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Student Learning Objectives
Summary Antarctica is a place that allows us to not only study the history of our universe, as we saw in Program Three, but also to consider the future of our home planet. Governed by international treaty and dedicated to peaceful scientific research, Antarctica is a unique resource for all Earth's people, a "canary in the mine-shaft" that can alert us to the consequences of actions that may impact the global climate system. What are we learning from studies of the West Antarctic ice sheet? If climate change is driven to extremes, will the Antarctic ice caps start to melt and flood Earth's coastal cities? We see what life is like at a 55-person deep field camp, where ice- drilling and seismic testing probe what lies beneath the surface. Flying in specially equipped aircraft, scientists try to determine if volcanic heat drives the ice streams. The story of the study of the ozone hole shows how data collection in the Antarctic led to global action, and we review the current status of ozone depletion. We see how scientists continue to monitor the atmosphere with the very detector that was instrumental in the earlier discoveries. Are we doing enough to control ozone depletion, and how does Antarctica lead the way in providing models of global cooperation and scientific thinking? This program also demonstrates how students, using modern telecommunications tools, can work directly with researchers to collect and analyze data, and contribute to the development of new knowledge. By having Barrow, Alaska the northernmost school district in the United States talk directly to Antarctica, both the program and the entire series demonstrate the educational potential of the Information Super Highway, and the promise of future "electronic field trips" in the Passport to Knowledge series. Locations in Antarctica: McMurdo Station
Locations in the United States
Featured Experts SRIDHAR ANANDAKRISHNAN is team leader for a group of researchers at a large field camp in Central West Antarctica. Using seismic charges they are exploring the nature of the ice sheet and the underlying rock. Together with other NSF researchers who are using sensors mounted in airplanes and other innovative techniques, Anandakrishnan and colleagues are discovering the secrets of an ice-sheet whose stability could have great impact on the future of the planet. and they are living in a "frontier town" of 55 researchers, in the very middle of nowhere! The researchers are assisted by skilled ice- drillers in this project, so the processes of discovery and the varied careers involved in such an enterprise are an interesting side note to the scientific results. PAUL BERKMAN is a member of the three-month long Victoria Land Coast Expedition that is investigating the responses of the Antarctic ice sheet to climate change and the subsequent impact of this on sea level. But one of Berkman's other interests is how international cooperation can lead not just to excellent science, but also to new models for the monitoring and management of resources. To that end, his research team has included collaborators from Italy, Japan, and Holland.
Activity 1: What Impact Might Sea Level Rise Have? Grades 6-8 (adapted, with thanks from "Global Change Education Resource Guide," published by UCAR/NOAA, p. III, 19-24, based on an EPA Report) Objective To have students observe the effect of thermal expansion on water level Engage If global temperature increases, many scientists have indicated that an increase in sea level is the most likely secondary effect. Two factors will contribute to this accelerated rise in sea level. First, although the oceans have an enormous heat storage capacity, if global atmospheric temperatures rise, the oceans will absorb heat and expand (thermal expansion) leading to a rise in sea level. Second, warmer temperatures will cause the ice and snowfields to melt, thereby increasing the amount of water in the oceans. An accelerated rise in sea level would inundate coastal wetlands and lowlands, increase the rate of shoreline erosion, exacerbate coastal flooding, raise water tables, threaten coastal structures, and increase the salinity of rivers, bays, and aquifers. Explore/Explain Materials: (for each team of 4 students)(see fig.4.1)
Procedure:
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Discussion
