Until now, images of polar bears have not brought to mind a bear snacking on goose eggs. That may change with the reporting of Robert Rockwell, a research associate in ornithology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), and graduate student Linda Gormezano in the magazine Polar Biology and other researchers’ observations.
While the polar […]
Polar News and Notes
Ezine Departments
Polar Bears May Prefer Seals for Dinner but Goose Eggs May Have To Do
Friday, December 19th, 2008 1:24 pm
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
Integrating Informational Text and Science Through the Polar Regions
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
Jessica Fries-Gaither will present “Integrating Informational Text and Science Through the Polar Regions” on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at the International Reading Association’s Regional Conference in Nashville, TN. The presentation be be held at 9 a.m. in room 102 of the Nashville Convention Center. We hope you’ll be able to attend!
If you can’t attend the […]
Posted in Topics: Presentations, Professional Development, Reading, Writing
Learning from Prehistoric Climates
Monday, December 8th, 2008 10:35 am
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
What was the climate like when the earth was warmer than it is today? To find the answer, researchers in a group called Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) are trying to reconstruct a warm period that existed 3 million years ago.
Led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), scientists are examining fossils from the […]
Posted in Topics: Current News, Polar News & Notes, Science
Wilkins Ice Sheet at Risk of Breaking Off
Monday, December 8th, 2008 10:26 am
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
The European Space Agency reports new rifts on the Wilkins Ice Sheet, which is connected to two islands by a strip of ice. The rifts could cause the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula to destroy the strip, or bridge, of ice that has been preventing the shelf from breaking away.
Wilkins Ice Sheet, […]
Posted in Topics: Antarctica, Current News, Education, Oceans, Polar News & Notes
An Equation for the Calving Rate on Ice Shelves
Monday, December 8th, 2008 10:09 am
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
Researchers led by Richard Alley of Pennsylvania State University believe they have a way of predicting how fast “calving events” will occur on an ice shelf. Their model, briefly described in a press release from the university and reported in the November 28 issue of Science, will prove helpful as more “calves,” or icebergs, are […]
Posted in Topics: Antarctica, Current News, Polar News & Notes, Science
Polar News & Notes: November 2008 News Roundup
Sunday, November 30th, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
News from the polar regions in November 2008 included many climate change-related reports, the fifth largest ozone hole on record, new marine discoveries, and new polar research projects. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
Is the winter thinning of Arctic sea ice driving the summer record lows? That’s the question many scientists are asking. […]
Posted in Topics: Antarctica, Arctic, International Polar Year, Monthly News Roundup, Polar News & Notes
Scientists Discover New Penguin Species…But It’s Extinct
Thursday, November 27th, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
Scientists studying the rare yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes), an endangered species found in New Zealand, made a surprising discovery: a new penguin species. The only catch? It’s extinct.
Researchers used genetic analysis as well as morphological evidence from bones and discovered that the oldest specimens were different enough to represent a new species (Megadyptes waitaha). They theorize […]
Posted in Topics: Animals, Current News, Polar News & Notes
IPY Day in December Celebrates Research on Polar Weather from All Angles
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 5:12 pm
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
December 4 will be the seventh International Polar Day and the focus is on modern-day research taking place at both poles. With the theme Above the Polar Regions, background information and activities will feature polar meteorology, atmospheric sciences, astronomy, and polar observations from space.
Teachers and others are invited to use resources from the Above the […]
Thousands of Underwater Species Identified, Many from the Polar Regions
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 12:34 pm
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
The World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, meeting in Valencia, Spain, in mid-November, received the fourth report on the Census of Marine Life, which is being compiled by 2,000 scientists from 82 nations. It will be officially released in October 2010.
This report revealed some amazing new findings about life in the ocean depths. In a […]
Posted in Topics: Animals, Antarctica, Arctic, Current News, International Polar Year, Oceans, Polar News & Notes, Science
Web Seminar: Energy and the Polar Environment
Thursday, November 13th, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
Tonight, Carol Landis and Jessica Fries-Gaither will present the second Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears web seminar as part of the NSDL/NSTA web seminar series. Energy and the Polar Environment discusses science concepts such as the seasons, solar radiation, albedo, and Earth’s energy balance and how teachers can incorporate these concepts into elementary curriculum. Common […]
Posted in Topics: Cyberzine Issues, Presentations, Professional Development, Science
Posted in Topics: Animals, Arctic, Current News, Polar News & Notes
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