MOSAiC Monday - August 31, 2020

Polarstern  For Educators: MOSAiC Webinar Series

Teachers, join us every Wednesday (3:30 - 4:00 pm MT) during the month of September for short (30 minute) webinars to learn more about  MOSAiC virtual educational resources and how you can integrate them into your teaching. How can you introduce your students to the MOSAiC expedition with videos and ArcGIS Storymaps? How do you sign your students up for MOSAiC scientist classroom calls? How do students track the expedition? How can students submit questions directly to the scientists? All of these questions and more will be answered during these weekly webinars! Register for each webinar by clicking on the events below. Please contact jonathan.griffith@colorado.edu with any questions.
 

Expedition Update

 

Met sled

As of Thursday, August 27th, MOSAiC leg 5 scientists were ready to begin normal operations at the ice camps on the new floe. Met City has been reestablished to include many of the same systems that were set up during leg 4, although now it looks more like an archipelago, with instruments installed on snow and ice islands surrounded by melt ponds. Scientists report that they are observing the beginning of the refreeze seasonthe sun is getting lower on the horizon, and the ice surface is alternating between freezing and thawing. The transition between summer and winter and the disappearance of the sun above the horizon happens quickly in the Arctic, and this transition will bring MOSAiC full circle, back to where it started nearly one year ago. 

 

Photo: MOSAiC team members move the 'Met Sled' into position on the ice. The sled is equipped with a variety of instruments that measure things like atmospheric temperature, humidity, radiation, show depth, and GPS position. Photo credit: Lianna Nixon, CIRES/CU Boulder

 



30 min clock icon In the Classroom: MOSAiC Science Jigsaw

MOSAiC science cartoon

The Arctic atmosphere is just one of the MOSAiC science focus areas; MOSAiC scientists are also studying the sea ice, ocean, and Arctic ecosystems. The atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and ecosystems are not separate, but rather are interconnected and part of a larger Arctic climate system.

1. Divide students into groups of 4. Each student will be responsible for reading about one of the four MOSAiC science focus areas mentioned above. Direct students to this website, which gives a brief summary of each. Note that there are other science focus areas listed, like Dynamic Coupling - you can include these if you have more advanced or older students.

2. Students should read about their science focus area, then summarize what they learn to their group. Ask students to pay attention to connections between their science focus area and others.

3. As a class, discuss how all of these science focus areas are connected. Encourage students to share connections they notice by using the prompt "I see a connection between [e.g., the Arctic Ocean] and [e.g., the sea ice]. The connection is [e.g., when the ocean gets warmer or colder, it can cause ice to melt or freeze]." If you like, you can also ask students to draw diagrams showing how the MOSAiC science focus areas are interconnected and part of a larger system. 

 

Read about the MOSAiC Science Focus Areas

STEM professional development module: Teaching About Systems
 

 

NGSS ESS NGSS Systems CCC



Then and Now: MOSAiC vs. the Fram Expedition
 

Photo from the Fram

"Strange how little alteration there is: we drift a little to the north, then a little to the south, and keep almost to the same spot. But I believe, as I have believed all along, since before we even set out, that we should be away three years, or rather three winters and four summers, neither more nor less, and that in about two years' time from this present autumn we shall reach home. The approaching winter will drift us farther however slowly, and it begins already to announce itself, for there were four degrees of cold last night."

These words were not written by anyone on board the Polarstern, but rather by a Norwegian explorer, Fridtjof Nansen, almost exactly 126 years ago on August 21, 1894. Nansen and his crew became the first explorers to successfully freeze their ship, the Fram, in sea ice and drift across the Arctic. By this point in their journey, the crew of the Fram had been drifting for just over 10 months having become frozen in the ice pack on October 5th, 1893 just north of the Laptev Sea.

