Transcript ppt - Gallaudet University

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 Regions, Research, &
Applications in the Classroom
Shannon Graham
June 25, 2007
Polar 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!
• 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 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 gases
Carbon insulation
Air temperature
Global 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
Thermokarst: ~ 5 meters
Angie Allen
↑ ground temperature & soil moisture levels
↑ CH4 from exposed soil
↑ erosion
Loss of Glaciers & Snow
• 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
Clifford Grabhorn
4,500 km2 (2,800 miles)
Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research
• Thermohaline circulation
– Water temperature, precipitation, & salinity influences sea
density
Argonne National Lab
Impacting 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 Density
You can’t judge the snow by its cover.
Shannon Graham
Washington School for the Deaf
Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic
What is insulation?
snow
ice
water
Pond A
Pond B
Pond C
Pond D
Which pond has good insulation?
Can we determine snow density by observation?
Snow density
Pond A
130.5 kg/m3
Pond B
175.5 kg/m3
Density
Definition: Density is mass per unit volume
D=M/V
Mass (g)
Volume (cm3)
Density (g/cm3)
To find volume (tube): (p * r2) h
h = snow depth
r = radius
p = pi (3.14)
Part 2: Data Collection Techniques
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Review
• 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