Blogging my way to the Antarctica…and beyond

There is an online contest sponsored by Quark Expeditions to become the Official Quark Expeditions Blogger. The winner gets an all-expense paid excursion to Antarctica February 20 – March 3, 2010. And you could help send me to the South Pole - a dream of mine!

What does it take to be the Official Quark Blogger? They’re looking for someone with a commitment to the environment; a passion for the polar regions, and an ability to write in English with wit, style and imagination. That is SO me, don’t you agree? Oh, and someone popular enough for people to tune into. So that’s why I need you and everyone else you know to vote for me. The person with the most votes wins.

With each post, I share the exciting and wonderful world of science, conservation, environmental education and urban nature appreciation through my blog Urban Science Adventures! ©

I routinely posted about the polar biomes, including posts celebrating International Polar Year. I love sharing science; and I especially enjoy bringing the beauty and excitement of nature to someone’s attention who thought there was nothing there.

Just like I share my everyday backyard adventures with you, I will share accounts of the beauty and stories of adventure of life at the South Pole! You know I will. So, please send Urban Science Adventures! © on a Polar Adventure next spring.

The competition closes at noon, September 30, 2009, EDT. In order to vote you will need to register with the website (bots can’t vote) and one vote per email.

Visit my very own voting page and vote for me.

Thanks
Danielle

P.S.: If you’re feeling very generous (and still procrastinating with work/school), I’d love you this blog for the 2009 Black Weblog Awards Best Science and Technology Blog. Thanks to your generous support last year, this blog was a finalist for the award.
Nominations end July 25.
Please click on the image below and name Urban Science Adventures! © as your favorite Science Blog!

Book Review: Two More Books about Polar Biomes

The two year celebration of research, discovery, and social studies of the globe’s Polar Regions comes to a close. International Polar Year 2007-2009 ends March 31st. Educators and Research teams from the around the world ramped up efforts to learn as much as we can about the ends of the earth before they are changed forever by climate change.
This will be my final book review dedicated to IPY.

Title: Scary Creatures of the Arctic
Author: Penny Clarke
Publisher: Scholastic

The Arctic is a very cold and windy place, but it is teeming with life. For thousands of years the plants, animals, and people have managed to get what they need from this harsh climate by paying attention to the patterns. Presenting a combination of photographs and illustrations the book shows us arctic landscapes, wildlife, and the people who live on top of the world and how they survive. This is a perfect introductory ecology book about this biome for third-fifth graders.

Title: Ookpik: The Travels of a Snowy Owl
Author: Bruce Hiscock
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press

The author recounts the life and aim to survive of an Ookpik, the Inuit word for snowy owl. This hardy species of owl lives all-year in the Arctic, hunting in open areas and in day light. But if food resources become limited they are known to migrate some seasons. They fly south to Canada and New England. This is the story of an ookpik who spent a winter in the Adirondack Mountains of upper state New York. Much to the delight of bird watchers, that owl spent the winter in a local town and farming community reaping the benefits of abundant mice, voles, hares, and small birds. It is a delightful book with beautiful watercolor illustrations.

Book Review: Ice Bears

International Polar Year is drawing to a close and I am still commemorating the occasion with posts dedicated to polar ecology.


Title: Ice Bears
Author: Brenda Z. Guiberson
Illustrator: Ilya Spirin
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

So far, this book is my early favorite for the Outstanding Children’s Book Award in Animal Behavior for this year. The author accurately describes the behavior of polar bears, focusing on a mother-twin cubs unit. The illustrations supplement the narratives. I especially like how the author uses onomatopoeia to describe some of the animal behavior like nursing and vocalizations between mother cubs. Because of the endangered nature of this species, the book serves as a perfect example of how the fields of animal behavior, ecology, and conservation blend together to help us understand how species interact with each and their environment. And be sure to check out the Arctic Ice Report following the story proper. It summarizes the state of the polar bear and other polar animals to climate conditions of the arctic region. Ice is an important environmental condition that North Pole animals like the polar bear, seals, caribou, fish, and foxes require. The need each other and they all need the ice to survive.

It’s not too late to make your voice heard. Sign the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition to save the polar bear and bring awareness of the need to protect the habitat of other polar wildlife.

Book Review: Polar Worlds

This month marks the end of a two year journey of exploration, discovery, wonder, and advocacy. March 31st marks the end of International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2009.

In fact, Wednesday, March 18, 2009 is International Polar Day celebrating Polar Oceans. The ocean or marine ecosystem is a very important part of the polar biome. The animals of the polar regions - both the north and south poles - depend on a variety of seafood species for nutrition - such as krill, fish, ocean birds, and ocean mammals. The polar food webs are complex and interesting. And a perfect text for IPY and International Polar Day - Polar Ocean is this book.


