Soil decomposers, such as some bacteria and fungi, obtain energy needed for life from dead and decomposing plant and animal remains, known as soil organic matter. Soil organic matter is important to local ecosystems because it affects soil structure, regulates soil moisture and temperature, and provides energy and nutrients to soil organisms. It is also important globally, because
Students in cooperative teams will use a spreadsheet and graphing program such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to graph and evaluate a large data set. The data sets provided come from authentic arctic ground squirrel research completed at Toolik Research station in arctic Alaska. The data sets were downloaded from body temperature loggers implanted into individual animals
Students in cooperative teams will use a spreadsheet and graphing program such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel to graph and evaluate a large data set. The data sets provided come from authentic arctic ground squirrel research completed at Toolik Research station in arctic Alaska. The data sets were downloaded from body temperature loggers implanted into individual animals
The report is written by teacher participants upon return from their field expedition portion of the PolarTREC program. It summarizes the benefit of the expedition to the teacher, a description of activities, and a summary of how teachers plan to link this experience in classrooms and communities. This is a public document that will be posted in teacher portfolios and
The first Joint Antarctic School Expedition is highlighted in the spring 2014 issue of Witness the Arctic. All members of the team contributed to the article that shares their experience.
This lesson was developed to explore the dynamics of arctic sea ice from the scientific, historical, and economic perspectives. Use math and polar science to examine the impacts of seasonal shifts, climate change impacts, and modeling to understand arctic sea ice.
Application
This lesson can be taught in a variety of ways ranging from a teacher centered
This scientific article, focuses on one of the largest pools of global carbon that is, the organic C stored in permafrost (perennially frozen) ground, and on the vulnerability to change under an increasingly warmer climate.
A scientific report describing the results of the CiPEHR Experiment as of 2011. This report attempts to answer these questions:
(1) Does ecosystem warming cause a net release of C from the ecosystem to the atmosphere?,
(2) Does the decomposition of old C that comprises the bulk of the soil C pool influence ecosystem C loss?, and
(3) How do
The Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory (GIPL)
The Permafrost Laboratory deals with scientific questions related to the circumpolar permafrost dynamics and feedbacks between permafrost and global change. At the Permafrost Laboratory, data related to the thermal and structural state of circumpolar permafrost is collected and analyzed. The focus of our research is the development of methods to physically and mathematically model
Just as the increase in atmospheric CO2 is causing the global air temperture to rise, the container with the added CO2 will trap more heat inside and will show a higher internal temperature.
Overview
This activity/demonstration can be used directly following lessons on greenhouse gasses and their effects on warming the atmosphere by allowing shortwave UV energy