Activity 2: Analyzing Greenhouse Gases and Global Temperature Over Time Grades 6-8 (adapted from the "Global Change Education Resource Guide," published by UCAR/NOAA, p. I, 35-40, and based on an EPA Report). Objectives To have students organize raw data by using charts and graphs; analyze the charts and graphs and extend the analysis into the future; and draw valid conclusions based on the research data Engage Inform students that they have been assigned a position in a research institution dealing with global issues. A research scientist has just given them some "raw data." Within the week a major international conference on this material will be held and they need to analyze the data. The data need to be presented and organized in a meaningful and useful way. Explore/Explain Materials: (for each team of 4 students)
Procedure
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Raw Data
Carbon Dioxide Concentrations (in ppmv*), Mauna Loa, Hawaii *ppmv = Parts per million by volume. Year ppmv 1958 314.8 1959 316.1 1960 317.0 1961 317.7 1962 318.6 1963 319.1 1964 319.4 1965 320.4 1966 321.1 1967 322.0 1968 322.8 1969 324.2 1970 325.5 1971 326.5 1972 327.6 1973 329.8 Year ppmv 1974 330.4 1975 331.0 1976 332.1 1977 333.6 1978 335.2 1979 336.5 1980 338.4 1981 339.5 1982 340.8 1983 342.8 1984 344.3 1985 345.7 1986 346.9 1987 348.6 1988 351.2 Methane Gas Concentration Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Affected by Human Activities Year ppmv* 1850 0.90 1879 0.93 1880 0.90 1892 0.88 1908 1.00 1917 1.00 1918 1.02 1927 1.03 1929 1.13 1940 1.12 1949 1.18 1950 1.20 1955 1.26 1956 1.30 1957 1.34 1958 1.35 Year ppmv* 1975 1.45 1976 1.47 1977 1.50 1978 1.52 1979 1.55 1980 1.56 1981 1.58 1982 1.60 1983 1.60 1984 1.61 1985 1.62 1986 1.63 1987 1.65 1988 1.67 1989 1.69 1990 1.72 CFC (chlorofluorocarbon)1 Production Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Affected by Human Activities 1CFCs include the manufactured gas combinations of chlorine, fluorine, and carbon. These gases were never present in the Earth's natural atmosphere until the 1930s. Values are in kilotons per year. Year Amount 1955 100 1957 120 1959 140 1961 150 1963 150 1965 200 1967 225 1969 290 1971 320 1973 375 1975 350 1977 360 1979 330 1981 325 1983 320 1985 340 1987 300 1989 305 1991 310 Nitrous Oxide Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Affected by Human Activities *Values of N20 concentration are in parts per billion by volume (ppbv). Year ppmv* 1750 283.0 1760 283.5 1770 284.0 1780 284.0 1790 285.0 1800 285.5 1810 286.0 1820 286.5 1830 287.0 1840 287.5 1850 288.0 1860 288.5 1870 289.0 1880 289.5 1890 290.0 1900 291.0 1910 292.0 1920 292.5 1930 293.0 1940 294.0 1950 295.0 1960 297.0 1970 299.0 1980 305.0 1990 310.0 Temperature Deviation Over Time For the purpose of this exercise, the mean average temperature from 1950 to 1980 is used as a baseline for comparative purposes. Note the 5-year deviation values for the past 100 years, then the change to a 5,000-year spread for average deviation values. The values beyond 100 years were taken from ice core readings made by a USSR team of scientists working for years in the Vostok Antarctic Station. Years BP=years before present Year Temp Deviation 1880 -0.25 1885 -0.27 1890 -0.26 1895 -0.29 1900 -0.20 1905 -0.38 1910 -0.35 1915 -0.33 1920 -0.30 1925 -0.15 1930 0.00 1935 -0.10 1940 -0.05 1945 0.05 1950 -0.03 1955 -0.01 1960 0.05 1965 -0.05 1970 0.00 1975 -0.05 1980 0.15 1985 0.18 1990 0.21 Years BP 200 0.01 1,000 0.01 5,000 0.02 10,000 0.03 15,000 -0.83 20,000 -0.90 25,000 -0.80 30,000 -0.82 35,000 -0.70 40,000 -0.60 45,000 -0.75 50,000 -0.60 55,000 -0.45 60,000 -0.80 65,000 -0.82 70,000 -0.70 75,000 -0.70 80.000 -0.35 85,000 -0.30 90,000 -0.43 95,000 -0.52 100,000 -0.36 105,000 -0.40 110,000 -0.68 115,000 -0.64 120,000 -0.19 125,000 -0.09 130,000 0.03 135,000 0.10 140,000 -0.21 145,000 -0.75 150,000 -0.90 155,000 -0.82 160,000 -0.70 On-line you will find a special section relating to the study of ozone, and the use of on-line resources to engage your students in fingers-on analysis of the relevant remote sensing databases operated by NASA, NOAA, EPA, NSF, and others. Since the use of on-line resources is essential to these particular activities, we are only placing this "pointer" in the printed Teacher's Guide. Natural Climate Variability Just how the data are displayed is a question the scientist doing the work must deal with. The form a chart, line graph, or pie graph is often personal preference. Study the examples provided as possible ways to present the data (Fig.4.2).
