Global Impacts of the Melting Greenland Ice Sheet and Melting Sea Ice
In the Arctic region, global climate change is quickly transforming the environment. Melting of the Greenland ice sheet and loss of Arctic Ocean sea ice are two processes that have increased dramatically since the late 20th century. Here, we present a four-part educational module focused on these two processes designed for upper middle school, high school, and undergraduate students. Through this investigative module, students learn critical science skills as they collect, analyze and draw conclusions from data and engage with some of the most urgent environmental questions of our time. Finally, they are challenged to think about how these changes are affecting their lives and the lives of others around the globe. All the digital materials for this module are freely available online and include rich video and data resources and step-by-step instructions.
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation
Development Team
- Asa Rennermalm, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Geography, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Margaret Holzer, Ph.D. Teacher, Chatham High school, New Jersey
- Peter Sinclair, videographer
Teaching Materials
Lecture Notes/Instructions
Download the PowerPoint Lecture notes | Teacher Instructions
Activity 1: My burning Feet (Engage)
Activity 2: From burning feet to the Greenland Ice Sheet: Examining model estimates of Greenland ice sheet mass loss, its drivers, and its impact on global sea levels (Explore & Explain)
The dataset for Activity 2 is here
The student report document template is here
Activity 3: Should I Move Inland? What About Others Around the World – Should They Move to Higher Ground? (Elaborate)
Activity 4: How Does Melting Arctic Ice (sea ice & ice sheets) Impact the Climate Where I live? (Evaluate)
Videos Resources
- What does Greenland look like? Get a short tour here.
- The video about why everyone should care about climate change in the Arctic is here.
- Meet four scientists uncovering the secrets of the Greenland ice sheet in four short videos (approximately 2:30 min)
- Rohi Muthyala explains why we all need to care about the fate of the Greenland ice sheet here
- Vena Chu takes us on a tour from the surface of the ice sheet to the ocean
- Asa Rennermalmhas collected data about Greenland streamflow over 10 years
- Sasha Leidman is studying streams on the surface of the Greenland ice sheet