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POLAR WONDERS
New Climate Change Discoveries at the Ends of the Earth: PENGUIN SUICIDE | RISING SEA LEVELS | NEW LIFE DISCOVERIES | GLACIER COLLAPSE
OZONE HOLE | MYSTERIOUS SEABED RINGS
T E A C H E R R E S O U R C E G U I D E
THE ANTARCTICA CHALLENGE: A GLOBAL WARNING and
THE POLAR EXPLORER
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2
Student Notes on Introduction ....................................................................................................... 3
Video Review – The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning ........................................................ 4
Video Review – The Polar Explorer ................................................................................................. 5
Climate Change and The United Nations ........................................................................................ 6
Concept Map ................................................................................................................................... 7
Overview: Antarctica ....................................................................................................................... 8
Overview: The Arctic ........................................................................................................................ 9
Are We in Denial? .......................................................................................................................... 10
Activity: The Climate Change Debate ............................................................................................ 11
About This Guide .......................................................................................................................... 12
THE ANTARCTICA CHALLENGE: A GLOBAL WARNING and
THE POLAR EXPLORER
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Focus Climate Change is arguably the most important environmental issue facing the world today. The two films this guide supports show how the polar regions – the Arctic and Antarctica – are the bellwether of climate impacts throughout the world. As these areas are warming faster than any other place on earth, melting ice and collapsing glaciers pose a direct threat to humanity through rising sea levels and subsequent flooding of coastal communities.
Introduction Many Canadians believe the Arctic is our territory, when in fact only 25% of the Arctic is within Canada's borders. The biggest share is actually Russian (40%), and we share the remainder with the U.S. (Alaska), Denmark (Greenland), Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland (where it passes through the small offshore island of Grímsey). As far as population is concerned, 80 per cent of Arctic residents are Russian. At the other end of the world, there is no similar division of territorial possession. Antarctica is not owned by any nation, but rather is administered by 48 countries through an agreement known as The Antarctica Treaty. The document, originally signed by 12 nations on December 1, 1959, prohibits the ownership of any part of the continent by any country and restricts its use to temporary settlements strictly for scientific research. Both regions share a unique distinction: they are warming faster than any place else on earth. The Arctic is warming twice as fast while Antarctica is warming five times as fast! This rapid warming is causing eons‐old ice to melt and pour fresh water into the world seas. Since 90 per cent of the world’s fresh water can be found in polar ice, the melting of this ice represents a significant contribution to rising sea levels around the world. And while this impacts directly on us, there is also a major change taking place to the polar eco‐systems. Warming temperatures in the Antarctic seas are causing problems for marine life in their attempts to reproduce. Krill and starfish, in particular, cannot reproduce in these warmer waters resulting in a drastic and steady decline in their populations. Compounding this problem is the introduction of whale populations. They actually prefer the warmer waters and their massive consumption of krill is depleting the remaining krill populations at an alarming rate. Further up the food change, penguins and seals in Antarctica rely solely on krill as their food source and as the krill numbers fall so do the populations of penguins and seals. On top of the world, quite the opposite is taking place. The reduction of sea ice caused by warmer temperatures is exposing phytoplankton and Arctic marine flora to more sunlight. Photosynthesis is now taking place where it hadn’t previously resulting in an abundant bloom of new life. The additional life at the bottom of the food chain is not only providing more sustenance for the Arctic’s marine fauna, but is also attracting “exotic species” not usually found in Arctic waters. The two films featured in this resource guide provide startling evidence of these new climate change related discoveries at both ends of the earth from a unique perspective – the filmmakers travelled alongside teams of international polar scientists as they conducted studies and made discoveries directly in the field.
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THE POLAR EXPLORER
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Quote "Of all the canaries in the climate coal mine, the polar regions and the mountain glaciers are singing the hardest and the loudest. Mark Terry's new climate change documentary The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning underlines these realities with some of the latest and increasingly sobering scientific findings, providing further stark evidence as to why governments need to Seal the Deal in Copenhagen."
– Achim Steiner, UN Under‐Secretary
General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme. (August 18, 2009)
Preview Questions What recent developments related to climate change are taking place in the Arctic and Antarctica? How could these changes impact people living in other parts of the world? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________
THE ANTARCTICA CHALLENGE: A GLOBAL WARNING and
THE POLAR EXPLORER
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VIDEO REVIEW: The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning Respond to the following questions as you watch the film:
1. What is the dominant species of penguin found on the Antarctica Peninsula?
_______________________________________________
2. What kind of creature is krill?
_______________________________________________
3. What factors are impacting on the krill populations in Antarctica?
_______________________________________________
4. What are some of the environmental impacts of climate change in
Antarctica?
