IPY/NSTA Web Seminar:

Arctic and Antarctic Living Systems

LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP

Thursday, January 24, 2007

• Add Arctic/Antarctic to see where people have been….

Where have you been in the Arctic or Antarctic?

Today…..

1. Biota living in the polar regions are special. Why is this and why as scientists should we be interested in studying polar biology?

2. Why are arctic terrestrial ecosystems important to global climate change.

3. Some reasons why Antarctic living systems are a unique natural laboratory to study fundamental biological patterns and processes.

4. Tips on how you can be more involved in polar biology.

Polar Biota live in Extreme Environments

• Physical and biological conditions are close to the physiological capacity tolerated by most life forms…. e.g.

• 0 degrees Celsius (freezing point of water), which can invoke drought responses.

• Low and high light levels.

• Severe physical disturbance ~ snow, sea ice, glaciers limiting light and food availability and or gauging and dislodging biota from substrate.

• …The combination of the above in a highly dynamic system.

Polar Biota are Adapted to Extreme Environments

• Many biota exhibit amazing adaptations to polar environments…. e.g.

• Long periods of fasting ~ Emperor penguins.• Migration ~ various birds and marine mammals• Physiology ~ Antifreeze in plants and fish.• Feeding adaptations ~ teeth of leopard seals.• Reproductive behaviour:

• Plants reproduce asexually or self fertilize.• Male southern elephant seals fight (sometimes

to death) for the right to mate.• Early behavioural development in the southern

elephant seal.

How much do you think we weigh?A)100kg and 10kgB) 250kg and 25kgC) 500kg and 45kgD) 650kg and 80kg

Mother’s milk:45% fat & 10% protein

(vs. cow 4% & 2%)

Birth

~ 500 kg

~ 45 kg

Weaning (~23 days later)

~ 300 kg~ 120 kg

Largest living seal species

Adult males:

6 meters; > 3000 kg; harems of up to 500 females

Southern elephant seal

Sexual dimorphism:Breeding males > 10 times heavier than females

Polar Biota live in Extreme Environments

• Why are scientists interested in polar biota?

• Small changes in environmental conditions cause non-linear responses in biota.

• Polar biotic systems are generally simpler than those at lower latitudes.

• The organisms that inhabit the polar regions are fascinating.

• The polar regions are changing dramatically.

Let’s pause for two questions

from the audience

The Polar Regions are warming faster than anywhere else on Earth

Foundations of the Arctic Observing Network

Temperature TrendsTemperature Trends

•Where did you grow up?•Where do you live now?

How are arctic terrestrial ecosystems being impacted by climate change?

• Climate is warming and drying.• Evapotranspiration is increasing.• The hydrological cycle has been altered.• Lakes and ponds are drying up.

• The snow free period is lengthening.

• Species and ecosystems are changing….. e.g.• Shrubs more common, treeline moving north.• Migration for some species earlier/later.

• …and there are many more examples.

Why are arctic terrestrial ecosystems important to global climate change?

1. Human wellbeing and subsistence.2. The albedo (reflective properties) of arctic terrestrial

ecosystems is changing, altering the amount of sunlight reflected back to space.

3. There is a large carbon reservoir ‘locked’ in the permafrost of arctic soils, which if mobilized to the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas could enhance greenhouse warming.

….. Most change documented to date appears to positively enhance greenhouse warming in the arctic.

Global relevance of tundra land area, plant carbon, Net Primary Production, and soil carbon

(Adapted from WB GU, 1998)

