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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Iceland has 109 outlet glaciers, 73 mountain glaciers, five valley glaciers and 21 surge-type glaciers, plus 55 cirque glaciers, ice caps and snow patches—and all have been counted and named. In a country about the size of the state of Virginia, residents have been observing and documenting their wealth of glaciers for centuries.
The glaciers’ […]

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 […]

Tonight at 7pm EST we’re having an online chat in the TappedIn online learning community - http://tappedin.org. We’ll be working our way through the November 2008 issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears online magazine. If you can’t join us, you can see “our trip” below. We meet the first Thursday of each month […]

The dangers of climate change to Arctic mammals, such as polar bears and seals, have been studied and publicized widely. Sea birds seem to have received less attention. For one species, the ivory gull, the reason may be the sheer inaccessibility to its habitat — sea ice and the high cliffs of nunataks (hills or […]

Millions of southern Californians are expected to take part in the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history at 10 a.m. on November 13.
The Great Southern California ShakeOut drill is based on a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the southern San Andreas Fault.
Not only is the drill unique in its size but it is also […]

On Thursday, November 6 at 7 p.m. ET, you can participate in an online chat about the latest issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears magazine. Kimberly Lightle will host the chat at Tapped In, the online workplace of an international community of education professionals. During the chat, participants will learn about resources available from […]