Update

Now Archived! PolarConnect event with Adeena Teres and John Woods from the Operation IceBridge Team on 24 April 2017. You can access this and other events on the PolarConnect Archives webpage.

What Are They Doing?

Photo by Russell Hood
Icebergs the size of a city block in eastern Greenland. Photo by Russell Hood.
IceBridge is in its 8th year as a NASA mission and is the largest airborne survey of Earth's polar ice ever conducted. IceBridge uses a highly specialized fleet of research aircraft and the most sophisticated science instruments ever assembled to characterize yearly changes in thickness of sea ice, glaciers, and ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic. The research team is experiencing first-hand the excitement of flying a large research aircraft over the Greenland Ice Sheet. While in the air they are recording data on the thickness, depth, and movement of ice features, resulting in an unprecedented three-dimensional view of ice sheets, ice shelves, and sea ice. Operation IceBridge began in 2009 to bridge the gap in data collection after NASA's ICESat satellite stopped functioning and when the ICESat-2 satellite becomes operational , making IceBridge critical for ensuring a continuous series of observations of polar ice. IceBridge flies over the Arctic and Antarctic every year - in the Arctic from March to May and the Antarctic in October and November. By comparing the year-to-year readings of ice thickness and movement both on land and on the sea, scientists can look at the behavior of the rapidly changing features of the polar ice and learn more about the trends that could affect sea-level rise and climate around the globe. Support for a teacher on this project is provided through separate funding to ARCUS through NASA. More information about IceBridge can be found at the NASA project website.

Where Are They?

NASA's P-3 Orion for Operation IceBridge. Photo by Russell Hood.
NASA's P-3 Orion for Operation IceBridge. Photo by Russell Hood.
The field campaign for Operation IceBridge is based out of Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland, and Thule Air Force Base in northwest Greenland. Kangerlussuaq was once used as an American military base, the settlement is now Greenland's main air transport hub and the site of Greenland's largest commercial airport, and Thule is a fully operational U.S. Air Force Base, run by the Danish company Greenland Contractors. The climate in Kangerlussuaq and Thule is arctic, with temperatures ranging from -25 to 18 degrees Celsius throughout the year. Russell Glacier highlights some of the natural beauty that can be reached out of Kangerlussuaq, while Thule has lots of historical cold war Air Force sites included missile silos and ice field bases. The research team is living in the Kangerlussuaq International Science Support Building (KISS) and the Air Force Inn in Thule.

Latest Journals

I drove to Orlando a couple of days ago to head to the Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference (FAST) where I presented about PolarTREC and Operation IceBridge. I met Steve Kirsche, another PolarTREC teacher from Florida. It’s the first time I have ever presented at a science conference…
I applied to PolarTREC hoping that I would get in, and when I was interviewed by John Woods and heard about Operation IceBridge, I knew that this program was meant for me. I was ready to take part in the daily flights surveying the Arctic. I had experience as a flight attendant so the long days in…
A picture of the Air National Guard's C-130 sitting on the ramp at the Kangerlussuaq Airport. I flew home with the Air Force's 109th Air National Guard unit from Kangerlussuaq to Schenectady, New York. I flew on a C-130 which is a large cargo plane. The plane is not designed for comfort, it…
This is located at the airport in Kangerlussuaq and it tells the distance and direction to different cities in the world. Last Flight Today I took my last flight on the P-3 Orion. I'm sad to be leaving. The group made me feel like I was part of the team and everyday I learned something new. It'…
Dates
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Location
Kangerlussuaq, Thule AFB, Greenland
Project Funded Title
NASA Operation IceBridge
Adeena Teres - Teacher
Teacher
Stoneman Douglas High School

Adeena Teres has taught science at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida for the last nine years. She received her undergraduate degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida Atlantic University.

She believes in hands on learning and teaching through inquiry and she wants her students to look at the natural world and ask questions that they want to have answered. Adeena wants her students to learn how to think critically and to be stewards of the Earth. Several years ago, she ran her first half marathon and has been running ever since. She is obsessed with Disney and has combined her two hobbies by signing up to run every race Disney hosts at the property in Orlando, Florida. She is passionate about traveling both professionally and for fun and she is ready to take on new adventures. Adeena is excited about sharing this amazing opportunity with her students.