Activity 3: Students as Artists and Writers Reporting on Their Electronic Field Trips Objective To help students consolidate what they have learned by assuming the roles of Antarctic scientists Antarctica is place of unique natural beauty that inspires those fortunate few who have traveled there. We hope the video programs will have conveyed some of this beauty and inspiration to your students, along with the specific cold facts about the research. One way to bring closure to your students' experiences is to ask them to express their feelings and responses in poetry, articles, images or multimedia productions. Engage:Creative Writing Share with your students poems written by people who have lived on The Ice. (You will find excerpts from participants in NSF's Artists and Writers program throughout the Teacher's Guide, and references to the full works in the Resource List.) If you have on-line access, read some of the letters from those who have experienced an Antarctic winter, or the original Field Journals being written for Live from Antarctica. Compare Antarctic the Cold written by third grader Jenna Rice with the excerpt from Adequate Earth by Donald Finkel. Review the videotapes of the programs and have students scan the landscapes and backgrounds, as well as the foreground action; have them think about how they might feel at some of the remote locations. Another way to open their minds is to ask them to imagine how Antarctica might look and feel to the native animals--the penguins on the land or the seals, whales, or krill in the ocean. Review the words that people use when they talk about their feelings for this continent and the solitude, the peace and cold. Students can imaginatively embody these words and feelings to create their own poems. Explore:Radio and Television Productions Learning is a process of working together to find meaning in our world. One of the ways we share our understanding is through verbal communication. Students can summarize what they have learned by producing radio or television talk shows or panel discussions, or debates on different aspects of the Antarctic experience. Here are some ideas: Talk Show Guests Students might play the role of the different scientists who have been involved in the electronic field trips and be guests on a talk show with a host and call-in questions from the listening or viewing audience. The person playing the role of a scientist can read the Biographies, Field Journals, and Question and Answer files (available in the most complete form on-line). Older students might want to search the school or local library for research reports written by the person they plan to emulate. Panels A number of students could assume the role of researchers and other experts to discuss issues that are faced by those exploring Antarctica. A relatively small number of tourists arrive on the Antarctic Coast each year, and though their impact is minimal, many more would love to come in the future. Have students debate the benefits that come from experiencing Antarctica first-hand versus why too much tourism might damage it. The Live from Antarctica team would be interested in hearing from you or your students about the differences they perceive between an "electronic field trip" and a real tour. Radio It may seem odd to ask students to respond to a field trip via interactive video by writing and producing a radio program, but National Public Radio and the National Geographic Society have already begun a series of "Radio Expeditions" in which words and sounds have to conjure up pictures in the mind. Have students write up a scene or longer program that brings to life a location or activity they have seen in the videos. This might also serve as a collaborative activity in which copy-editing skills, as well as communication talents, might be developed and demonstrated. These radio or television programs could be taped and shared with other students, parents or your community. Think about local cable access! For the television programs, students with relevant technical equipment and skills could use images downloaded by computer from the Live from Antarctica MOSAIC Home Page (see Getting On-line) or--so long as used for in-class educational activities--excerpted from the programs as telecast.
