1 of 18

Introduction to the

MOSAiC Expedition

1

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

2 of 18

Big Picture Question:

Why are humans motivated to study remote places?

Lesson Driving Questions:

What is the Arctic?

Why study the Arctic?

Why should we care about the Arctic?

What You Will Be Doing:

Define and describe the geography of the Arctic.
Understand motivations for studying the Arctic.
Identify changes in the Arctic.

2

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

3 of 18

Warm up: What do you know about the conditions in the Arctic? (list minimum of 3 things)

3

Photo: Esther Horvath/AWI

Arctic Circle image by Heraldry, Isochrone (wikipedia)

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

4 of 18

Part 1: What are the conditions in the Arctic?

4

Image from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

5 of 18

Arctic People - then and now

5

Image from Edward Curtis circa 1929

Image by Brian Adams 2017 (New York Times)

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Say: “Indigenous peoples have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years, among them are the Inuit people in Canada and Greenland, and the Yu’pik, Inupiat, and Athabascan people in Alaska. Groups native to the Arctic lived primarily from hunting, fishing, and gathering of wild plants and developed warm dwellings and clothing to protect them from cold Arctic temperatures and extreme wind. Today, about 4 million people live in the Arctic, many in modern homes with appliances.”

Optional Prompt: Ask students if they would want to live in the Arctic. What would they find most challenging?

Additional Information: Learn more about Arctic People here.

Image description: A family photo of an Inupiat Eskimo mother, father, and son, photographed in Noatak, Alaska, by Edward Sheriff Curtis circa 1929. The scan was made from a black and white film copy negative.

Image description: Brittany Cleveland and Taryn Andrew are Yupik from Quinhagak. After the salmon is cut, it is put in salt water and then dried for several days before being smoked.

6 of 18

Arctic Wildlife

6

Image from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

7 of 18

Arctic Climate

The Arctic climate is characterized by dark, cold winters, and sunny, cool summers.

7

	Summer	Winter
Hours of Sunlight	24	0
Average Temperature	37-54° F	-30° F

Image adapted from NASA

Arctic

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

8 of 18

Part 2: MOSAiC Expedition: Conducting Science

Warm up: Would you want to participate in an Arctic expedition? Why or why not?

8

Image: Dave Costa

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

9 of 18

Arctic Exploration

Often referred to as the “Last Frontier”, the Arctic has proven to be challenging to explore due to its harsh climate, long polar nights, and the presence of sea ice.

In search of trade routes, new land, and riches, early explorers found only devastation as ship after ship was destroyed by the enormous pressure of sea ice. New designs and technologies have made the Arctic more accessible. Today, scientists rely on icebreakers and submarines to safely navigate the Arctic waters.

9

Photo: Stefan Hendricks/AWI

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

10 of 18

Challenges in the Arctic

10

Photo Credit: Stefan Hendricks/AWI

Photo Credit: Marcel Nicolaus

Photo Credit: Esther Horvath/AWI

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Say, “Scientists have faced many challenges in the Arctic, including setting up and maintaining the ice camp…Describe each image...why would anyone put themselves through this?! What is the motivation behind the MOSAiC expedition?!”

Top Left Image: Say, “One major challenge is that the ice floe is very dynamic, a polite way of say that thing keeps cracking, forming ice ridges and breaking apart. The top left image shows scientists extracting a cable from an ice ridge.”

Bottom Left Image: Say, “Arctic storms present another significant challenge with wind speeds reaching more than 100 mph. In November of 2019, one strong storm caused a 30 m meteorological tower to fall.”

Right Image: Say, “Another challenge includes curious polar bears. There are polar bear guards and with complete darkness now upon them, they are equipped with night vision glasses. Have used flare guns to keep polar bears away, but even still equipment has been damaged.”

Segue into Lesson: Use these stories to set the scene and ask students the question, why would anyone want to go to the Arctic if it was such a headache, what it motivating these people?

Additional Information: For daily images and updates from the Polarstern, follow the MOSAiC Expedition here.

11 of 18

Why do we need more observations?

11

Image from Vox

Podcast (3 minutes)

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

12 of 18

Part 3: Some impacts of the Arctic’s changing conditions

12

Will the changing conditions in the Arctic affect you?

Photo by Lianna Nixon

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

13 of 18

What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic

13

Image from World Meteorological Organizations

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Say: “As we heard on the podcast, what is less understood is the impact a changing Arctic climate will have on the climate at lower latitudes (including ________(wherever your classroom is located). Because Earth’s climate is all connected, changes in the Arctic climate system may also impact ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns, patterns/processes that influence weather and climate at lower latitudes. To prepare for the risks and to take advantage of the polar change, it’s important to understand the Arctic climate system.”

Scientists know these things because they use computer models to better understand how changes in the Arctic climate system affect the rest of the world. Imagine putting a toy boat on the water during a windy day- if you knew which direction the wind was blowing, could you predict where it would go? This is like what scientists do with models, only using a lot more instruments to measure wind and ocean current data from all over the world.

14 of 18

Part 2: Geopolitics of the Arctic

14

Image a screenshot from video produced by Vox

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Instructions: Introduce Video:

Say: “The geopolitics (the effects of geography on politics or international relations) of the Arctic are becoming more complicated as sea ice melts and the Arctic becomes more accessible. Today, more countries are trying to exert their influence in the region by staking claims and extending their borders into international waters. This video describes the current geopolitical state of the Arctic and describes the fight to secure Arctic borders.”

Image Description: Image is a screenshot from the video (3:14). The dark colors represent Arctic borders, lighter colors extending into the Arctic Ocean demarcate nations rights to the seafloor and the resources it may contain.

Optional: Watch video from 1:56-6:08 to learn 1) how are Arctic borders defined? And 2) Who are the major players in the Arctic? Students answer video questions as it plays.

15 of 18

Arctic Natural Resources

15

Image from Vox

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

16 of 18

Arctic Tourism

As sea ice continues to decline, Arctic tourism is set to increase. A French icebreaker cruise ship has plans to reach the North Pole by 2021, with dozens of polar cruise ships set to launch by 2023.

16

Image from National Geographic

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

17 of 18

Conclusion: Preparing for the future of the Arctic

17

The Arctic is changing in the following ways:

1. Arctic temperatures are increasing and Arctic sea ice is declining.

2. Increased access to the Arctic (Natural resources, shipping routes, tourism).

3. Arctic climate change will impact climate at lower latitudes.

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.

18 of 18

Exit ticket: Why should we care about the Arctic?

Will changes in the Arctic affect you?

18

Image from Vox

Image from World Meteorological Organizations

Image: NASA

These materials were developed by CIRES Education & Outreach at the University of Colorado Boulder.