Scientists are studying the effect of climate change on vegetation in the Alaskan tundra. In this activity, students will analyze data collected from control plots and plots with Open Top Chambers (OTC's) over them. An open-top chamber is like a tiny greenhouse that increases the temperature in a vegetation plot an average of 2-3 degrees, simulating the effects of
After spending 5 weeks in the Arctic learning about tundra vegetation and phenology, Alejandra Martinez wanted to have her students observe the growth of plants in their school. In this lesson, students will grow plants in multiple locations and track their growth to compare their phenology.
Objectives
Students will learn what phenology is and make observations about plant growth
South Texas is pretty far removed from the Arctic. When I mention climate change in my classroom, my students think of emaciated polar bears roaming the Arctic Ocean for a few minutes and then carry on with their day. I needed to find a way to connect what was happening in the Arctic to
Educator Ale Martinez and the team researching Phenology and Vegetation in the Warming Arctic live from Toolik Field Station in Alaska. This event was broadcasted on 25 June 2019.
Florida International University (FIU) Preeminent Program research team hunts for the drivers of global climate change in the Arctic. Video produced by Florida International University, May 2019.
Educator Allyson Woodard and the Permafrost & Community Team discuss permafrost and how members of the community of Telida are helping to collect data to study the science of permafrost in their Alaskan village. This presentation was broadcast live from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon on 28 March 2019.
PolarTREC, funded by ARCUS (Arctic Research Consortium of the United States) and NSF (the National Science Foundation), brings educators to Polar Regions for immersive field work with researchers. This professional development opportunity allows educators to share real world experience with polar science in their communities, in the form of outreach and education. As an exhibit developer who
This lesson allows students to consider navigation around Antarctica, where longitudinal lines converge at South Pole. Through this study, students should learn about polar stereographic projection, satellites, navigation using various instruments, Antarctic geography, and NASA’s Operation IceBridge airborne mission. In the first part of this 55-80 minute lesson, students will be faced with a dilemma. Their task will be
NASA’s Operation IceBridge (OIB) flies airborne missions each year over both Polar Regions, collecting ice thickness and extent data on glaciers, ice caps, ice shelves and sea ice. This data is useful to many disciplines studying climate, weather, ocean circulation, sea level and many related fields. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) houses and organizes the data
The Revitalizing Power of Teacher-Researcher Collaboration
The nature of science is continually moving us forward; from a fresh set of findings we rush ahead excitedly to the next batch of questions. From this continual pursuit, new ideas, methods and instruments are designed by scientists and technicians at a rapid pace, in turn yielding new data. As science teachers, we need