Antarctic ecosystems are undergoing change at unprecedented levels. In this lesson, students will use real data to evaluate the effect of climate change on Antarctic fish. Denise Hardoy created this lesson plan after joining Dr. Anne Todgham’s team studying Antarctic Fish Development Under Future Ocean Conditions in October/November of 2019.
La educadora informal de PolarTREC, Jocelyn Argueta, viajó al Polo Sur en 2019 con el Observatorio IceCube Neutrino y la Expedición Askaryan Radio Array. Creó una serie de YouTube Hielo Pequeño: Pedazos de la Antártida para explicar el viaje, la ciencia y la vida en el Polo Sur, tanto en inglés como en español. En esta serie
This lesson will provide students with an opportunity to design and carry out an experiment that mimics the conditions causing accelerated ice melt along the face of the Thwaites Glacier off the southwest coast of Antarctica. Created by Sarah Slack during her expedition to Thwaites aboard the icebreaker Nathaniel B. Palmer, this activity aligns with the Science and Engineering
This lesson introduces students to the impacts of increasing ocean temperatures on marine life. Through this kinesthetic activity, students will learn more about marine ectotherms and what researchers in Antarctica have learned so far about how increasing temperature in Antarctic waters will affect their growth. Through the elaborate section of the activity students will connect what they learned about
This is a STEM-based lesson that can be taught in class or online. Students will analyze Weddell seal pup growth data, collected by the Growing Up on Ice, B-030, research team. To use this lesson virtually, include the data cards and have students either construct graphs and upload an image of their graph, or construct a graph and share
This lesson investigates the effects of different insulators (fur and blubber) on maintaining the body temperature of polar animals. Water balloons filled with warm water simulate the marine mammal. The blubber insulator will be simulated by covering the balloon in vegetable shortening. The fur insulator will be simulated by placing another balloon over the “marine mammal” and adding an
The PolarTREC Field Experience is amazing! PolarTREC (Polar Teachers Researchers and Educators Exploring and Collaborating) matches polar researchers with educators to highlight, and increase accessibility to, the science happening in some of the most fascinating places on our planet—the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It is an opportunity for educators to be completely immersed in the culture
Mass Live article coverage on Bridget Ward's expedition to Antarctica. The link to the story can be found here. A PDF of the story is also available for downloading.