Land Area= 9 %

Soil Carbon= 28 %

Plant Carbon= 1 %

Net PrimaryProduction

= 2 %

TundraDeserts

Grasslands

Tropical Forest

Temperate Forest

Boreal Forest

Lakes and Wetlands

Croplands

Ice

CCO2

Photosynthesis

CO2Soil Microbial

Respiration

Aerobic

Anerobic CH4

CCO2

Photosynthesis

CO2Soil Microbial

Respiration

Aerobic

Anerobic CH4

CCO2

Photosynthesis

CH4 = 23 x CO2CO2

CO2Soil Microbial

Respiration

Aerobic

Anerobic CH4

Atmospheric GHGsC

CO2

Photosynthesis

CH4 = 23 x CO2CO2

CO2Soil Microbial

Respiration

Aerobic

Anerobic CH4

Atmospheric GHGsC

CO2

Photosynthesis

CH4 = 23 x CO2CO2

Albedo

CO2Soil Microbial

Respiration

Aerobic

Anerobic CH4

Atmospheric GHGsC

CO2

Photosynthesis

CH4 = 23 x CO2CO2

Albedo

CO2Soil Microbial

Respiration

Aerobic

Anerobic CH4

Atmospheric GHGsC

CO2

Photosynthesis

CH4 = 23 x CO2CO2

Albedo

PERMAFROSTPERMAFROSTPERMAFROST

Seasonal Active Layer

Carbon Store

Arctic Carbon Rich Soils

C.E. Tweedie

•Current atmosphere: 750 Gigatonnes C

•Vulnerable arctic soils: 350-900 GT C

•Human C emissions: 5.4 GT C per year

•1% loss arctic soil C = annual human C emissions.

•Could equate to a global warming capacity of 4-8°C.

• Which examples of change could positively enhance warming in the arctic?1.

• Which factors could negatively enhance warming in the arctic?2.

Observed Snow Cover Change Barrow, Alaska

Observed Snow Cover Change Barrow, Alaska

What is the effect on Albedo(surface reflectivity)?

A) DecreaseB) IncreaseC) Not Sure

Shrub expansion Alaska 1949 – 2001

(Sturm et al. 2001)

Shrub expansion Alaska 1949 – 2001

(Sturm et al. 2001)

How is this likely to changeCO2 uptake? …

A) Increase B) DecreaseC) Not Sure

Let’s pause for two questions

from the audience

How are Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems being impacted by climate change?

• The climate of the Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic islands are also warming.

• Most Antarctic penguin species are increasingly breeding further south than they used to.

• The extent of the Antarctic Hair Grass is also expanding.

• Populations of marine mammals such as many whale species, fur seals and southern elephant seals are still recovering from over hunting for the fur and oil trade.

Human pressures on Antarctica are also changing…..

Antarctic tourism is booming…. How many tourists are forecast to visit Antarctica during the current austral summer?

20,000 – 30,00010,000 – 19,9995,000 – 9,9990 – 4,999

Use your clip art to respond

Changes in climate and human pressures are likely to continue to effect Antarctic biota:

• Introduction and colonization by new species is likely.

• The long term effects of climate change and UV is being closely studied by many countries.

• The above represents a unique opportunity for biologists to advance theory as well as fundamental understanding.

• Many novel discoveries related to the unique adaptations of Antarctic biota are likely.

Photo: Mike Fedak

Research

Ideas on how you can extend your interest in Polar Biology:

• Stay familiar with discoveries related to the International Polar Year.

• www.ipy.gov (US) • www.ipy.org (International)

• See if there will be a science conference near you at http://calendar.arcus.org/

• Check out www.polartrec.com and www.ipyroam.org, two programs that take teachers to the poles and are developing teaching materials.

• Add your ideas to the chat.

• 17 Undergraduate and 7 Graduate Students plus 5 Teachers.

• Selected from a nation-wide search1. UT Telecampus online course on Antarctic System Science, Fall

2007.2. Field trip to Washington DC3. Three-week ‘Expedition’ to Antarctica4. Evaluation of the educational impact of field-based hands on

research experience.5. Outreach….6. Extension to the Ecological Society of

America annual meeting 2008, SACNASmeeting 2008.

• www.ipyroam.org

Check out and register for upcoming events!

www.polartrec.com

Ideas on how you can extend your interest in Polar Biology:

• Contact a researcher near you to come in to your classroom and/or interact with your students from their field site.

• Search the directory of arctic researchers http://www.arcus.org/researcher/index.html

• Search one of the ARMAP applications that map where researchers are working in the arctic, what they are researching and how to get in touch with them ~ www.armap.org

Information portals for web-based mapping and

a lot more!!!

•www.armap.org•www.baidims.org•www.ceonims.org

Was that you? ….the water got warm all

of a sudden….

Thanks for Watching

Thanks

to our presenter, Dr. Craig Tweedie, and to NSF, NASA, &

NOAA

http://www.elluminate.com

http://learningcenter.nsta.org

National Science Teachers AssociationGerry Wheeler, Executive Director

Frank Owens, Associate Executive Director Conferences and Programs

Al Byers, Assistant Executive Director e-Learning

LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP

NSTA Web SeminarsFlavio Mendez, Director

Danielle Troiano, Project CoordinatorJeff Layman, Technical Coordinator