The arctic tern makes the longest known seasonal migration. It spends the northern summer in the Arctic and the southern summer in the Antarctic, traveling over 22,000 miles (35,000 km) each year!
Polar Bears are the only bear species to be considered marine mammals. In fact the latin name for Polar Bear, Ursus maritimus, means maritime bear. This is because they depend on the ocean for their food and habitat. They also have many physical characteristics that make them well adapted for life in the cold Arctic Ocean. They are excellent swimmers
The coldest temperature ever recorded in history was -128 degrees F (-89 degrees C) at Vostok Station, Antarctica! The coldest temperature ever recorded in the Arctic was -94 degrees F (-67.8 degrees C) at the village of Verkhoyansk, Siberia.
The word Arctic comes from the Greek word for bear, arktos. It refers to two constellations in the northern night sky: Ursa Major (Great Bear) and Ursa Minor (Little Bear), which contains Polaris, the North Star.
PolarTREC teacher Michelle Brown writes for the Austin American Statesman about her upcoming expedition to Antarctica. Michelle outlines her plans to travel to Antarctica to work with researchers at the remote McMurdo Station and the automated geophysical observatory at the South Pole Station. In addition to helping researchers study the human impacts on the southern continent, she will also install
PolarTREC teacher Michelle Brown writes an article in the Austin American Statesman about her upcoming expedition to study human impacts in Antarctica. Michelle details her motivation to apply for the PolarTREC program and how it has already changed her teaching practice and students' lives.
Penguins do not live in the Arctic! Despite what many people think, penguins live almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, from the equator to Antarctica.
Article about PolarTREC teacher Chantelle Rose's icebreaker-based expedition to collect some of the first winter information on the biology, chemistry, and physical oceanography of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas.