This lesson focuses on the diffusion of gas molecules across the cuticle membrane of sea spider legs and the role body size plays in the ability of sea spiders to uptake gases. Students construct model sea spider legs of varying diameters and use them to investigate the relationship between surface area-to-volume ratios and diffusion.
Article describing PolarTREC teacher Susy Ellison's recent expeditions to Alaska to take part in a tree ring study in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and an archaeological expedition in Kivalina.