Polar News and Notes Antarctica

Have you ever felt confused by the complexity of the polar regions? Or realized that your knowledge just scratches the surface of these far-off places? If you have, you are certainly in good company. All of us - especially the project staff at Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - have been confronted with our lack of understanding […]

News from the polar regions in June includes speculation on the future of the Arctic sea ice and permafrost, unexpected behavior of an Antarctic ice stream, and new technology designed to assist in polar research. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
In May, we reported on an international, three-week expedition designed to validate the […]

What’s happening under and inside the masses of ice in the polar regions is of great interest to scientists. Recently researchers in West Antarctica have found that one ice stream–a region of the ice sheet that moves faster than the surrounding ice—jerks along in an earthquake-like pattern equivalent to a magnitude 7 quake.
Their findings ran […]

Jeff Peneston, a PolarTREC teacher, Program Director of Camp Fire USA (Camp Talooli), and a 9th grade Earth Science teacher, is traveling to Antarctica on the International Expedition of the Icebreaker Oden. He has created his own expedition flag as well as a special Camp Talooli Antarctic Expedition flag, and is initating a flag exchange […]

This summer 75 teenagers, ages 14-19, will sail to the Arctic with a team of scientists, environmentalists and polar educators in the Students on Ice program. The Arctic expedition, August 2-17, will explore southern Baffin Island, Nunavut, and the northern reaches of Nunavik in Quebec province. The itinerary includes workshops, lectures and seminars as well […]

For the past 30 years ago, the use of DDT as a freely used pesticide has diminished worldwide. One of the first successful campaigns against the chemical was based on its effects on birds. So, it came as a surprise to scientists that Adelie penguins in the Antarctic have the same levels of DDT in […]

News from the polar regions in May includes continued trouble for Arctic sea ice and the marine mammals that depend on it for survival, research efforts in the Arctic, and analysis from the past Antarctic field season. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
Data released from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicates that […]

Interested in integrating science and literacy? Need to find quality children’s literature and expository text to use in your classroom? Check out Issue 3 of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - Polar Patterns: Day, Night, and Seasons!
In this issue:
Learn about cause and effect relationships and strategies to help your students master this difficult concept.
Integrate literacy […]

Nancy Etchemendy
On May 26, 2008, published author Nancy Etchemendy will embark on the journey of a lifetime: the first of two research expeditions to Antarctica. On her blog, Etchmendy describes how an “unlikely series of events” resulted in an invitation to join the marine biology expeditions. The trip in May is a month-long voyage aboard the National […]

Interested in teaching your students about patterns found in seasons and day and night? Check out Issue 3 of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - Polar Patterns, Day, Night, and Seasons!
In this issue:
Learn more about seasons and discover sites to develop your own content knowledge.
Find integrated science and literacy lessons to use in your classroom.
Learn […]