In part one of this two-part lesson students work in pairs to explore the effects of salinity on ocean stratification using a simple plastic shoebox-sized container in which they create a mini-ocean environment. Students will apply what they learn in the lab setting along with information gained in several online articles to a basic understanding of the Global Conveyor
Read this online interview with PolarTREC teacher Jamie Esler for a snapshot of his cool summer plans. Mr. Esler will be joining polar researchers Dr. Neal Iverson and Dr. Thomas Hooyer, and Scandinavian colleagues, in a remote location of Iceland for three weeks for his PolarTREC Expedition. The team will be conducting research on drumlins, a unique type of glacial
This story in Discover magazine profiles the work of the WISSARD (Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling) project team and the challenges faced by drilling thousands of feet into the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to reach a lake buried for millennia.
This article summarizes PolarTREC teacher Mark Buesing’s amazing and varied career as a cyclist, engineer, teacher, and now participant on NASA's airborne mission to map and measure ice in the Polar Regions.
Coring trees is a way of learning about trees without cutting them down. When a tree is cored, the rings are examined to learn about the history and growth of a tree. In this lesson students will participate in a hands-on activity to help them investigate what information can be gained by studying and comparing tree core samples collected
Students will measure and analyze features of two different species of trees by using their cross-sections (cookies). Further analyses will allow students to graph their results and apply the knowledge gained to an understanding of tree growth, health and diversity.
Objectives
Students will use and understand the following terms: radius, diameter, circumference and area of a circle.
PolarTREC teacher Bill Schmoker, one of 14 teachers nationwide, has been awarded the National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship. This article describes his upcoming National Geographic expedition to the Arctic Ocean aboard its research ship 'Explorer'.
