Virtual Field Labs – Sea level rise and Thwaites Glacier: Vital signs of the doomsday glacier with Dr. Karen Alley and Dr. Richard Alley - Ice Drilling Program (IDP) Education and Outreach

Dr. Richard and Dr. Karen Alley take us to Antarctica to analyze the stability of Thwaites Glacier, a glacier that is getting much media attention. Vital signs are taken using satellite imagery to see how much sea levels may rise in the future. The question to be investigated is: Does Thwaites deserve its nickname the “Doomsday Glacier."

Sea level rise and Thwaites Glacier: Vital signs of the doomsday glacier with Dr. Karen Alley and Dr. Richard Alley

Curriculum ConnectionsGlaciology: Fundamentals of ice sheets and ice shelves, Oceanography: Sea level rise-current and future causes, Remote Sensing: Satellite imagery and analysis, and Climate Change: Warming oceans, abrupt climate disruptions, IPCC projections.

Student EngagementAnalyzing/interpreting satellite imagery, making data tables, constructing graphs, and drawing trendlines

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)1) Science and Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems; Planning and Carrying Out Investigations; Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Engaging in Argument From Evidence. 2) Disciplinary Core Ideas: Ecosystems- Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience; Earth Systems; Earth and Human Activity. 3) Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns; Cause and Effect; Systems and System Models; Energy and Matter- Flows, Cycles and Conservation.

CategoryVirtual Field Labs

File TypeYouTube