Learn more about Sea Ice by doing an experiment, following a cruise, contacting a scientist, or designing your own community event.

Launch a virtual balloon to show your involvement, and watch as people around the world join in!



Quick Ways that Teachers and Students can learn more about Sea Ice, and get involved on September 21st!


Download this Polar Sea Ice Day flyer (PDF) in your language:
English Chinese Nederlands Suomeksi Francais Portuguese Svenska Japanese Deutsch Inuktitut Russian Danish Icelandic Malay Polski Espanol Norwegian Afrikaans

Launch a Virtual Balloon

*** Learn about about IPY and Sea Ice (downloadable PDF) or read it on this IPY and Sea Ice webpage.

*** Antarctic Sea Ice Fact Sheet (PDF, thanks to ACE CRC)

*** Get involved in the Antarctic SIPEX Expedition.

Polar Knutsen, the Arctic Circle polar [teddy] bear, is currently in the Antarctic aboard the Aurora Australis. Will he finally meet a penguin? Read more at Travel Buddy (WORD document about Polar Knutsen).
To have your school included on their map, or send a question to the ship, email {encode=" This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it " title=" This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "}.
SIPEX Podcast
TEA Info Flyer about Teachers Experience Antarctica Programme


*** Follow the Antarctic SIMBA Expedition and follow the adventures of the teacher on board the US Ship NB Palmer!

***** Learn more about the IPY-Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System Study through their Schools on Board Programme.
Download more information about CFL in these fact sheets: English French Inuktitut

Other Expeditions



Sea Ice Activities for the Classroom:

What Happens to Ocean Water When It Freezes?
(contributed by Dr Sandra Zicus, ACE CRC, Australia)
PDF version, with pictures, to download: Sea ice and circulation activity.pdf

Salinity and Temperature: How Does Density Affect Ocean Currents?
(contributed by Louise T. Huffman, ANDRILL Education and Outreach Coordinator)

Sea Ice and Salinity: What are the effects of salinity on the formation of sea ice? Will salt water freeze more quickly or more slowly than fresh water? Find out by trying this investigation that was part of the 2007 Earth Science Week Calendar and visit the Aquarius Web site to learn more about how scientists will study salinity from space.


Sea Ice Video Conference and Webcast
1600 UTC, 1800 Germany, Noon Eastern, 10 AM Mountain Time, 8 AM Alaska


Sea Ice Posters
IPY Sea Ice Classroom Poster (NSIDC)
Sea Ice 1 Deutsch/English (Alfred Wegener Institute)
Sea Ice 2 Deutsch/English (Thanks to the Alfred Wegener Institute)

Solstices, Equinoxes, and the Polar Regions including educational activities on this theme.

Images

Polar Image Libraries
Sea Ice and Icebergs (International Polar Foundation)
Sea Ice Images (Australian Antarctic Division)
Ice in the Sea Images (UNEP: Global Outlook for Ice and Snow)
Cool Antarctica Sea Ice Images
ArcticNet Photo Gallery
Circumpolar Flaw Lead Book Gallery


Sea Ice Related Links and Resources

National Snow and Ice Data Centre pages:

All About Sea Ice
State of the Cryosphere: Sea Ice
Sea Ice Glossary
Arctic Sea Ice News Fall 2007
IceTrek: Exploring the Lifecycle of a Drifting Antarctic Iceberg

Earth Exploration Toolbook

The Earth Exploration Toolbook chapter "Whither the Sea Ice" is an activity designed to familiarize educators with techniques for accessing and analyzing sea ice data for students in grades 7-12 and at the undergraduate level. Students will measure the seasonal variations in sea ice extent, discover long-term changes occurring in sea ice extent, and visualize the relationship between sea surface temperature and sea ice extent, along with other challenges. Although the student chapter introduces what appears to be a limited question, "What has happened to the sea ice in your village in the Arctic?" this lesson can be expanded and customized in order to support many other science topics and curriculum standards. The area of ocean water covered by sea-ice in the Arctic has decreased dramatically since the 1960s. The September minimum has decreased over 8 percent per decade, or over 20 percent since the late 1970s. This decrease amounts to an area of the size of Alaska or twice the size of Texas. The thickness of the ice has also been reduced: estimates show that thickness has decreased between 20-40 percent or more. The Sea Ice Primer at the National Snow and Ice data center gives an excellent overview

Windows to the Universe Sea Ice Educational Resources:

Sea Ice in the Arctic and Antarctic
Under the Arctic Sea Ice
Movie of Yearly Changes in Sea Ice around the North Pole
Movie of Yearly Changes in Sea Ice around Antarctica
Classroom Activity: Graphing Sea Ice Extent

Other Excellent Resources:

Global Outlook for Ice and Snow (United Nations Environment Programme) graphics, images, background information and an entire chapter on Ice in the Sea
Why We Care: Sea Ice Basics (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory)
Sea Ice - An Antarctic Habitat (Alfred Wegener Institut)
Organisms that Thrive in Arctic Sea Ice (National Ocean and Atmosphere Administration)
Current Arctic Sea Ice Extent (Canadian Cryospheric Information Network)
Plant Growth beneath Sea Ice (National Institute for Water and Atmosphere, NZ)
Sea Ice Primer (US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory)
Icebergs and Sea Ice Suitcase Lessons (Oregon State University)
The Shrinking Arctic Ice Cap (NOAA) animations, images, latest model results

Image Credit: National Science Foundation