Title: Polar Worlds - Life at the ends of the earth
Author & Illustrator: Robert Bateman
Publisher: Scholastic/Madison Press


I became a fan of Robert Bateman when I read his book Birds of Prey. He is a very talented artist. All of this sketches and painting of the Arctic and Antarctic animals look very life-like, more like photographs than paintings. The book gives a very thorough introduction to all of the types of animals that call the Arctic and Antarctic home. Though both of these polar regions are cold and remote, they are very different from one another.

The Arctic region has been inhabited by people for many thousands of years. The people of these many northern nations have had to survive the cold and depend on animals such as the polar bear, caribou, sheep, whale, and water birds for food, clothing, and fuel.

The Antarctic hasn't had permanent human settlements, but human impact has been strong for a few hundred years. Sailing and whaling were once very important industries in the southern polar regions. But thanks to protective laws the oceans of the Antarctic region are now protective and refuge area for sea animals, especially whales. Bateman introduces readers to the many bird and seal species that call the South pole and its waters home.

What I especially like about Bateman's artistry is his ability to accurate portray animal anatomy. With his pen and colors he captures the shape and movement of animals very well. I also enjoy his very-easy to read text. This book is intended for young reader, intermediate school grades, he can also maintain the attention of adults, too. It's a great science book for your school or home library.

Plus, as I mentioned during Week of the Blue, marine habitats and animals are in serious jeopardy. I enjoy learning about nature and animals and I love sharing what I learn with you. I hope I also inspire in you a desire to make our world a better ecosystem for all - humans and wildlife. I hope you join with me to help protect the endangered polar bear. Encourage the United States Secretary of the Interior, (the government department responsible for protecting our common heritage resources) -Ken Salazar to put into effect regulations to provide the polar bear the legal protections it needs to survive. This is a perfect community service activity for celebrating International Polar Day - Polar Oceans. After all, polar bears depend on the polar oceans for survival.

Click here to find out more and sign the petition.

Thank you.

Book Reviews: Polar Bears

This month marks the closing of the two-year celebration of International Polar Year 2007-2009. In this time international research teams have documented much about the health of the Arctic and Antarctic environments and the wildlife and people who call these precious biomes home.

Perhaps the best known and charismatic animal from the Arctic Polar region is the Polar Bear. It is the largest land carnivore (that also calls the ocean home); and it is endangered. The Polar Bears’ home, food, and way of life are threatened. If we don’t take a stand now, then there may be now Polar Bears in the wild later.

The two books I have read adn reviewed provide a general introduction to Polar Bears and their habits. They are appropriate for young readers and as read-along books for pre-schoolers.

Title: Amazing Animals: Polar Bears
Publisher: Weigl Publishers Inc.

This trade book includes several breath-taking photos of polar bears in its natural habitat – the icy, cold arctic. It describes how polar bears live, hunt, eat, survive and interact with other polar bears. It also includes links to websites about Arctic and Polar Bear conservation. I especially enjoy materials that give students and families the opportunity to further explore an interesting topic.

******

Title: Baby Polar Bear
Nature Babies Series
Author: Aubrey Lang
Photographer: Wayne Lynch
Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside

The author provides some brief introduction to polar bears in general, but the focus is definitely baby polar bears. The narrative voice of this book reminds me of someone talking to very young children about the day-to-day activities of a pair of young polar bears. The close-up photos of these animals, including other polar wildlife such as walruses, arctic foxes and hares, are simply adorable. However, I am less impressed with the descriptions of animal behavior descriptions. The author isn’t inaccurate, but she does over-simplify some natural behaviors so much that it might confuse some bright and inquisitive students. This book is best read to pre-schoolers who may be less inclined to catch these generalizations

Synopsis by Powell Books:
Born at the beginning of the Arctic winter, a male and female polar bear stay in the den for a number of months before they are ready to venture out. But soon they must follow their hungry mother out on the dangerous journey to the sea ice, where she will hunt for food. It will be several years before the little ones will be good enough hunters to fend for themselves in the Arctic wilderness.

International Polar Day! Celebrating the People of the Polar Regions

Today, September 24th, 2008 marks the sixth quarterly International Polar Day.

This is a special day within the bigger celebration of International Polar Year (IPY)- 2007-2009. IPY is a huge, multi-national research and educational awareness effort to bring attention to the importance of and the decline of precious Polar Ecosystems. This quarter’s International Polar day focuses on People – The People of the Polar Regions.

I’ll admit my own shortcomings. I don’t know much about the people of the Polar regions. So, I really appreciate the educational materials provided by the website. I read them and now I know that people of Arctic regions face many of the same challenges that we do – public health, raising families, maintaining communities, and adapting in the natural world. Please check out the materials. If you are an educator please conduct these activities with your students. Or if you are a parent or after-school youth leader, please consider these activities to keep your children busy and mentally active. They are a great resource.
Discussion Activity
People Summary

Finally, check out my other posts about International Polar Year.

