Date post: | 02-Jan-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | mercy-pope |
View: | 217 times |
Download: | 2 times |
Polar Regions, Research, & Polar Regions, Research, & Applications in the ClassroomApplications in the Classroom
Shannon GrahamJune 25, 2007
Climate change is for real. We have just a small window of opportunity and it is closing rather rapidly. There is not a moment to lose.“ - Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Polar RegionsPolar Regions
• Arctic– North Pole to Arctic Circle
– 66.5°N latitude
– 4 million residents
• Antarctica– South Pole to Antarctic
Circle
– 66.5°S latitude
Windows to the Universe
News!News!
• Late 19th century– increased in CO2 (NY Times)
• 1970’s
– Increased variability than entire century
• Mean temperature change– 1.2°C per 100 years
• Sensitivity of polar regions– Arctic 2 x more than other regions
• (3.0°C since 1970)
– Antarctica 5 x more than global average • (2.5°C since 1945)
Greenhouse GasesGreenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide CO2
Methane CH4
Nitrous oxide N20
Ozone O3
• Seasonal fluctuations of CO2 levels
– Spring: plants absorb CO2 & release O2
– Winter: decaying plants release CO2
• respiration & decomposition
Snow & Ice – high reflectivity of solar radiation
Greenhouse gasesCarbon insulation
Air temperature
Global WarmingGlobal Warming
• Few of many Changes– Storms– Temperature– Sea levels– Sea ice volume– Marine & terrestrial
species
• Few of many Causes– Electricity– Factories– Vehicles– Agricultural byproducts– Burning of fossil fuels– Deforestation
Angie Allen
Thermokarst: ~ 5 meters
↑ ground temperature & soil moisture levels↑ CH4 from exposed soil
↑ erosion
• Glacier National Park, MT • ~ 150 glaciers in 1910 • < 30 left• potential increase of sea levels
• Kilimanjaro• Snow melted > 80% since 1912
• Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica• Snow formation/decay – 8 days earlier than 1960’s
• Earlier bird nesting • Weakened snow floes – impacting polar bear, seal, walrus populations
Loss of Glaciers & SnowLoss of Glaciers & Snow
Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research
Clifford Grabhorn
4,500 km2 (2,800 miles)
• Thermohaline circulation– Water temperature, precipitation, & salinity influences sea
densityArgonne National Lab
Impacting Flora & FaunaImpacting Flora & Fauna
• Few of many examples….• Population decline
– Caribou (1961: 24,000 - 1997: 1100)
– Polar bears: endangered?
• Thriving populations– Invasive insects
– i.e. Bark beetle – 3.4 mil acres 10 years
• Adaptation efforts– Animals moving north
– Shrubs/Trees
Snow DensitySnow Density You can’t judge the snow by its cover.You can’t judge the snow by its cover.
Shannon GrahamWashington School for the Deaf
Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic
What is insulation?What is insulation?
water
ice
snow
Which pond has good insulation?Can we determine snow density by observation?
Pond A
Pond D
Pond B
Pond C
130.5 kg/m3
175.5 kg/m3
Pond A
Pond B
Snow densitySnow density
DensityDensity
Definition: Density is mass per unit volumeD = M / V
Mass (g) Volume (cm3)
Density (g/cm3)
To find volume (tube): ( * r2) h
h = snow depthr = radius
= pi (3.14)
Part 2: Data Collection TechniquesPart 2: Data Collection Techniques
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
ReviewReview
• Classroom activities developed by other TEA teachers– http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_classroommaterials.html
• Shannon’s e-journals during field work in AK– http://tea.armadaproject.org/tea_grahamfrontpage.html
• Adaptation to this activity– Leave tray out for 24 hours and re-calculate density
– Add water to 1 or 2 trays for more variations of density