_______________________________________________
5. What is the largest ice drainage basin in the world and why is it a concern to people in coastal communities around the world?
_______________________________________________
6. What unusual measurements are now being made of the ozone
hole? Why is this happening?
_______________________________________________
7. What do seismic readings of glaciers tell us?
_______________________________________________
8. With Antarctica land seeing sunlight for the first time, new flora and fauna are emerging. Describe these new species and explain their origin.
_______________________________________________
Analysis: At the conclusion of the film, filmmaker Mark Terry states, “No matter how insurmountable the environmental crisis may seem to be, we have proven that with a globally united effort, we can overcome any challenge.” In a small group, discuss this quote and explore ways we might be able to address the challenges of climate change in our own schools, communities, regions and countries.
Did You Know… Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition aboard the ill‐fated ship the Endurance resulted in his crew being abandoned on the ice for 18 months before being rescued. Miraculously, not one life was lost during this ordeal.
THE ANTARCTICA CHALLENGE: A GLOBAL WARNING and
THE POLAR EXPLORER
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Did You Know… Canada’s Northwest Passage was first navigated by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in 1906. It took him three years to pass through the frozen waters. Today, the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker that bears his name makes the same trip in only three weeks through largely ice‐free water.
VIDEO REVIEW: The Polar Explorer Respond to the following questions as you watch the film:
1. Who first crossed the Northwest Passage and what obstacles did he and his crew have to face that we don’t today?
_______________________________________________
2. What is a Rosette and what do its findings tell us?
_______________________________________________
3. Dr. Jean‐Eric Tremblay explains that the melting of sea ice is
allowing more sunlight to enter the Arctic seas. What impact does this have on the flora and fauna here?
_______________________________________________
4. What are scientists using to measure the thickness of sea ice in
Antarctica and what do these measurements tell us about climate change?
_______________________________________________
5. At a midnight station in the Northwest Passage, a discovery of
abundant amounts of marine life is made. Why do you think this is happening now?
_______________________________________________
6. Geologists were baffled when trying to explain seabed ring
formations 500 meters deep in the Arctic seas. One theory was the release of methane gases. What other causes might result in these unusual formations?
_______________________________________________
7. How will the collapse of glaciers like Petermann and Pine Island
impact on world sea levels?
_______________________________________________ Analysis: At the conclusion of the film, filmmaker Mark Terry lobbies delegates attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun and succeeds in getting a resolution related to rising sea levels adopted.
In a small group, discuss how you would convince others in your community or government to take action against climate change.
THE ANTARCTICA CHALLENGE: A GLOBAL WARNING and
THE POLAR EXPLORER
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Climate Change and the United Nations On December 11, 1997, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Convention of Parties (COP) adopted the Kyoto Protocol – and it came into force February 16, 2005. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This amounts to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five‐year period 2008‐2012. The major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention is that while the Convention encouraged industrialised countries to stabilize GHG emissions, the Protocol commits them to comply. The Convention of Parties has met annually – 16 times to date – to update resolutions, calls to action and commitments for all the nations of the world with respect to climate change. The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning was the first film to be officially invited by the United Nations to screen for COP delegates and world leaders. It screened 25 times at COP15 in Copenhagen (the United Nations Climate Change Conference, 2009). The Polar Explorer renewed this partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme when it was invited to screen at COP16 in Cancun in 2010. Here it made a significant impact on negotiators and helped create a resolution related to rising sea levels (Enhanced Action on Adaptation, Section 2, Subsection 25): “The Conference of Parties (COP) recognizes the need to strengthen international cooperation and expertise to understand and reduce loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including impacts related to extreme weather events and slow onset events, including sea level rise, glacier retreat and related impacts.” Analysis:
1. Many believe COP15 in Copenhagen was a failure as it didn’t come up with a singular solution to end the threat of climate change. Was this a realistic expectation? Are there solutions available that can be implemented on a global scale?
2. What factors would come into play in passing a universal directive
to all the nations of the world? Consider economic factors, population sizes, environmental and geographic uniqueness, etc.
3. If you had a scientifically proven solution to the climate change
crisis, how would you bring it to the attention of the world’s leaders?
Quote… "The speed at which the polar regions are melting needs to be reflected in the speed with which nations come to agree on a decisive and definitive new global climate agreement. While the science is speaking loudly, it is often difficult for millions if not billions of people to witness this with their own eyes. "This is the value of the film The Polar Explorer. Seen through the eyes of the scientists on the front‐line, it brings the climate impacts at the poles to audiences in the conference halls of Cancun and the computers of the global public in order to raise the alarm but also the imperative to act".
