Earthwatch Teach Live from The Bahamas

Churchill, Manitoba, Canada — Global warming is most dramatically visible at the edge of the Arctic, where peatlands run in a broad strip around the globe. These wetlands contain as much as 20% of the world’s carbon, usually locked in permafrost. But as the permafrost thaws, carbon dioxide and methane — the most pernicious greenhouse gases — may be released, which in turn could increase the rate of global warming, with devastating implications for the planet. What happens to the peat here will not only alter the local ecosystem, but also the entire biosphere. You can help Dr. Peter Kershaw and colleagues monitor ecosystem responses and gather data on the potential impacts of this phenomenon — before it’s too late.

In this inimitable Arctic landscape, you’ll study climate change at sites ranging from the tundra into the forest by monitoring changes affecting the gases stored in these peat-rich ecosystems. Summer and fall teams will use ground-penetrating radar, microclimate dataloggers, and soil coring to measure the permafrost’s organic carbon levels. You’ll also live-trap small mammals, evaluate growth rings in trees and shrubs through sampling, and monitor plant development. February teams will experience the Arctic’s edge in its most dramatic season. Traveling by gamutik (sled) towed by snowmobiles, you’ll classify ice crystals, and measure snowpack thickness, density, and temperature. You can also learn how to build an igloo and sleep in it comfortably, even when the temperature outside is -30 or -40 degrees Celsius.

Find out more about this expedition.

RESOURCES

Earthwatch expedition briefing
Essential information for the expedition - daily schedule, research area details, project conditions etc.

Earthwatch Classroom Earth Case Study
A series of case studies that outline the background, field research methods, and outcomes of Earthwatch-supported projects throughout the world.

Photo gallery from the expedition.

Year on Earth. Video clip overview of environmental issues facing the coral reefs and various tools used to survey the reefs as told by three students volunteering on the Bahamian Reef Survey expedition.

General:
Climate Change resources
Education Resources from the EPA
The GLOBE Program - International Environmental/Science Education Program
Computer simiulations of GLobal CO2 Emisions
NOAA education resources
Center for Instruction, Staff Development and Education
North American Associate for Environmental Education

Research site specific:
Churchill Northern Studies Center
International Polar Year
AMS DataStreme Atmosphere: Weekly Weather and Climate News
Digital Library for Earth Systems Education
NOAA Real Time Arctic Data
Space Weather - Real Time Aurora Imagery from NOAA
Polar Bears International
Andrill Project/ARISE Project Iceberg: International ANTARCTIC Research. See what's happening in the South!

Follow our blogs as we experience our Earthwatch expedition Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge February 15-21, 2009.

This Live From the Field program and educator fellowships are made possible by generous funding from HSBC in the Community and Marymount School.

This site is the result of collaborative efforts from the members of this Earthwatch project and the support of Earthwatch Institute.

Meet the Teachers

Hello! My name is Erika Stafne and I teach marine science at San Clemente High School in coastal southern California. One of my primary goals as a teacher is for my students to enjoy the act of discovery, and through learning, understand that each of them holds the future of our amazing world in their hands and they need to protect it. I have found that a key to inspiring students in the classroom is to make science real, rather than something simply read from the textbook. Traveling with Earthwatch to the Arctic’s Edge to study climate change will provide me with relevant, cutting edge science that will enable me to better inspire and teach my students.

In addition to teaching high school, I have spent a year sailing the Pacific aboard an oceanographic research vessel and visited numerous countries to volunteer with humanitarian and conservation causes. I love to explore the outdoors, read, dance, travel, and record my adventures in pictures. Possibly I will glimpse the northern lights and maybe a polar bear on this adventure…

Blog: Earthwatch2.org/LFF/stafne

Ms. Anne Green - I am in my 5th year teaching high school sciences including biology, environmental science, and physical science. The school where I teach is in the southern section of Adirondack Mountains in New York State where the Hudson River joins the Sacandaga River. I am the advisor to the Hudson River Watch team as well as Hadley Luzerne Envirothon teams. Last year’s Envirothon team won the Warren County competition and participated at the New York State tournament. I also coach girls’ volleyball, both high school and club. In my free time I enjoy traveling, canoeing, snowshoeing, and photography.

I am ecstatic to be a participant in the Climate Change project in Churchill. I first started learning about Climate Change when I was in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin in the 1990s. I stayed at the University and was involved with an education program teaching K-12 teachers about Global Climate Change. Now that I am a high school teacher, my involvement with this expedition will show my students the importance of gathering data to further our understanding about an environmental challenge. I am also looking forward to experiencing the arctic weather in the most demanding of seasons and to witness a truly unique and beautiful environment.

Blog: Earthwatch2.org/LFF/Green

Stefan Cornelis - I grew up in Antwerp, Belgium. Earned my B.A. from UPenn and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. I currently live in New York city with my wife and three daughters. I teach History, Economics and Political Science at the Marymount School.

Blog: Earthwatch2.org/LFF/cornelis

Meet the Scientist

Dr. Peter Kershaw is a biogeographer, disturbance ecologist and periglacial geomorphologist specializing in the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances (e.g. burrow pits, vehicle tracks, and oil spills) and fire on tundra and forest ecosystems in addition to permafrost landforms’ responses to climate change. He has worked and taught in Churchill for more than 15 years, although his main field sites have been in the western Arctic along the Mackenzie River valley and in the Mackenzie Mountains, where he has conducted research since the early 1970s. He has published papers on vegetation responses to anthropogenic and natural disturbances as well as environmental parameters (snowpack, temperature, permafrost) which largely determine the timing and type of recovery of these communities.

Nassau, The Bahamas

Earthwatch Expedition Briefing

Earthwatch Classroom Earth Case Study

Photographs from the expedition

Year on Earth. Video clip overview of environmental issues facing the coral reefs and various tools used to survey the reefs as told by three students volunteering on the Bahamian Reef Survey expedition.

Blogs from previous teams:

Heather Brown
Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School
Jamaica Plain, MA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/brown/

Sherrill Dappan
Saint Helena Elementary School
Napa Valley, CA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/dappen/

Denise Deghi
San Mateo Park School
San Mateo, CA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/deghi/

Sarah Hahn
Community Academy of Science and Health
Hyde Park, MA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/boston/

Grace Hancock
Hanover Park High School
Florham Park, NJ
Blog: http://hornetunderwater.blogspot.com

Sarah Mitchell
Johnson Middle School
Bradenton, FL
Blog: http://xit.manatee.k12.fl.us/?blog=SMitchell

Shea Pickelner
City Academy
Salt Lake City, UT
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/pickelner/

Karen Stein
Ridgedale Middle School
Florham Park, NJ
Blog: http://mrsstein.blogspot.com

Consuela Taylor
Charles R. Drew Charter School
Atlanta GA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/taylor/

Kristina Willmarth
Lydia Hawk Elementary School in
Lacey, WA
Blog: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/willmarth/

Map

rollino map page