I even launced a Virtual Balloon to mark my participation in this event. Will you launch yours, too.

PolarTREC - Bringing Teachers and Researchers Together

Today, I learned about an organization called PolarTREC, which stands for Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating.

It is an educational research experience, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and managed by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S., in which K-12 teachers participate in polar research, working closely with scientists as a pathway to improving science education.

In celebration of the International Polar Year (2007-2009), a global scientific campaign to advance our understanding of the polar regions, thirty-six U.S. teachers will spend two to six weeks working with a research team in the Arctic or Antarctic, exploring the environments, cultures, history, and science. PolarTREC teachers will learn about cutting-edge scientific research on topics ranging from atmospheric chemistry to seabird ecology and will share their experiences with scientists, educators, communities, and hundreds of students of all ages across the globe.

PolarTREC builds on the past TREC program (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating in the Arctic) to encompass learning experiences in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Visit the TREC website for more information about the 2004-2006 TREC expeditions.

I encourage all of the teachers out there to seriously consider participating in this program, especially if you come from an inner-city school district. This is be a wonderful opportunity to bring some exciting positive press to your districts and students. We need to get the word out that there are great educators and students in oft-overlooked districts. Research Scientists are asked to apply to host a teacher. The deadline to apply is September 8, 2008. The Arctic Adventure will take place during the 2009/2010 school year.

I'm really excited about the International Polar Year Commemoration so stay tuned for more news. I still have news to share from ISBE that's about Polar regions and International Polar Day is coming up - Sept 24, 2008. Be sure to celebrate it.

Arctic Researcher wanted

Could you work here?

Beautiful, serene, cold, windy, and sometimes rugged. But always rewarding.

photo courtesy of Vanderbilt University

Seriously, here is a Job/Research Opportunity announcement from the Ecological Society of America

Research Assistant in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems

The Ecosystems Center is seeking a full-time, year-round Research Assistant I or II to participate in a new research project on CO2 exchange and vegetation canopy structure of arctic tundra ecosystems. Exact position will depend upon previous education and experience. In the field, the principal tasks of the assistant will be to participate
in measurements of whole-system CO2 exchange using an infrared gas analyzer system, to measure canopy reflectance using a scanning spectroradiometer, and to make ancillary measurements of soil and canopy microclimate, leaf area, and biomass. In the laboratory, the assistant will participate in data analysis and comparison, in drying and weighing plant and soil samples, and in chemical analysis of plant tissues and soils. Experience with any or all of these techniques is desired.

The expected starting date is flexible but should be sometime between
January and May, 2009.
Applicants should be college graduates with BS or MS degrees, with significant course work and/or field experience in ecology.

Candidates must be able to spend most or all of the summer months in a field camp, Toolik Field Station in northern Alaska; travel to other arctic sites is also planned. During the fall, winter, and spring months the assistant will work at the Ecosystems Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Familiarity with spreadsheets and data analysis and with laboratory chemical analysis of ecological samples is desired.

Physical Requirements
Applicants should be in good health, capable of rigorous outdoor activity (often in foul weather), and prepared to live in a field camp where cooperation with others is essential, personal privacy is limited, and living accommodations are spare and simple.

Special Instructions to Applicants:
Unofficial Transcripts are required documents, but may be uploaded with your application via this web-site or faxed to the Human Resources Office, 508-289-7931. If faxing, please reference this posting.

Apply online at mbl.simplehire.com
An Equal Opportunity Employer

If you're too young, just catalog it for future references. This might be your job one day and I'd love to hear about your Arctic Science Adventures!

Polar Bears and Climate Change

International Polar Year is scientific celebration and research program that celebrates the unique ecosystems and habitats of the North and South Poles. It is also an educational campaign to document these biomes before they are no more. Climate change and global warming are threatening EVERYTHING we know to be real in the world. Losing a biome is a travesty -- it would mean loss of innocent life, the compromised ability for people and animals to feed and shelter ourselves, and the complete altering our our weather and season patterns which impacts our agriculuture and ways of living.

Right now, polar bears, the top predator of the northern polar region is seriously threatened with extinction. The World Wildlife Federation has a new TV campaign to make people aware of how climate change is affecting polar bears and other animals. Polar bears are at risk of extinction due to melting and thinning arctic ice, and could disappear by the end of this century if we don't take action. Can you imagine how awful that would be.
Actor and WWF supporter Noah Wyle generously donated his time to record this important message about polar bears at risk. Watch this two-minute video right now.

Help me in sharing this message and working to make our world a place were NO animal dies from the face of the earth in our or our children's lifetimes.

Celebrate International Polar Year

Again, continuing with posts that related to this week's Black History Month Feature on Matthew Henson - Arctic Explorer, here is an opprtunity to learn more about Arctic/Polar Ecosystems.