– Achim Steiner, UN Under‐Secretary
General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme. (November 17, 2010)
THE ANTARCTICA CHALLENGE: A GLOBAL WARNING and
THE POLAR EXPLORER
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CONCEPT MAP
Activity: Starting in the center of the map with Climate Change, discuss the components and impacts of each cell and how they correspond with each other in the flowchart.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Polar Regions Antarctica
The Arctic
Polar Eco‐System Impacts
Impacts On Rest of the World
Greenhouse Gases Global Warming Natural Disasters:
Tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.
Who is Responsible? Man or Nature
Solutions: What Can We Do?
Preventative Measures: What Can We Do So This Doesn’t Happen
Again?
THE ANTARCTICA CHALLENGE: A GLOBAL WARNING and
THE POLAR EXPLORER
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Overview: ANTARCTICA Antarctica is the world’s fifth largest continent. Its discovery is very recent in the life of the planet, even in modern history, having first been spotted in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev. Antarctica holds many unique distinctions: it is the highest, driest, coldest and windiest continent on earth. It is completely surrounded by the Southern Ocean, often referred to as the Antarctic Ocean. Its land mass measures 14.0 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles) and about 98 per cent of this land is covered by ice, although this percentage is changing rapidly. Many explorers attempted to be the first to the geographic South Pole, most notably Sir Ernest Shackleton who failed on more than one occasion. An expedition was led by Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen on the ship Fram (the only wooden ship to make it to both polar regions). Amundsen became the first to reach the geographic South Pole on December 14, 1911, using a route from the Bay of Whales and up the Axel Heiberg Glacier. One month later, the ill‐fated expedition of Sir Robert Scott reached the Pole but failed to return. Antarctica is divided in two by the Transantarctic Mountains close to the neck between the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea. The portion west of the Weddell Sea and east of the Ross Sea is called West Antarctica and the remainder East Antarctica, because they roughly correspond to the Western and Eastern Hemispheres relative to the Greenwich meridian. West Antarctica is covered by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The Sheet has been of recent concern because of the real, if remote, possibility of its collapse. If this ice sheet were to break down, ocean levels would rise by several meters in a relatively geologically short period of time, perhaps a matter of centuries. Several Antarctic ice streams, which account for about 10% of the ice sheet, flow to one of the many Antarctic ice shelves accelerating their collapse. East Antarctica lies on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains and comprises Coats Land, Queen Maud Land, Enderby Land, Mac Robertson Land, Wilkes Land and Victoria Land. All but a small portion of this region lies within the Eastern Hemisphere. East Antarctica is largely covered by the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Analysis:
1. The Antarctica Treaty ensures that Antarctica is used solely for scientific purposes. Discuss if this same international legislation is possible for the Arctic.
2. If geologists discovered oil deep in Antarctica’s underlying
bedrock, how would this impact on the Antarctica Treaty? Do you think nations would try to alter it, and should they?
Did You Know… The highest mountain in Antarctica is Mount Vinson at 4,897 meters or 16,066 feet. The highest mountain in the Arctic is Mount GunnbjornsFjeld at 3,693 meters or 12,116 feet found on the east coast of Greenland.
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THE POLAR EXPLORER
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Overview: THE ARCTIC The Arctic is a region located at the northern‐most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and all or parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice‐covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost. The area can be defined as north of the Arctic Circle (66° 33'N), the approximate limit of the midnight sun and the polar night. Alternatively, it can be defined as the region where the average temperature for the warmest month (July) is below 10 °C (50 °F); the northernmost tree line roughly follows the isotherm at the boundary of this region. The Arctic is especially vulnerable to the effects of global warming, as has become apparent in the melting sea ice in recent years. Climate models predict much greater warming in the Arctic than the global average, resulting in significant international attention to the region. In particular, there are concerns that Arctic shrinkage, a consequence of melting glaciers and other ice in Greenland, could soon contribute to a substantial rise in sea levels worldwide.
Climate models give a range of predictions of Arctic sea ice loss, showing near‐complete to complete loss in September anywhere from 2040 to well beyond 2100. About half of the analyzed models show near‐complete to complete sea ice loss in September by the year 2100. More recently, the Catlin Arctic Survey concluded that summer ice loss would occur around 2029. In January, 2011, the extent of the summer Arctic ice cap was at a record low, with 50,000 square kilometers less ice extent than the previous record low in set in 2007‐2008. Analysis:
1. If all the ice in the Arctic were to melt one summer in the near future, you would have to take a boat to visit the North Pole. Discuss what impacts this would have on both the eco‐system of the Arctic as well as on the rest of the world.
2. Discuss what measures you would take to protect the world’s
coastal communities from rising sea levels.
3. Polar bears need ice to hunt from and to sleep on – they can’t swim forever. What would happen to the polar bear population if all their ice was gone? Would they adapt, evolve, migrate or become extinct?
