Module VIII Response

Essential Question: How are Arctic sea-ice, climate, and culture all connected?

Water is one of the single most important elements in regulating the climate and life on Earth. This module focused on the cryosphere, or the portions of the Earth's surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glacier, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground (including permafrost). (While we have been learning about various aspects of the concepts for weeks, I found it interesting the different names associated that didn't automatically register for me: such as lithosphere and cryosphere. I did know atmosphere and hydrosphere.) The cryosphere is essentially the earth's cooling system.

The glaciers are melting, Arctic sea ice has shrunk dramatically in the past few decades - and the results could be profound and viscious cycle. This climate change appears extrememly rapid by historical standards. If the temperature and quantity of fresh water from the Arctic Ocean were to change, this crucial of the land and atmosphere and ocean cooling the Arctic would be disrupted.

Connections in the food web and small changes can have huge consequences; the effects of climate change are especially vulnerable to the Arctic marine ecosystem because sea ice is the primary habitat for many of the species. Colder or warmer temperature could disrupt the breeding and feeding cycles, and because the Arctic ecosystem is not extremely diverse it is less resilient and extremely fragile - and will be impacted greatly by even the smallest changes.

As for the cultural connections of those who subsist from the sea-ice such as the Inupiat people of northern Alaska, simply put - their subsistence way of life is being threatened. Their hunting and fishing season is cut shorter due to the melting ice and warmer temperatures. Thin, shifting ice also makes it very dangerous for whale hunters. Helicopters have been called to rescue whaling crews from ice that is significantly thinner than it used to be. This all relates back to albedo as well as the warming and release of more greenhouse gases - it is all interconnected and one thing affects everything else, like a domino effect. The native people of Alaska (as well as other indigenous cultures) have an intimate relationship and understanding of the environment, and must be included in the decision making process of what happens in the Arctic. These issues affect the survival of their cultures - and it is their way of life.

(Side Note: I enjoyed the experiment of the ice cubes in the cup of water and predicting/observing to see what happens. Perfect for my third graders who are learning about the changing states of matter!)

Extend:

After briefly looking at my classmate Fran's blog, I started thinking about conservation and what people can do to reduce global warming. Thus, a personal story: In the last 12 months, my old work site of Sand Lake Elementary School was rebuilt and we are now moved into and teaching from our new school (pic below).
I am not sure what kind of thought or planning went into using sustainable resources, but I don't believe it was much - and I would like to see this changed. There are some things like lights that go off automatically after being left on for an extended amount of time, but I wonder if there are any other things in place that will save energy. So I started looking around the internet, and found The Center for EcoLiteracy which states that green school design is cost effective, healthy, and better for education. But if school district's (like mine) that represent a microcosm of society are not setting an example for the generation of tomorrow, who will?

One more interesting resource:
The Green Schools Healthy Schools Project

A note on resources in this module:

• There were many good resources in this module, but the ones that I appreciated the most were the TD resources that discussed the impacts of climate change on cultures that have depended on Arctic sea-ice for millions of years.
• Also, the Steve MacLean: Conservationist video was amazing - filled with great information as well as beautiful images of animals in this Bering Sea ecosystem, not to mention he can be a role model for Alaska Native students as well as students interested in careers in science. Great resource!
• I also was watching a segment on the science channel titled Planet Earth: The Future, about the future of endangered wild animals and places; in which polar bears were beginning to hunt more difficult prey due to the melting of the ice caps and inability to hunt seals and other animals as usual. Everything is connected, and the more I learn about the situation of Alaska as it relates to more global issues - the more I recognize and see it all around me. Bravo!