Module 8

Explain:
Cryosphere: all of Earth's surface where water is in solid form.  When I first read that word I wondered if I had studied it before....or if it was a sub-category of the Troposhere or something I had forgotten.  I'm not sure if I have studied it or not but, I've got it stored now!




from the national snow and ice data center



ocean

land

ice sheet

snow

sea ice (low concentration to high concentration)

The colors of the sea ice scale show up in my unpublished blog.... but not here?


I also learned about the permafrost melting around Alaska and how those who depend on the permafrost and sea ice to hunt and live are facing increasing challenges.  Houses sinking and cliffs sluffing as permafrost melts, whale hunting from ice that breaks off and floats away stranding the hunters are two examples I learned of in this module.



BBC shows Siberian sub-arctic tundra melting.



The whole western Siberian sub-Arctic region has started to thaw

Extend and Explore

It has been such a timely unit of study lately!  We have been discovering weather and climate in my science classes the last month or so.  I have shown many of the videos and interactive pictures have been great! 

To talk about the science behind natural global temperature fluctuations vs mans influence over the last 100 years and then show the Arctic Sea Ice Satellite Observations has really created some good discussions.

Follow that with a videos on melting permafrost and arctic climate perspectives, which puts a face on global warming impacting our Alaskan neighbors, and you have made a cultural connections for 7th graders!  Cool!

I filled the cup of ice with water and tried to record the temp.  I only had a digital therm. available for fevers...I did not get any readings...lol, out of range I assume cause you'd be dead.

I also think I added to much ice, cause it did over flow a bit....

I will try it again at school with the class.

Classmates:

I liked Konrad's pictures of the receding portage glacier.

I also enjoyed Dan's link to the formation and evolution of earth.  I support the theory as the best one yet but, am not sold we have it all correct....maybe in another 100 years...  ;-)

I checked in on James and can empathise with how busy he must be.  I hope to experience the EAC from Nemo myself someday!