Did You Know… Polar bear fur is not white, but translucent. It reflects the white ice and snow of its environment and makes an excellent camouflage for hunting.
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THE POLAR EXPLORER
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Are We in Denial? The following excerpt is from a June 8, 2011 column in the New York Times by Pulitzer‐Prize‐winning journalist Thomas L. Friedman: "You really do have to wonder whether a few years from now we’ll look back at the first decade of the 21st century — when food prices spiked, energy prices soared, world population surged, tornados plowed through cities, floods and droughts set records, populations were displaced and governments were threatened by the confluence of it all — and ask ourselves: What were we thinking?
"How did we not panic when the evidence was so obvious that we’d crossed some growth/climate/natural resource/population redlines all at once?"
Find the full article: (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/opinion/08friedman.html) According to Friedman the only answer is that humanity as a whole is in denial, a contention that is supported by the work of an organization the article goes on to cite — the Global Footprint Network (www.footprintnetwork.org). This alliance of scientists says "We are in global economic overshoot with annual demand on resources exceeding what Earth can regenerate each year." They calculate how fast we consume resources and generate waste vs. how fast nature can absorb our waste and generate new resources. Their model, originally conceived at the University of British Columbia, suggests humanity is already using the equivalent of 1.5 planets. By 2030, they estimate we'll need the equivalent of two Earths to support us. Activity: Break up into groups and imagine two future worlds:
• One is Earth and how it will look when we can no longer deny the effects of climate change. How different will our lives and our communities be at this stage?
• The other is a pristine new world where we would relocate if we could. If we had the opportunity for such a global "re‐do", how could we live differently? What could we do to ensure this “new Earth” will never meet the same fate as our “old Earth”?
Quote:
"The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we're contributing to the warming of the earth's atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. And unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels and chart a new course on energy in this country, we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe."
– U.S. President Barak Obama
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ACTIVITY: The Climate Change Debate Like any controversial issue, climate change has strong supporters on both sides – those who are demanding action be taken before it’s too late and those who deny there is any problem at all. Can you see both sides of the issue? The Activity: In this activity, you will have the opportunity to participate in a debate on the issue of climate change in the polar regions. Your teacher will decide whether you will be in a group that believes warming temperatures in the Arctic and Antarctica will have a catastrophic effect on the rest of the planet or be in a group that believes temperatures are not warming sufficiently to cause any concern to the world or the polar eco‐systems. Possible Debate Questions:
1. Be it resolved that governments around the world need to create flood defenses and relocation programs for its coastal communities, especially those representing indigenous people currently living within the Arctic Circle.
2. Be it resolved that due to nature’s inconsistent history of temperature fluctuations, we should not put the nations of the world at economic risk by creating expensive programs designed to prevent a problem that will never happen.
The Procedure: Working together with your group members, you will prepare a set of arguments and statements to support your position. It is important to support your statements with research and data provided by experts in the field of science, politics and from media reports. Each group should begin with a brief opening statement. This should summarize succinctly their group’s position. The debate should then proceed on a point‐counterpoint format. After each point has been debated by both sides, each group will then provide their concluding statement. The student audience will then decide by a vote which side they believe provided the winning argument. Further Research: Sources that express concern about climate change and the polar regions:
• David Suzuki Foundation: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/ • Al Gore: http://www.algore.com/ • ArcticNet: http://www.arcticnet.ulaval.ca/ • British Antarctic Survey: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/
Sources that dispute human‐caused global warming: • Skeptical Science: http://www.skepticalscience.com/ • Climate Change 101: http://www.climatechange101.ca/ • Climate Science: http://www.climatescienceinternational.org/ • Climate Realists: http://climaterealists.com
Quote:
"In 2004, former U.S. vice‐president Al Gore gave a speech on global warming in New York City on the coldest day of the year. Warm trends prove global warming. Cold trends also prove global warming. This is the philosophy of a madman."
– Ann Coulter, American author, social
and political commentator and syndicated columnist
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CBC Learning authorizes the reproduction of material contained in this Teacher Resource Guide for educational purposes. Please identify and credit the source.
Reproduction rights for this Work are not governed by any licence executed by CANCOPY or any other reprography collective.
Published by CBC Learning P.O. Box 500, Station A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6 Canada Toll‐free: 1‐866‐999‐3072 Local: 416‐205‐6384 Fax: 416‐205‐2376 Email: [email protected] Web: www.cbclearning.ca
This Teacher Resource Guide was prepared by filmmaker and environmental educator MARK TERRY.
Mark was the winner of a special Gemini Humanitarian Award in 2011 for his influential documentaries on environmental policy. This award is given to people in the TV industry who have shown an
admirable commitment to community and public service.
Learn more about Mark's educational activities, including visits to schools and communities, at:
www.polarexplorerfilm.com