Module IX Response

Essential Question: How are climate, terrestrial ice, and Alaskan indigenous cultures all connected?

Changes in temperature of the Earth's climate interact to create terrestrial ice. Thousands of years ago this was not such a big ordeal, but with the current population of Earth growing at rapid rates humans are impacting the the climate more than ever before. The TD video Documenting Glacial Change discusses how most glaciers around the world have retreated since 1900, and that "the retreat is probably linked to global warming, whose effect on ice could have potentially serious consequences for humans. Accelerated melting of valley glaciers could produce catastrophic flooding followed by long-term drought, which would affect hundreds of millions of people who rely on stable glaciers to provide water for agriculture and their drinking supply."

Extend:
At the beginning of this module was the discussion on the planet's supply of water. I found a chart of the distribution of the Earth's water from the USGS site. Along with information below, I thought this would have some interesting value in the classroom. While I am not sure how much my third graders would be able to visualize and understand what it means - they might still find it interesting.

Using the analogy that 1,000 drops of water represent all of the water on Planet Earth:

• 972 drops are in the oceans and inland seas
• 21 drops are in glaciers
• 6 drops are in ground water and soil moisture
• Less than 1 drop is in the atmosphere
• Less than 1 drop is in lakes and rivers
• Less than 1 drop is in all living plants and animals

Using the analogy that 1,000 ice crystals represent all of the glacier ice on Earth, the global distribution of ice is:

• 914 crystals are in Antarctica
• 79 crystals are in Greenland
• about 4 crystals are in North America (with about 1 crystal is in Alaska)
• about 2 crystals are in Asia
• less than 1 crystal is in South America, Europe, Africa, New Zealand and Irian Jaya

One of the resources from this module that was particulary interesting to me was the TD video Climate Change and the discussion about all of the dramatic changes from the last 10,00 years that are more easily understood from the ice core samples taken in Greenland: "Looking back in time the last 10,000 years have been marked by dramatic changes such as century long cold spells and decades of drought - which were nothing when compared with what came before them: average yearly temperatures that fluctuated wildly, creating climate shifts within a human lifetime that are nearly unimaginable."

The TD video Earth's Cryosphere: Antarctica focused on how the antarctic region is changing and stated that "as the temperatures increase there are a growing number of melt ponds. As the heavy melt water forces its way into cracks, ice shelves weaken and can ultimately collapse." Ice shelves that have been around for tens of thousands of years are cracking in a matter of weeks, which is frightening and should be a wake-up call to those who question the reality of global warming and the actual carbon footprint of Earth's current population.

Evaluate:

• In response to some of the resources from this module, one that I particularly loved was a part of the NASA Operation Ice Bridge Blog where a first grade class wrote in their questions - and they were answered right on the blog! The implications for how engaging this type of use of technology can be for students in simply mind boggling.
• I found this interesting diagram of Alaska Native and Western Ways of knowing in an article on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network.