For the second year in a row, the cloak of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean failed to grow to its normal winter expanse according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center . The finding led some climate experts to predict a record expansion of open water this summer. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report explains,

Changes in the sea ice are one of the most important indicators, because it affects a long series of relationships: reflection of light, cloud cover, evaporation and sea currents. Therefore changes in the sea ice are often perceived as a danger sign. . . . Over the past 25 years, researchers have concluded that the spread of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has shrunk by 8% and the ice is 15-20% thinner in the summer. . . . Changes in the spread and thickness of sea ice have enormous consequences for the environment, the economy and the population.

This month, Earthscape offers recent publications on climate change in the Arctic, Antarctic and Greenland, as well as the drastic impact these changes are having on native populations in the Arctic Circle.

E-Seminar for Earthscape Subscriber

Earth's Variable Climate
Taught by Joe Ortiz

What forces drive climate change? The objective of this e-seminar will be to provide class participants with an introduction to some of the factors (both natural and human-induced) that drive climate change on a variety of time scales.

Educational Resources

 
A Tour of the Cryosphere: Earth's Frozen Assets
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In a little more than seven minutes, some of the best data visualizers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center lead viewers across the icy reaches of Antarctica, the drifting expanse of polar sea ice, the shrinking cap around the North Pole, and more.

 
Arctic Impact Assessment (ACIA) Report
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This web site presents the synthesis of the key findings of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report. The ACIA is a comprehensively researched, fully referenced, and independently reviewed evaluation of Arctic climate change and its impacts for the region and for the world. A project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee, it has involved an international effort by hundreds of scientists over four years and also includes the special knowledge of indigenous people.

 
Arctic Change Indicators
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This comprehensive, near-real-time Arctic Change Detection Product has been developed by the US/NOAA Arctic Research Office to track physical and biological changes for presentation on the web. The site uses a narrative style to highlight land and marine ecosystems, the cryosphere, Arctic and sub-Arctic human impacts, and an overall summary by evaluating recent reports against historical information.

 
NOAA Arctic Theme page
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NOAA provides Arctic information and a set of reputable indicators that describe the present state of the Arctic ecosystem and climate. Check out the Ask an Expert essays.

 
Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets
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The National Science Foundation established the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) as a Science and Technology Center (STC) in 2005. The center combines the expertise of researchers from six universities and several businesses in order to study and conduct research that will result in the technology necessary to achieve a better understanding of the mass balance of the polar ice sheets and its contribution to global climate change. CReSIS’s Education page has links to dozens of educational activities and resources for K through 12.

Arctic Circle Virtual Classroom
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The classroom utilizes a set of case studies exploring the social and environmental impacts of industrial societies on the Circumpolar North and presents specific scenarios faced by diverse groups at different times and places. The settings range from isolated northern villages and towns to urban executive suites of multinational corporations. In analyzing these case studies, viewers are encouraged to envision themselves as seminar participants addressing problems in different regions of the North.

NSDIC's State of the Cryosphere
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The National Snow and Ice Data Center provides an overview of the status of snow and ice as indicators of climate change. This site provides time-series data for Northern Hemisphere snow cover, mountain glacier fluctuations, sea ice extent and concentration, changes in ice shelves, and global sea level. Also worth a look is their Long-Term Change Photograph Pairs.This special collection features 14 pairs of Alaskan photographs. Each photographic pair consists of a late-19th or early-20th century photograph and a 21st century photograph taken from the same location.

The Arctic Is...
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This web site is concerned with Arctic cultures and environments, with a broad comparative focus on critical issues, problems and opportunities which face the peoples of the Circumpolar North.

The Polar Web
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This is a portal to Internet resources dealing with polar regions.

From the Earthscape Archives

Feedback Loops: Interactions that Influence Arctic Climate

Arctic Climatology and Meteorology

Workshop on Modeling of The Arctic Atmosphere (PDF)

Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Development in the Canadian Arctic