalence of microbes in water systems, the characteristics of water at different parts in the…
C-OPS to measure light waves
Dr. Cory's Groundbreaking Research As described in my post "Arctic Sunlight and Carbon Release", the tundra is a large carbon sink, storing decayed plants and animals in the frozen ground. As soil…
Field work
Science Investigation in the Field As a science teacher, I've always required by students to complete an independent science research project. Students did not need to enter a science fair, and I am…
Walking to Sag
Studying Carbon Release in the Arctic What is carbon's source? The PolarTREC project I am assigned to, Arctic Sunlight and Microbial Interactions 2014 studies the release of carbon from arctic…
Tundra Animals Researchers have been studying the water chemistry in northern Alaska for over 20 years. Water is collected along the Sagavanirktok River as it heads north toward Prudhoe Bay and the…
Musk ox
Today was a mix of being a tourist and working on science. Two teams traveled together north on the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay. This is the farthest north on can travel on a U.S. highway. Along…
Brinker in lab
Toolik FAQs Welcome to Toolik Over the past week, I've Skyped students in Ireland, Chile, China, England, and the U.S. Here are the students' frequently asked questions (FAQs). Where are you?…
Arctic Lake
Engineering Challenge: Stop an Arctic Lake From Freezing Many lakes are on the Arctic tundra. Because of permafrost under the soil, melted snow cannot be deeply absorbed into the ground. The result…
Postcards for Toolik
Polar Science In May, I had the pleasure of holding a polar science workshop at Croce Elementary School in Livermore, California. Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Ferrucci, parents, and students were indispensable…
Carbon Cycle Diagram
The Carbon Cycle Nature prefers balance. Humans have systems in place to maintain balance, or homeostasis, to keep us healthy and feeling well. For example, when we become too hot we sweat to cool…
Arctic's Influence on Weather The winter of 2013 - 14 brought record breaking weather to the U.S. Weather patterns, including this past winter's weather, circulate around the world because of the…