The irony of Greenland’s name has intrigued many of us, but according to a January 8, 2008, New York Times story, In Greenland, Ice and Instability, the irony may be short-lived. A series of unusually warm springs has increased the ice melt, and contributed to a cascade of related events. The melting ice is darker than unmelted ice and absorbs more radiant energy, accelerating the melting. This then contributes to increasing the rate at which glaciers travel toward the sea. (See the article’s accompanying graphic.)

The article quotes several glaciologists and environmental scientists who have consensus on the warming trend and increased rate of ice melting at both poles. (An interactive map is presented with data supporting the trend.) They also agree that earlier estimates of a rise in sea level of two feet could very well be too low in light of the latest data. There are different ideas of what a more realistic estimate might be however, depending on which set of variables one considers.

New technologies are enabling data collection in ever more novel ways. For example, a photo with the article shows a camera probe being lowered into a moulin, a water-filled shaft in a glacier. The purpose was to see how “meltwater might affect ice movement . . . to explore whether the plumbing system can be mapped.” A quote from Alberto Behar, a NASA engineer, indicates another approach: Rubber duckies containing a “Please call this number if found” message could be dropped into the moulin to see if and when they reach the sea. Thus data collection does not always have to involve high-tech instruments, just some creative thinking.

How to Turn This News Event into an Inquiry-Based, Standards-Related Science Lesson

The National Science Education Standards Earth and Space Science content standard for grades 5-8 includes a study of earth system structures. Glaciers can be considered part of the hydrosphere, or cryosphere if you prefer. In addition, their melting is a function of atmospheric conditions, also a part of the content standards. Ask students what they know about glaciers. Are glaciers of any value? To whom? How? Are glaciers environmental indicators? Share the article with them.

Throughout its history, earth has experienced warming and cooling cyclic trends. Why should we be concerned about this now? Lead students to discover that the human populations on this planet were never before as they are now. What are the consequences should sea levels rise two feet? 18 feet? Are you teaching/living in a coastal community yourself? What if you live 60 miles from the coast? Which coast? What would be/are your concerns? Why? What would you do about it?

In an attempt to illustrate potential consequences of melting glaciers, the newspaper’s reporter notes that Greenland’s ice “holds about the same volume of water as the Gulf of Mexico.” To middle school students that might not mean much. How much water is in the Gulf of Mexico?

Here are some additional resources that are part of the NSDL Middle School Portal collection to facilitate your instruction regarding the hydrosphere, global warming and climate change: Climate Discovery Teacher’s Guide: The Little Ice Age Case Study;

Teaching Box : Global Ups and Downs, Changing Sea Level; and Natural Climate Variability on Decade-to-Century Time Scales

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