One Planet, a Changing Climate
What Happens at the Poles Doesn't Stay at the Poles
The effects of global warming due to increased greenhouse gas emissions are more intense at the poles than other regions of the globe. In fact, temperatures in the Arctic are warming faster than any other place on Earth.
But what happens at the poles doesn't stay at the poles. The Arctic is changing, and this has an impact on other parts of the planet. Improving our understanding of the Arctic system through expeditions like MOSAiC can help us further refine global climate models.
Learn more:
Long distance relationships: the Arctic and North Atlantic
The mission of MOSAiC: Arctic climate and global climate models
*New* MOSAiC Monday and the NGSS
Good news for educators in the U.S. teaching with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or similar! We will now be tagging MOSAiC Monday engagements with the NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea subject(s), Science and Engineering Practice(s), and Crosscutting Concept(s) that they most closely connect to. Look for these symbols listed below each engagement:
Disciplinary Core Idea Subjects
Science and Engineering Practices (adopted from the San Diego County Office of Education Science Resource Center)
Crosscutting Concepts (adopted from the San Diego County Office of Education Science Resource Center)
Climate Change Teaching Resources
Looking for NGSS-aligned resources for teaching about climate and climate change? Check out CLEAN (Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network) for free educational resources and to connect with a professional network of climate educators.
Quick Bite: You're Getting Warmer...
Looking at how global temperatures have changed over time can give us valuable insight into our planet's health. Show your students this animation of global temperature anomalies between 1880-2017. Make sure students know that this is not showing absolute temperatures, but rather how temperatures around the globe at different times in the past compare to the average temperature between 1951-1980 (warmer colors = hotter than average; cooler colors = cooler than average). Discuss as a class: What do you see? What do you notice? What is going on in the Arctic specifically?
Animation of global temperature anomalies between 1880-2017
Learn more about changing global temperatures
(Re)Defining the Arctic
Two weeks ago we addressed the question of how we define the Arctic region and discovered that there are several ways to do this depending on what parameter you use (ecosystem boundaries, Arctic treeline, temperature, etc.) Take a look back at the Definitions of the Arctic map, which shows six different ways to define the Arctic region. In small groups, have your students choose one of the definitions of the Arctic and discuss if and how this definition might change if the Arctic continues to warm as a result of climate change. Students can redraw the Arctic boundaries on a copy of the map if they like. Come back together as a class and ask students to talk about what conclusions they drew and why.
Download the Definitions of the Arctic map
Climate change threats to Arctic indigenous peoples
MOSAiC Weekly Tracking
Plot the Polarstern
Each week we will provide you with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the Polarstern so that your students can track its journey across the Arctic in your classroom.
Download the map to plot coordinates
Download a larger map of the Arctic for a bigger picture view of the expedition area
Location of the Polarstern
| Date | Latitude | Longitude |
| September 16, 2019 | 69.68 N | 18.99 E |
| September 23, 2019 | 72.31 N | 26.93 E |
| September 30, 2019 | 85.12 N | 138.05 E |
| October 4, 2019** | 85.08 N | 134.43 E |
| October 7, 2019 | 85.10 N | 133.82 E |
| October 14, 2019 | 84.85 N | 135.03 E |
| October 21, 2019 | 84.97 N | 132.73 E |
| October 28, 2019 | 85.47 N | 127.07 E |
**Day when MOSAiC reached the ice floe that the Polarstern will become frozen in and drift with for the next year.
Log MOSAiC Data
Download a MOSAiC Data Logbook to keep track of Arctic conditions over the course of the expedition
Arctic Data*
| Date | Length of day (hrs) | Air temperature (deg C) at location of Polarstern | Arctic Sea Ice Extent (million km2) |
| September 16, 2019 | 13.25 | High: 10 Low: 4.4 | 3.9 |
| September 23, 2019 | 12.35 | High: 6 Low: -1 | 4.1 |
| September 30, 2019 | 9.1 | -4.7 | 4.4 |
| October 4, 2019** | 6.27 | -13.0 | 4.5 |
| October 7, 2019 | 3.05 | -8.2 | 4.6 |
| October 14, 2019 | 0 | -14.7 | 4.8 |
| October 21, 2019 | 0 | -12.8 | 5.4 |
| October 28, 2019 | 0 | -18.3 | 6.8 |
*Note: We expect data to fall within the following ranges: Length of day, 0-24 hours; Temperature, -40 to 14 degrees C; Sea ice extent, 3-15 million km2
**Day when MOSAiC reached the ice floe that the Polarstern will become frozen in and drift with for the next year.
#askmosaic: Send us your questions!
Have a question about MOSAiC? Send us a video or submit your question here!
Follow the Journey
PolarTREC educator Katie Gavenus will be keeping a journal during her time aboard the Russian icebreaker Federov on the first leg of the MOSAiC expedition. Check out her Education Extensions at the end of each journal entry for more Arctic-related classroom activities.