Science 7: The Arctic
We had the
very great and rare opportunity to learn from someone who participated in a
Scientific Expedition to the Arctic in August of 2016. Her name is Krista Clement and she presented
3 hours of information to us. I have condensed the information into 3 main
areas of learning.
1. The Arctic Biome
2. The Research
3. The History
We will also
finish off this unit with a short documentary entitled: “On Top of the World –
The Arctic Tundra Biome”
This study
sheet makes up the information you will be quizzed on but I know much more
learning took place as we engaged with her as a speaker and was able to touch
artifacts she brought back and ask her specific questions as she shared.
The quiz on
Thursday will consist of 10 fill in the blank questions, 10 multiple choice and
5 short answer questions. There will be
one paragraph response question and this is it:
“Would you ever want to go on a Science Expedition to the Arctic like
Krista Clement did? Why or why not?” Your response must be at least 5 sentences
long and have at least 3 reasons.
The points
to study are as follows:
The Arctic Biome
·
The
Arctic is the world’s coldest and youngest biome.
·
It
makes up 20% of the earth’s surface and is found in the Northern Hemisphere
·
It
is tundra which means treeless flatland.
·
There
are 2 seasons in the Arctic – winter, which lasts for 10 months and summer,
which lasts for 2 months. In the winter, the sun eventually never rises so it
is dark 24 hours long and in the summer, it eventually never sets so it is
daylight 24 hours long.
·
Plants
must have short roots and stay low to the ground due to the permafrost which is
the soil that stays permanently frozen.
·
Some
plants in the Arctic are: lichen, poppies, moss
·
Some
birds found in the Arctic are: snowy owls, Northern gulls, sandpipers
·
Some
animals found in the Arctic are: caribou (reindeer), arctic fox, wolves,
lemmings, muskox, polar bear
·
Some
marine life found in the Arctic are: copepods, Arctic char, Arctic cod, arrow
worms, narwhals, belugas, seals,
·
Fish
don’t freeze in the water because they have a natural protein that acts as an
antifreeze in their bodies
The Research
·
Krista’s
research team was researching the problem of plastic in the Arctic
·
They
filtered 30 L of water a day
·
They
also used a ponar which is an instrument that will take a scoop out of the
bottom of the ocean.
·
They
would bag it, label it with the exact GPS location and put it in the fridge
·
They
would put tape on people’s shoulders and add that into an envelope with the
sample so that scientists could also see what else was in the room at the time
of sampling.
·
Scientists
would use a mass spectrometer to analyze the sample
·
They
found one rock and some mud besides a few copepods
·
They
couldn’t go through the North Passage because of a storm so there would be no
samples taken in that area in 2016. L
The History
·
Sir
John Franklin was an explorer who helped chart maps of the Arctic
·
In
1845, he tried to find the Northwest Passage which is the sea route linking the
Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean through the Arctic Ocean. His voyage ended in tragedy – everyone dying.
·
Recently,
this last September, 2016, it was announced that the ship, Terror was
discovered. 2 years earlier, in 2014, the
other ship, Erebus was discovered.
·
Remains
of people and animals stay well preserved in the Arctic because of the cold and
dry climate.
Fun Websites
to check out:
