CSATS: Center for Science and the Schools

Details: Arctic sea ice and weather patterns are very sensitive to global climate change due to convection and energy transport toward the poles. Researchers are collecting and analyzing data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to examine the effects of heat transfer across all areas of the earth to better understand changes to Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. These data are publicly available and can be used as an excel-lent way to teach basic science principles, including weather patterns, heat transfer, ecosystems, environmental cycles, as well as principles of computer science. Teachers will learn how energy transfer affects Arctic and Antarctic sea ice levels, how researchers work to better understand and mitigate this problem, and how this problem can be used as a tool for teaching content-area material. All teachers are welcome, but content will be most applicable to Physics, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physical Science, and Computer Science teachers.