Excerpt from Adequate Earth
We'll get used to that bite in the air
soon enough; we'll get used to
everything. It's what we do:
the adaptable animal, whelped in the time
of ice, we adapt to anything,
even
this continent: five and a half
million square miles of glorious
unconditional ice, asleep
in the farthest sea like a godmother's gift,
bewitched so only the brave might find her,
or the lost; more like a curse
than a concession, a great white stone
to hang around your neck.
Or not
a continent at all; an anti-
continent, barren, inimical,
fatally beautiful; the sea
not a sea, a broth of plankton, leaping
with all manner of life, served cold,
a killer whale for a ladle one last
resort, one vast remote hyperborean
living room.
For our history,
an empty page, flawless, fresh-
Shackleton felt it-
the indescribable freshness
two miles thick, intolerant
of error, in which our characters
sink like footprints in the desert.
Excerpt from Adequate Earth,
Resources Books
Johnson, Phyllis. Exploring the Lives of Gifted People--the sciences. Good Apple, 1987, 80 p., illustrations. Veglahn. Nancy. Women Scientists, Facts on File. 1992. (gr. 6-10) Johnson, Rebecca L. Investigating the Ozone Hole, Lerner, 1993, 112 p. illustrations with photos. McCuen, Gary E. Our Endangered Atmosphere: Global Warming and the Ozone Layer. GEM Publications, 1987, 133 p. (gr. 6-up) Skurzynski, Gloria. Get the Message: Telecommunications in Your High Tech World. Bradbury, 1993, 64 p. illustrations with prints and photos. (Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children for 1994) Neal, Philip. Ozone Layer: conservation 2000. Batsford, UK: Trafalgar, 1994, 64 p. (gr. 7-10) Asimov, Isaac. Is Our Planet Warming Up? Gareth Stevens, 1992, 24 p, illustrations. Walker, Jane. Ozone Hole. Watts, 1993. (gr. 4-7) The Atmosphere Crisis. Boca Raton, Fla.: Social Issues Resource Series, 1989. (yearly updates) Poetry for the Earth. Edited by Sarah Dunn, Ballantine Books, 1991, 247 p., (gr. 8-12). Global Change Education Resource Guide. published by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, pursuant to a NOAA award, Lynn L. Mortensen, editor. Magazine Articles
"Antarctica, tourism's last frontier," by Jon Bowermaster, Audubon, July, 1994. pp. 90-97. "1958: not a bad year for ozone,", Science News, May 21, 1994. "Protecting a land without a country," by David S. Russell, Alternatives, November, 1993, pp. 24-29. "Antarctic ozone level reaches new low," by Richard Monastersky, Science News, October 16, 1993, pp. 247. "The Global Commons," by Harlan Cleveland, Futurist, May, 1993. Videotapes/discs, Filmstrips, CD-ROM
"Get Busy: How Kids Can Save the Planet" (3-2-1 Contact Extras video series), Sunburst, 30 min. vhs videotape. (gr. 4-8) "Crisis in the Atmosphere" (Infinite Voyage series), vhs videotape, 60 min., available from Library Video Company. "The Ozone Layer and Global Warming" (The Earth at Risk environmental video series), vhs videotape, 30 min., (gr. 5-12), available from Library Video Company. "The Biosphere: The Earth in Our Hands" (Smithsonian Video Collection), vhs video, 45-60 min. (Robert Redford explains eco models.) "Spaceship Earth: Our Global Environment," vhs videotape, 25 mins. (Young adults from six continents speak on today's environment.) "The Lorax," vhs videocassette and tape, 30 min, contact Zenger Media. "Ozone: Protecting the Invisible Shield," National Geographic Society, 1994, vhs videotape, 25 min. (gr. 9-12). "GTV: Planetary Manager," National Geographic Society, videodisk, 1992 (gr. 5-12). "Our Biosphere: The Earth is in Our Hands," Smithsonian Laserdisc. "Balance of our Planet," Crawford, Chris, IBM/ Mac software, 1990, (gr. 6-up). "SIM Earth", Maxis, IBM/ Mac software, 1990, (gr. 7-up). (see fig.4.3)
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