Greenland Rising/

Kalaallit Nunaat Qaffappoq�Activities for Glaciers and Ice Movement

All these activities use glacier goo & involve students making a prediction!

In each activity you will make a prediction about what the ‘glacier goo’ will do and then compare your experimental results with a real glacier. Science is about making predictions and observing nature!

Your Experiment

Greenland Ice

Activity #1: Ice Flows! Gravity pulls it making it flow like cake batter over the landscape.

1) Mound your goo in circle on a flat surface or table. Draw a circle around it. Do you think it will stay in the circle? Watch and wait a few minutes. Were you right in your prediction? Next pick it up & flip it over!

2) Tip up the surface the goo is on if possible. Does this change how it moves? Why?

Activity #2: Friction is when one object rubs against another object or surface slowing it down.

Place a mound of goo on a slanted surface. Push a toothpick straight into the middle of the mound. Make your prediction!

1. Watch what happens to the toothpick!
2. What does this tell you? Which part of the glacier is flowing the fastest the top or the base?

• Make a prediction! Will the toothpick tip towards you or away?
• If it tips towards you the surface or top is flowing faster than the base.
• If it tips away the base is flowing faster than the surface.

Activity #3: More Friction! When one object rubs against another object or surface slowing it down.

• Make a channel by taping rolled material to the surface (we used foil).
• Mound the glacier goo filling the top bowl.
• Draw a line horizontally across the surface of the goo with erasable marker.
• Slant the surface.

1. How does ice flow in a channel? If the center flows faster the line will turn into a smile, if the edges flow faster it turn into a frown.
2. Make a prediction what will happen to the line on your glacier?

Activity #4: Drag! Resistance that happens when force acts against the motion of a moving object.

• Select an object (we used a pencil sharpener) that covers about 1/3 of the width of the surface you are using.
• Tape it carefully to the slanted surface (we used clear tape)
• Place the Glacier Goo above it.
• Make a prediction: Will it prefer to flow over the object or around the edges?

Activity #5: Force! A push or pull on an object resulting from its interaction with another object.

Place the glacier goo on a slanted surface mounded up behind a ruler. When we think of force as a push it sounds like a shove, but it can be just steady pressure of one object against another. Where is the force in this activity?

1. Hold in place for 1 minute. What happens to the goo?
2. Remove the ruler & observe. What happens to the goo?

Activity #1: Ice Flows! Gravity pulls it making it flow like cake batter over the landscape.

1) Mound your goo in circle on a flat surface or table. Draw a circle around it. Do you think it will stay in the circle? Watch and wait a few minutes. Were you right in your prediction? Next pick it up & flip it over!

2) Tip up the surface the goo is on if possible. Does this change how it moves? Why?

Gravity pulls it causing it to flow like cake batter over the landscape.

The images above are of two glaciers on the SE coast of Greenland.

1) How do you think these real glaciers demonstrate gravity?

2) Could you predict the direction of ice flow from the shape of the land?

Greenland Outlet glacier (photo M. Turrin)

Activity #2: Friction is when one object rubs against another object or surface slowing it down.

Place a mound of goo on a slanted surface. Push a toothpick straight into the middle of the mound. Make your prediction!

1. Watch what happens to the toothpick!
2. What does this tell you? Which part of the glacier is flowing the fastest the top or the base?

• Make a prediction! Will the toothpick tip towards you or away?
• If it tips towards you the surface or top is flowing faster than the base.
• If it tips away the base is flowing faster than the surface.

Friction is when one object rubs against another object or surface slowing it down.

Did your toothpick like the one in the pictures?

1. Friction slows things down. Where is the ‘friction’ in this activity?
2. How do you think this activity relates to a Greenland glacier?

Activity #3: More Friction! When one object rubs against another object or surface slowing it down.

• Make a channel by taping rolled material to the surface (we used foil).
• Mound the glacier goo filling the top bowl.
• Draw a line horizontally across the surface of the goo with erasable marker.
• Slant the surface.

1. How does ice flow in a channel? If the center flows faster the line will turn into a smile, if the edges flow faster it turn into a frown.
2. Make a prediction what will happen to the line on your glacier?

More Friction! When one object rubs against another object or surface slowing it down.

• Did your line smile like this one, or frown?
• What part of the glacier is flowing the fastest?
• Where is the ‘friction’ in this activity slowing down the flow?
• Image 3 is a glacier on Ellesmere Island, Canada across Baffin Bay from Greenland. What part of this glacier do you think is flowing the fastest? Where is the friction on this glacier?

Activity #4: Drag! Resistance that happens when force acts against the motion of a moving object.

• Select an object (we used a pencil sharpener) that covers about 1/3 of the width of the surface you are using.
• Tape it carefully to the slanted surface (we used clear tape)
• Place the Glacier Goo above it.
• Make a prediction: Will it prefer to flow over the object or around the edges?

Drag! Resistance that happens when force pushes against the motion of a moving object.

Activity #5: Force! A push or pull on an object resulting from its interaction with another object.

Place the glacier goo on a slanted surface mounded up behind a ruler. When we think of force as a push it sounds like a shove, but it can be just steady pressure of one object against another. Where is the force in this activity?

1. Hold in place for 1 minute. What happens to the goo?
2. Remove the ruler & observe. What happens to the goo?

Force! A push or pull on an object resulting from its interaction with another object.

1. Did your goo run over the ruler, or did it stack up behind it?
2. When you removed the ruler did it respond like image in the center?
3. The third picture is a Greenland glacier. You can see the sea ice tightly stacked against the glacier in the middle of the picture, with less sea ice up front. Where is the ‘force’ in this picture? Make another prediction. What will happen to the glacier if this sea ice melts or moves away?

Tightly packed sea ice can push against a glacier and slow its flow.

Greenland Glacier

Congratulations you just did a set of physics experiments! These activities required simple supplies:

Your Experiment

There are many recipes for goo available online. Find your favorite and try it!

RECIPE FOR GREENLAND GLACIER GOO

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(if adding color add it to the heated water before mixing with borax)

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Mix together well with stirring rod – end with hands if needed. Can store in ziplock bag.

Mix together

Stir together

• Glue 200 ml
• Warm water 150 ml

• 1 full tsp borax
• 100 ml of heated water

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A model of Greenland without ice & �Greenland covered with inland ice

The ice sheet fits tightly to the land below. ���Gravity pulls the ice toward the ocean, and glaciers find pathways across the land pushing rocks, moving around and over different features as it moves. Different parts of the land add friction, drag and force.