The Polarstern found its original ice floe on October 4th, 2019 about 435 miles north of where the Fram began its drift. In the same 10-month time period that the Fram drifted less than halfway across the Central Arctic, the Polarstern drifted almost all the way to the Fram Strait east of Greenland, made a quick detour to Svalbard for a crew exchange, then turned back north and arrived at the North Pole under its own engine power in a matter of days. It would take the Fram nearly 3 years to finally melt free from the Arctic ice. 

 

Photo: The Fram frozen in the Arctic sea ice in August, 1894. Photo courtesy of the National Library of Norway

 

The MOSAiC expedition is following in the footsteps of the Fram, but the experiences of the two expeditions are vastly different. This isn't just because technology and ship design has advanced significantly in 126 years, but also because the Arctic itself has changed--temperatures have warmed, and Arctic sea ice is melting and becoming less extensive, making it easier to travel by ship across the once much more inhospitable northern ocean. 

 

Learn more about the 1893-1896 Fram expedition to the Arctic in this 360-degree virtual Google Expedition

Check out our full curriculum comparing the Fram and MOSAiC expeditions: Exploring the New and Old Arctic (grades 6-12)

 



#askmosaic#askmosaic: Arctic Air

Beluga

This week's question was submitted by Eliana from Middleton Middle School: Is it hard to breathe in the Arctic?

"It's actually quite easy to breathe in the Arctic since the Arctic is at sea-level. Altitude plays a large role in how easy it is for us to breathe, for example, at high altitude there is a lack of oxygen, which can make it hard to breathe. In the Arctic, we are at sea-level, so it can actually be much easier to breath there."

-Sara Morris, NOAA, MOSAiC Logistics Coordinator Extraordinaire

 

Photo: The MOSAiC Atmosphere team operates the largest balloon on the MOSAiC project. The tethered balloon known as Beluga, flies up to 1000 m and measures atmospheric properties above the floe. Photo credit: Lianna Nixon, CIRES/CU Boulder

 

Curious about the Arctic and MOSAiC expedition? Here are three ways you can send us your #askmosaic questions:

1. Submit them

2. Email them: mosaic@colorado.edu with subject line "#askmosaic"

3. Tag us on social media: #askmosaic
 



10-minute clock icon MOSAiC Weekly Tracking

Plot the Polarstern

Each week we will provide you with the latitude and longitude coordinates of the Polarstern so that you can track its journey across the Arctic.

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
 November 4, 2019  85.88 N  121.70 E
 November 11, 2019  85.82 N  116.00 E
 November 18, 2019  86.05 N  122.43 E
 November 25, 2019  85.85 N  121.35 E
 December 2, 2019  85.97 N  112.95 E
 December 9, 2019  86.25 N  121.40 E
 December 16, 2019  86.62 N  118.12 E
 December 23, 2019  86.63 N  113.20 E
 December 30, 2019  86.58 N  117.13 E
 January 6, 2020  87.10 N  115.10 E
 January 13, 2020  87.35 N  106.63 E
 January 20, 2020  87.42 N  97.77 E
 January 27, 2020  87.43 N  95.82 E
 February 3, 2020  87.42 N  93.65 E
 February 10, 2020  87.78 N  91.52 E
 February 17, 2020  88.07 N  78.52 E
 February 24, 2020  88.58 N  52.87 E
 March 2, 2020  88.17 N  31.02 E
 March 9, 2020  87.93 N  24.20 E
 March 16, 2020  86.87 N  12.70 E
 March 23, 2020  86.20 N  15.78 E
 March 30, 2020  85.37 N  13.27 E
 April 6, 2020  84.52 N  14.38 E
 April 13, 2020  84.28 N  14.97 E
 April 20, 2020  84.52 N  14.57 E
 April 27, 2020  83.93 N  15.65 E
 May 4, 2020  83.92 N  18.03 E
 May 11, 2020  83.47 N  13.08 E
 May 18+, 2020  83.32 N  8.68 E
 May 25+, 2020  82.43 N  8.28 E
 June 1+, 2020  81.33 N  9.93 E
 June 8+, 2020  78.10 N  12.73 E
 June 15+, 2020  82.20 N  8.18 E
 June 22, 2020  81.95 N  9.27 E
 June 29, 2020  82.03 N  9.88 E
 July 6, 2020  81.67 N  5.22 E
 July 13, 2020  81.40 N  0.28 E
 July 20, 2020  80.78 N  0.42 W
 July 27, 2020  79.55 N  2.37 W
 August 3, 2020  78.60 N  4.37 W
 August 10, 2020  79.90 N  5.52 W
 August 17+, 2020  88.28 N  34.63 W
 August 24, 2020  87.77 N  105.67 E
 August 31, 2020  88.30 N  114.23 E

