Teacher Betsy Wilkening and researchers publish an article in the Journal of Geophysical Research stemming from their work on the PolarTREC OASIS project.
Students will use marshmallows to simulate toxins in the environment. Concentrations of these toxins will be modeled and calculated as they bioaccumulate up the food chain. Methylmercury and POPs are substances that bioaccumulate in the Arctic food chain. OASIS scientists studied these in Barrow, Alaska. (See Ocean Atmosphere Sea Ice and Snow (OASIS) Project at www.polartrec.com)
Students will discover how a simple action such as turning on a television will lead to toxins in our food supply. Many of these toxins concentrate in the Arctic because of long-range transport of pollutants in the atmosphere. Scientists in the OASIS project (http://www.polartrec.com/ocean-atmosphere-sea-ice-and-snowpack-interactions) study these pollutants in the Arctic. Students will learn about actions that they can take to
Excerpt:
Almost every student at Wilson has probably heard of Mrs. Wilkening, a seventh grade teacher with a mad passion for science. She keeps her science classes alive with her eccentric and fun lessons. Mrs. Wilkening also has had two kids go through Wilson herself. Patrick, her son, was actually part of this school's first kindergarten class, and Jeannie, her
This Live from IPY! event was held with PolarTREC teacher, Betsy Wilkening and University of California Davis researcher, Harry Beine who are studying the interactions between snow, atmosphere, ice sheets, and the ocean in Barrow, Alaska.