Living in Florida, she is extremely experienced in watching snow fall in other states while she reads under the palm trees. It is her fervent desire to build a snowman soon.

John Woods - Researcher
Researcher
Office of Naval Research Global

John Woods is a native of Lavallette, NJ and currently resides in Annapolis, MD with his wife and 3 kids. He studied Oceanography at the United States Naval Academy and obtained his master’s degree in Oceanography and Meteorology at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. John served on active duty in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer on the USS Cleveland (LPD-7) deploying to the Persian Gulf two times, and as a Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) Officer at the U.S. Naval Ice Center. His final tour was back at the U.S. Naval Academy teaching in the Oceanography Department where he created the Polar Science Program. This assignment first introduced him to Polar Operations and Logistics leading 4 different learning activities to the Arctic Region. After transitioning to the Navy Reserves, he was the Project Manager for NASA's Operation IceBridge, successfully executing over a dozen science campaigns to both the Polar North and South. Most recently John was a physical scientist for NOAA at the U.S. National Ice Center until recently transitioning back to the Navy in his current position with the Office of Naval Research, International Engagement Office focusing on collaborations with polar nations.

Operation IceBridge 2017 Resources

Students will find an expedition within the PolarTREC archives and use the research to make a video explaining why studying polar science is important.

Overview

PolarTREC supports teachers on expeditions with real scientists to study in the field. Studying in the Arctic and Antarctic environments can be a harsh and rewarding experience. I participated in Operation IceBridge, an aerial study

Lesson
Arctic
More than a week
High school and Up
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Poster presentation about teachers and researchers working together as participants of the PolarTREC program and the benefits to both. The poster outlines my experiences as a PolarTREC teacher working with Operation IceBridge.

Presentation
Arctic
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PolarTREC teachers Steve Kirsche and Adeena Teres presented to a group of teachers from around the state of Florida. This is the presentation that they gave at the 2017 Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST) Statewide Conference on 20 October.

Event
Arctic
All Aged

The Importance of Teachers Experiencing Science Expeditions##

It is a teacher’s job to take a subject and make it come alive for our students. Doing field research broadens a teacher’s horizons where they learn more about science and themselves by facing new challenges and accomplishing tasks such as collecting field data and learning about the world around them. This trip

Report
Arctic
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Interview with PolarTREC teacher Adeena Teres in the Kappa Alpha Theta Magazine. Adeena is an alumni of the Zeta Kappa Chapter.

Article
Arctic
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Operation IceBridge is an aerial survey that measures both land and sea ice in the Arctic and the Antarctic. There are many reasons to monitor the polar regions. The cryosphere is essential in helping to maintain global climate. One important reason is to investigate sea level rise. Land ice can cause sea levels to rise, when it melts, by adding

Lesson
Arctic
About 1 period
Middle School and Up
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Adeena Teres is further recognized with a proclamation from the Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine shown in local online publication "Coral Springs Talk".

Article
Arctic
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An article in the May 2017 issue of Parklander Magazine which talks about Adeena Teres' trip to Greenland with Operation IceBridge and how she plans to use what she learns in her classroom.

Article
Arctic
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WPLG Local News covers teacher Adeena Teres who received a Proclamation for participating in Operation IceBridge. The proclamation was given at her school in front of one of her classes by Commissioner Michael Udine and June 2, 2017 was designated "Adeena Teres Day".

Article
Arctic
High school and Up
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Article about Adeena Teres receiving an honor from the county commissioner for participating in NASA's Operation IceBridge.

Article
Arctic
All Aged
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PolarTREC teacher Adeena Teres discusses the 2017 Arctic Campaign of NASA Operation IceBridge from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Project Manager John Woods joins Adeena to explain what Operation IceBridge is and what they are measuring while flying over Greenland.

Interview by local Channel 10 news with teacher Adeena Teres about her upcoming trip to Greenland with Operation IceBridge.

Web Link
Arctic
n/a
All Aged