PolarTREC alumni and science teacher Bill Schmoker is taking his second research trip to the Arctic this summer as one of a handful of educators chosen as a Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow.
Density currents drive 3D movements within the world’s oceans that dwarf surface currents by volume. Density-driven movements due to temperature/salinity differences keep the world’s oceans well mixed & help to re-distribute heat from tropical areas towards polar areas. Resultant upwelling creates some of the world’s richest ocean ecosystems. Density movements known as turbidity currents are the world’s largest
Students will use marshmallows to simulate toxins in the environment. Concentrations of these toxins will be modeled and calculated as they bioaccumulate up the food chain. Methylmercury and POPs are substances that bioaccumulate in the Arctic food chain. OASIS scientists studied these in Barrow, Alaska. (See Ocean Atmosphere Sea Ice and Snow (OASIS) Project at www.polartrec.com)
Students will discover how a simple action such as turning on a television will lead to toxins in our food supply. Many of these toxins concentrate in the Arctic because of long-range transport of pollutants in the atmosphere. Scientists in the OASIS project (http://www.polartrec.com/ocean-atmosphere-sea-ice-and-snowpack-interactions) study these pollutants in the Arctic. Students will learn about actions that they can take to
In this lesson students research scientific field expeditions and learn what it is like working in the field. Students are able to ask questions of the research team as part of their project. Students then share what they have learned with their classmates.
Objective
1. Students understand what really goes on in the field during a scientific study.
2
In this activity students learn about varves, annual sediment layers found in lakes. Students will analyze authentic varve data from New England in order to correlate data from three different geographic locations .
Objective
Students will analyze authentic varve sediment data and create a graph of varve thickness. Students will use their results to make inferences about
An important science skill that needs to be developed is asking significant questions that advance knowledge. This activity helps students to understand the difference between significant and trivial questions.
Objective
Students should be able to distinguish between significant questions that advance knowledge and trivial questions.
Procedure
1. Have the students define significant question and trivial questions in a
This lesson allows students to use online mapping tools to investigate global snow cover changes. Students develop a problem statement about global snow cover and then use mapping tools to investigate their problem or question.
Objective
Students will become familiar with the data and tools used to analyze snow cover changes in order to answer questions pertaining