Arctic Meltdown Specialization

This specialization starts with an in-depth look at the physical geography of the Arctic and its key climate features, including the ocean's floating sea ice cover, the Greenland Ice Sheet, and patterns of temperature, precipitation, snow cover and permafrost. We will then learn about the remarkable unfolding changes that are transforming the Arctic environment, how they are related to each other, and cascading impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Attention then turns to the growing economic, strategic, and geopolitical importance of the Arctic in the context of observed environmental changes in the region. Applied learning project This specialization will consist of in-video questions, short quizzes for each module, and a final project for each course. Projects include a set of mapping exercises to gain familiarity with the Arctic region and its climate, a poster designed to illustrate and explain connections between observed physical and ecological changes unfolding in the Arctic and how the Arctic system will likely evolve in the 21st Century, and a project of each student's choice to illustrate how the changing Arctic will affect them and their community.