Experimental
Discoveries
in Geoscience
Education

The global community is driving change in Alaska’s landscape. High per capita energy use in the lower U.S. 48 states contributes to atmospheric carbon dioxide increases through the burning of fossil fuels. This atmospheric change will contribute to the thawing of the top 30 feet of Alaska’s discontinuous permafrost throughout the 21st century. The continued melting of sea ice in the Arctic with a complete loss projected by 2100, will allow storm surges and coastal erosion to continue and will threaten populations of marine animals such as polar bears that depend on the ice as well as coastal dwelling Alaskans (Prestaud, P. et al., 2004; Parson, E.A., et al., 2001). The International Council for Science has declared 2007-2008 to be the International Polar Year and is organizing research activities directed at Polar nations and states such as Alaska.

Unprecedented Alaska forest disturbances such as boreal forest insect infestations and the Alaska interior forest fires of 2004 are related to warmer winters and summers. Transformation of terrestrial vegetation and marine ecosystems are underway (MODIS Images at GINA, 2004). In northern Southeast Alaska the rapid loss of glacier ice through thinning and retreat has resulting in the highest rates of uplift on Earth (Motyka et al., 2004). These changes can be quantified and used as baseline data for further inquiries in high school and middle school science classes if teachers and students are provided with the tools to do so and a working knowledge of earth system science.

The EDGE project will offer the opportunity for in-service Alaska teachers to interact with university research faculty, science educators and university undergraduate science majors to participate in earth science field training. Teachers will increase their respective Earth science content knowledge through field experiences, gain computer mapping technology skill sets in the ARCGIS environment, and acquire technology that they can transfer directly into their classrooms.