 **Day when MOSAiC reached the ice floe that the Polarstern will become frozen in and drift with for the next year.
+ Indicates when the Polarstern traveled under its own engine power (no drifting)

Log MOSAiC Data 

What happens in the Arctic as the seasons change? Find out firsthand with real-time Arctic data, provided for you here each week. 

Keep track of Arctic conditions over the course of the expedition:

**Note to students: If you are trying to access these documents in Google Drive and are unable to, it is likely because your school has blocked access. Try using a personal account to access them, or contact your teacher.

Download Data Logbook for Sept. 2019 - Dec. 2019

Download Data Logbook for Dec. 2019 - Mar. 2020

Download Data Logbook for Mar. 2020 - June 2020

Download Data Logbook for July 2020 - Oct. 2020

 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
 November 4, 2019  0  -18.9  8.0
 November 11, 2019  0  -25.5  8.7
 November 18, 2019  0  -10.7  9.3
 November 25, 2019  0  -18.4  10.0
 December 2, 2019  0  -26.6  10.4
 December 9, 2019  0  -23.1  11.2
 December 16, 2019  0  -19.2  11.8
 December 23, 2019  0  -26.9   12.2
 December 30, 2019  0  -26.4   12.6
 January 6, 2020  0  -28.0  13.0
 January 13, 2020  0  -30.7  13.1
 January 20, 2020  0  -27.1  13.6
 January 27, 2020  0  -22.5  13.8
 February 3, 2020  0  -28.8  14.1
 February 10, 2020  0  -26.2  14.5
 February 17, 2020  0  -31.9  14.4
 February 24, 2020  0  -24.0  14.6
 March 2, 2020  0  -35.5  14.8
 March 9, 2020  0  -37.9  14.7
 March 16, 2020  10.5  -27.5  14.7
 March 23, 2020  16.5  -28.7  14.4
 March 30, 2020  24  -28.6  14.0
 April 6, 2020  24  -18.2  13.7
 April 13, 2020  24  -25.8  13.6
 April 20, 2020  24  -10.2  13.3
 April 27, 2020  24  -11.7  12.8
 May 4, 2020  24  -16.2  12.8
 May 11, 2020  24  -10.4  12.4
 May 18, 2020  24  -5.1  11.7
 May 25, 2020  24  0.4  11.5
 June 1, 2020  24  0.0  11.1
 June 8+, 2020  24  -0.1  10.6
 June 15+, 2020  24  -0.4  10.1
 June 22, 2020  24  -0.4  9.6
 June 29, 2020  24  0.5  9.2
 July 6, 2020  24  0.6  8.2
 July 13, 2020  24  0.2  7.2
 July 20, 2020  24  -0.1  6.2
 July 27, 2020  24  1.9  5.8
 August 3, 2020  24  1.2  5.5
 August 10, 2020  24  0.9  5.1
 August 17, 2020  24  0.7  4.6
 August 24, 2020  24  -0.9  3.9
 August 31, 2020  24  -0.9  3.7

*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.



NGSS iconMOSAiC Monday and the NGSS

What do those funny symbols below some engagements mean?

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)

 



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Browse more expedition-related educational resources, videos, and blogs

Email us! mosaic@colorado.edu


Next Week
  • What is climate, and how is it different from weather?
  • Check in with the Polarstern