Lake El'gygytgyn (67.5º N, 172º E) is one of the best preserved large asteroid impact craters on earth. In the winter of 2009, I joined an international science team and traveled to the frozen arctic lake to drill and extract lake sediments to study climate change as well as sample the rocks that were changed when the crater
The sediment in Lake El'gygytgyn, (pronounced EL-ge-GIT-gin) located in NE Siberia, holds one of the longest records of climate change anywhere in the continental Arctic. How does sediment (clay and mud) tell us something about past climate? Proxy data! By studying the microfossils of diatoms and pollen in the sediment, we can re-construct the lake environment millions of
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
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
Greensboro News and Record article about PolarTREC teacher Tim Martin's expedition in Russia. Written post-expedition, it discusses some of the highlights from the project, including being the first to see the rock cores from the bottom of Lake El'gygytgyn. Click below for the online article.
Field Notes newsletter discusses research at Lake El'gygytgyn, and provides a link to follow Tim Martin's PolarTREC journals. Access the article using the link provided.
PolarTREC Teacher, Tim Martin facilitated an unique learning opportunity when his students corresponded with him remotely in a Live from IPY! event. Local reporters covered the live event at Mr. Martin's school in Greensboro, North Carolina.
This Live from IPY! event was held with PolarTREC teacher Tim Martin and University of Massachusetts researcher Dr. Julie Brigham-Grette from the Lake El'gygytgyn scientific drilling project in Siberia. Due to technical difficulties running Wimba, only an audio recording and a PDF of the slides is available for this event.
This article in the Polar Field Services "Field Notes" newsletter explains some of the fascinating science taking place in the spring of 2009 in northeastern Russia. It also highlights the logistical challenges with living and working in remote Russia.