Blogging from Svalbard: The Arctic in a time of change...

I'm fortunate to be spending this week at the University institute of Svalbard (UNIS - pictured) where I am teaching the undergraduate program on environmental management. It is my 5th trip to Svalbard, a magic part of the word, located remotely 1000 miles north of Norway and parallel to the northern tip of Greenland. It is an amazing place, home to the small settlement of Longyearbyen with a population of 2000 people where I am based for the week. I'm here in the busy tourist season where daily flights bring in hundreds of tourists for polar activities including dog sledging, snow mobile tours, and wildlife watching including polar bears, reindeer, and sea birds. Longyearbyen is also home to a resident international student population (including students from SAMS) at UNIS that teaches different aspects of Arctic polar science.

As I flew in late Sunday night, I saw a snapshot of the sea ice around the archipelago as it begins to fracture and retreat northwards. Miles above the ocean and in the clear Arctic air, you get perspective of the expanse of this region combined with its stunning beauty and fragility. With the recent return of 24 hour daylight the Arctic is thawing and the cycles are moving from winter to spring with the annual retreat of the sea ice  underway. I'm currently at the southern edge of the March distribution and as the sea ice moves through its peak to the summer minimum I wonder what changes this year will bring to the Arctic.

As shown by the National Snow and Ice Data Centre) Arctic Sea Ice update, the region is one of the most rapidly warming places on the planet. CO2 emissions and associated warming is shifting the region into a new and unpredictable territory characterised by huge reductions in summer sea ice extent and thickness, snow cover, and extensive melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Recent reports from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Arctic Report Card highlight the concerning trends. 2012 highlighted on ongoing downward trend in summer sea ice, and was itself a new record with the lowest seasonal minimum extent in the satellite record since 1979.

The retreat of the ice is driving a frenzy of political, economic and environmental interest not just from the Arctic States themselves but from the global community. The Arctic is well and truly a global issue, from an international action on curbing CO2 and implementing a low carbon economy, to debates over biodiversity conservation and international shipping. The global economic system inherently affects the Arctic through demands for resources and energy which can stimulate Arctic development or steer away from the inherently risky and expensive operations in ice covered areas. While the Arctic states are responsible for management of the region and ultimately decide over the nature of Arctic development, the international community, and we as citizens have an important role to play in influencing the development path. Over the coming days Ill add some substance to this picture, focusing on the links between the Arctic and the rest of the planet.

Stay tuned to Sustainable Seas.

Three Marine Conservation Lessons for Kids

At Sustainable Seas we really enjoy and think it is important to collaborate with colleagues around the world who are passionate about marine conservation and sustainability and who are committed to making a difference. Recently we collaborated with Lindsey Wright who is a writer for the Online Schools website and resource. Lindsay has posted a great piece on ways primary and secondary educators can teach their students about marine conservation.

Three Marine Conservation Lessons for Kids

 The phrase “the future belongs to the children” is perhaps nowhere more appropriate than when it comes to the future of the environment and the world's oceans. According to the United Nations 70 percent of the world's fish stocks are “fully exploited” or “depleted.” Part of the problem is overfishing, and pollution continues to be an issue. Oceans everywhere are becoming less habitable for marine life due to land-based activities. From raw sewage dumps to the infamous “plastic continent” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, pollution is a serious threat to marine life. If today's primary and secondary students are our future, then clearly teachers must impart to young students the importance of taking care of our oceans. Luckily, there are a variety of lesson plans teachers can employ to get even the most reluctant learners interested in marine conservation.

1. Endangered Marine Animals

Teachers can explain to students that many marine animals are currently endangered. Teachers and students can then explore together the various human activities that are leading to this endangerment, such as legal and illegal hunting, pollution, and habitat disruption. Teachers should then have students choose one particular endangered marine animal on which they would like to focus. Younger students might draw pictures of this animal, and include the commercial ships or other activities that are threatening it in their drawings. Older students might work individually or in pairs to create a poster and written or oral report about the endangered animal and what actions could be taken to reverse the problem.

2. Food Chains and Marine Habitats

One common concern that scientists have about marine life is that pollution is killing the micro-organisms that small invertebrates, such as krill, feed upon. Once the populations of krill begin dying off, the larger animals that feed upon krill also become endangered. This exploration of the marine food chain is an excellent way to teach how the plants and animals in an ecosystem are all interdependent, and how depletion of one small organism can have a dangerous chain reaction that reverberates all the way up the food chain. In order to better understand this concept, students can make drawings of the circular nature of the food chain, as well as illustrations of what happens when any one part of that food chain is disrupted. As a final project, individuals or groups can present their illustrations to the class and explain what changes could be made to begin healing a particular ecosystem.

3. Understanding Oil Spills

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill remains the worst ecological disaster in American history, and the results of that spill still aren't fully understood. As a lesson linking current events, social studies, and science, teachers can have their older students research news and magazine articles about the oil spill and its impact. Some students might choose to focus their research on the negative economic and social impact of the spill on the local coastal communities, while other students might research how the spill is predicted to impact the Gulf itself in the near future and long term. Students could then present their findings in a variety of ways, from research papers to multimedia projects. This project will also help students develop their critical thinking skills as they examine and analyze the varied opinions on the impact of the spill, including those of local residents, scientists, and the companies responsible for the spill.

4. Field Trips

Not all students live close enough to the coast to visit the ocean directly, but most students live close enough to an aquarium, or at the very least a river system, to visit marine habitats and learn about the wildlife first-hand. Aquariums almost always offer a host of educational programs ideal for a broad age range of students. Teachers should definitely take advantage of these services in their area.

5. Artificial Reefs

Artificial reefs are one of the solutions scientists are exploring as a possible solution for dying reef systems. Teachers can inform students  how reefs are being replaced with man-made objects, such as intentionally sunk military tanks, and inspire further interest in the topic by encouraging their students to consider what else might scientists "invent" as a way of repairing some of the damage mankind has done to the world's oceans. This lesson could be easily adapted to fit children of almost any age.

These five lessons are just a few ways students at the primary and secondary school levels can explore marine conservation. Other topics for exploration include: the impact of changing ocean temperatures due to climate change; the human impact of rising ocean levels; the current concerns over ocean pH levels; and how the Pacific Garbage Patch got to be in the middle of the ocean and how to get rid of it.

Public and private school teachers may not be the people who pass laws or directly influence policy makers, but by making children aware of the imperilled state of the world's oceans, they can definitely be positive agents for change. The lessons above can provide teachers with a jumping-off-point for teaching children to be good stewards of the oceans from an early age.