2007-2008 is International Polar Year. Yes, 2 years, one year each to celebrate the unique and important polar ecosystems at each of our world's poles.

For educational activities and ideas, check out their resources for Educators and Students.
Another IPY Website
Educators' Icy IPY Activities
IPY Blogs

Study at the North Pole

As a follow-up to the Black History Month Feature on Matthew Henson - Arctic Explorer, here is your opportunity to become an Arctic Explorer. (For College Students)

FIELD COURSE IN ARCTIC SCIENCE 2008

The hands-on "Field Course in Arctic Science" will be offered through Summer Sessions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the students will have the unique opportunity to travel from the boreal forest in Interior Alaska past the alpine environment of the Brooks Range to the arctic tundra at the Beaufort Sea. The students will learn about the ecology of the arctic and boreal systems through daily lectures delivered by a variety of scientists, active participation in field sampling, and discussions of the relevant science literature. This exciting course will span a broad range of disciplines, including local natural history, fire ecology, snow ecology, plant ecology, invertebrate and mammal biology, carbon budgets, and the implications of a warming climate. The students will gain a firm background in the structure and function of the ecosystems in northern Alaska and become familiar with the tools and techniques useful to ecological field research.

The four-week, 5-credit field course will be taught both at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and at the Toolik Field Station in northern Alaska from May 20 to June 13, 2008. The course is limited to ten advanced undergraduate or starting graduate students. The cost of food at Toolik Field Station, lodging, and travel between the field sites will be covered, and students are expected to pay for in-state tuition and their travel to Fairbanks, Alaska. The students will need to bring all-weather clothing including winter jackets, rubber boots, and a warm sleeping bag.Interested students should submit a current curriculum vitae and a cover letter stating their experience and how the course would benefit them to Anja Kade.

Anja Kade
Alaska Geobotany Center PhD Candidate
email: anja_kade@yahoo.com phone.907-474-2459 fax.907-474-6967
mailing address:Institute of Arctic Biology, 311 Irving PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK 99775

Black History Feature: Matthew Henson - Arctic Explorer

Arctic Explorer and African-American Matthew Henson is considered a great figure in science and history. History records him as the first Black Man to reach the North Pole, along with Robert Peary, and 11 others in that brave expedition. The year was 1909 and they overcame amazing odds against nature to survive the journey and return to document their findings. He is considered a national hero and is buried at Arlington National Cemetary. But a very important science discovery and moment in Black History very well lose all significance and context.

Why? Fewer that 100 years since that team's arrival to the Artic, our generation may actually witness the sad loss of this special and important ecosystem. Arctic (and Antartic Ice) is melting...way too fast. Some researchers sadly predict that the summer Artic ice may be completely gone by 2012, much faster than predictions made only a few years ago. That's only 4 years from now!!! That is alarming. And if you thought that film footage of the exhaused polar bear on Planet Earth was heartbreaking, then get ready to buy more tissues. Polar Bear habitat is at risk..from global warming and human economic activities.

Let's get educated, become aware, and act!!

photo credit: http://www.britannica.com/

Arctic Ice decline is modifying animals behavior

Melting Ice Drives Walrus Ashore. Okay this matter of climate change and the ice caps melting is very serious. Things are changing so much that now the movement and seasonal patterns of animals are being modified. Walruses are predators and when the predators move, that signals a pretty big thing is going on in the ecological community.

Think about the typical food chain. As a predator the walrus depends on primary consumers like fish species and mussels. These creatures consume plant material or microbes. This is also another example of how abiotic factors (like weather, climate, land, and water) can influence biotic systems (plants and animals). No doubt the unexpected presence of walrus in Alaska this time of year will have ripple effect on those local ecosystems.

Two scoops please. Arctic Ice is melting, too!

Related to yesterday's post, The North Pole is melting, too. This is very said. I hope there's enough of it left to celebrate International Polar Year until March 2009, when it ends. If you thought those heart-breaking pictures of the polar bears swimming and dying were bad....it's sure to get worse.

Antarctic Ice: hurry up and get a scoop before it's gone!

2007 is International Polar Year celebrating the beautiful, complex, and woefully not-fully comprehended ecosystem of the the Poles. But unfortunately our planet's largest continent and most frozen land mass is loosing its character. Antarctic snow is melting as reported by LiveScience, the matter of climate change is altering our entire planet and the most unique ecosystem.

International Polar Year

It is International Ploar Year! And to celebrate I will periodically share with you all some interesing things about the North and South Poles. I'll include research update, historical events, and snippets about arctic and antarctice wildlife and ecosystems.

Here's the first item, a news release about the AMAZING research at the poles funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Antarctic Icebergs: Unlikely Oases for Ocean Life.

Continue your Urban Science Adventures! ©