Module IX...the final blog...

The connection between climate, terrestrial-ice and Alaskan cultures...WOW.... so much information to retrieve....so little time to absorb...and so many appealing frozen images to choose...

Frozen river

Glacier

Matanuska Glacier

Terrestrial ice is ice on land such as, glaciers, permafrost, and frozen lakes and rivers. Terrestrial ice covers 10% of the Earth's surface and effects lives of people everywhere.  Permafrost is a layer of soil that is frozen majority or all year long.   Climate as described prior, is the weather over a period of time in a certain  area.  The Indigenous Peoples of Alaska lives are so interrelated and cling to facets of the climate and their surival. Their lives revolve around the climate and changing climate.  Scientists have confered with Native groups on the changing climate to gather data and help gain a better u nderstanding of the long range changes.

It seems H2o is the strong connecting force here, of the 4 forces that establsih life on Earth.  A demonstration I used to show my students was I would take a half gallon of water and say this demonstrates  all the water on Earth.  Then I would extract 3 tablespoons, and this shows how much fresh water on the Earth.  Then takeout 1 teaspoon and say this is how much fresh water that is usable to us...I would follow this up with a demonstration of the water cycle.  My objective would be to conserve and keep our fresh tiny drop of water clean and usable.

I now feel this valuable lesson may be used with many other objectives observed in this unit.  I think I called it, "A drop in the bucket", may have to change the name.http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html

10% of our Earth is covered by frozen fresh water.  We only have acess to a portion of that for life.  Due to the climate warming up in the Arctic regions the dominoe effect is taking action.  One example is the warmer temperature is causing a rise in the insect population and they are infesting trees in some Arctic regions; this is causing the trees to die; these ecosystems are at risk and also the increase of extreme forest fires may become risks in these areas.  Also the change in climate in the Northern hemisphere is causing the permafrost to decline.  Studies have shown that with the continue rate by the next 30 years may decrease  as great as 30%.  This drastic change in the Arctic melting of permafrost impacts both fresh water rivers, lakes and the run off into the Arctic ocean.  Another dominoe reaction is the majority of erosion  and sediment deposit may alter these delicate ecosystems in rivers, lakes and oceans.   These Northern cultures depend on the oceans, rivers and lakes for survival with the abundant of life support these areas offer.  Arctic research http://iasoa.org/iasoa/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=41&Itemid=149 has observed for the past 30-40 years these climate changes and the impact it is having to the Arctic regions.  The thawing of permafrost is also enabling carbon dioxide that has been trapped for an extremely long time to be released into the atmosphere.  When this is relaesed into the system it excelerates the overall of the Earth's global warming.  This does not just effect the Indeginous People of Alaska and life as they know it but everyone on this planet.  Below are some pictures, I hope, of local receding glaciers that may seem slow moving but have really moved rather quickly in the evolution of time.

Alaska's glaciers are receding at twice the rate previously thought, according to a new study published in the July 19, 2002 Science journal. These two images show Portage Glacier, near Anchorage, Alaska, in about 1950 and in July 2001. The ice has pulled back nearly out of sight.

http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/glaciers.html

Portage Glacier 1950 (historic photo from the Lulu Fairbanks Collection, University of Alaska Library, used by permission.)

Portage Glacier 2002

Portage Glacier 1914

Portage Glacier 2004

This exchange of blogging was assisted in the reading and reasearch contributed by TD: Mountain Ice, Earth System:Ice and Global Warming, If the Ice Melts and other sights listed in the text.

This last blog had some very informative sites that will useful in the future.  Although I must move on to final that is taking my time and will invovle much of my students time.  I am hoping to share with them some of the blogs and its teaching moments. 

Module VIII

Connection, connection, connections once again!!! Yes, climate, culture and now sea-ice are all connected. The cyroshpere is the Earth's surface that is frozen and 10% of the surface is ice. It serves as an integral part of the climate which contribute to the surface energy, precipitaion, atmosphere and ocean circulation around the Earth. Sea-ice which is different from icebergs and glacial ice because it is frozen ocean so it is salty sea-ice. Sea-ice data has indicated Arctic sea-ice has decreased 2.7% yearly compared to Antarctic ice-decreasing 1.3% yearly. This cooling of the Earth's surface, using the light wide-brimmed hat theory of comparing the areas of the ice caps of cooling areas and then the cooled air circulating to other areas of the Earth also the melting ice of the caps and circulating. www.iup.uni-bremen.de/seaice/amsr/

So connecting facts of Arctic ice melting, changing ice conditions and climate conditions these all contribute to shortage of sea mammals and plants and change in the Arctic environment. All these will affect cultures that depend on the Arctic environment for survival. Steve Maclean, an Inupiak Conservationist has been studying the changes and impact of the lose of sea-ice has had on the plants and animals. This will affect its people, he is trying to see what can be done as many scientists are.

Climate change and loss of sea-ice may also open the Arctic to new travel routes and open it up to extended oil/gas exploration.  With an increase in these areas more and new threats to marine animal and plant life is sure to develop.sciencedaily.com

Module VII

Looking at the important roles of carbon present in out bioshpere as it moves through the earths systems, it connects us all as it gives nutrition to all living things and helps to sustain life.

As I dip out of state for a family holiday, I observe a much more diverse cluture, at first glance. The city dwellers, massive amounts of street people holding on to survival, latinos in great droves, young people trying to fit in, gang members finding a place, I am amazed.

Thinking back to past blogs I am reminded of how much climate and clultures are so interrelated. Also how clutures parallel others in so many facites of life. But the bottom line is climate change is happening to all of us. The masses are the major contributers but the most affected is the mimimal populated, closed to the poles. We may all be so different but we all need to be responsible to the changes will catch up and be all our issues. We must all accept and work together to assist in preserving what we have. WE MUST LEARN TO COEXIST!

Carbon is one of the most vital elements to our existance. The carbon cycle is the exchance of carbon among the earths atmoshpere, water supply and earth as it is stored and exchanged. So the connection of geo/biological and cluture systems is apparent with the existance of all living plants and animal life.

Module VI-Connection of Atmosphere, Earth and Cultures

http://www.theozonehole.com/Explain:  The ocean is a vital key to our existance on this Earth.  The atmosphere that provides a pillowed cushion of gases is also vital to our existance and survival.  It provides us with the air we need to sustain plant and animal life.  It also protects us from harmful rays from our sun and the troposhere also holds most our weather.  Since climates reside in the inner most atmospheres and inturn, dictate many of the traditions that develop many cultures the connection is most apparent.
www.theozonehole.com

Extend/Evaluate:  Climates are changing and that change is observable in the atmosphere as well as on land and in the oceans. TD:Climate change.  Scientists have been studying the climate change for some time as well as Natives have also observed these changes.  Dolly Garza, Tlinget/Haida scientist, has studied and recorded many changes in the Arctic egosystems.  Pollutants and contaminents, PCB's gathered at the lower latitudes are transported quickly, within days, through the atmosphere to the Arctic and its animals.  Many of the higher level food chain animals have been found with high levels of contaminents in their bodies. 

                                                     TD:Contaminents in Arctic Food Chain

Once again "change" is upon us.  We have contributed to the change in our atmosphere, most of it not so positive.  So now we must make some changes in the treatment of this planet.  Yes, it is true that the largest impact has come from the higher populations that are located at lower latitudes, but the highest impact has been seen at the lower populations at the higher latitudes, the Arctic regions.  But commonly, as in all of us, we must work together to help this Earth we reside.  Using solar, hydro and wind power instead of fossil fuels.  Making use of our reuseable resources instead of using the nonreusable that are contaminating the planet.