News Miner PolarQ&A
From WikiYoungIPY-UA
Once a week, the Fairbanks newspaper The News Miner, runs a 'Polar Q&A' with a multi-choice question, discussion of the answer and links to learn more. Started April 2008. --DP 10:15, 30 May 2008 (AKDT)
Questions so far:
Q1: How many species live in the Arctic Ocean? a) 250 b) 3,700 c) >5,000
A: More than 5,000 invertebrates alone inhabit the Arctic Ocean, as well as some 400 fish species, 150 macroalgae (kelps, etc.) and hundreds of phytoplankton and sea ice algae. Marine biodiversity researchers at UAF are working on an inventory of all species living in the Arctic Ocean, from the sea ice to the deep sea floor. See www.arcodiv.org.
Q2: In the last decade, how much have Alaska glaciers contributed to global sea level rise? a) 0.01 inch per year b) 0.1 inch per year c) 1 inch per year
A: Alaska glaciers have contributed to 0.01 inch per year of global sea level rise. This adds up to about 10% of the observed sea level rise in the last decade (about 3.1 mm per year).
Q3: How much of Alaska’s total land is covered in glacier ice? a) 10% b) 20% c) 5%
A: Glacier ice covers about 31,000 miles of Alaska’s 570,380 square mile land area. That’s about 5%.
Q4: Why are there more glaciers in the south of Alaska than in the north if the south is generally warmer? a) glaciers moved from the north to the south b) the south has more snow fall than the north c) the north is more flat than the south
A: To build up, glaciers need lots of snow fall. Although it is colder in the northern parts of Alaska, there is not enough snowfall to form glaciers.
Q5: Just by freezing, how thick does sea ice usually grow in one winter in Barrow, Alaska? a) 2 feet b) 4 feet c) 8 feet
A: Usually between four and five feet of ice is created yearly in Barrow. Thicker ice comes from older pack ice that has drifted in from the ocean or from ice being piled up into ridges. Sea ice researchers at UAF maintain webcams showing current Alaska sea ice conditions in Barrow and Wales at www.gi.alaska.edu/BRWICE.
(Second set of questions)
Q6:Which of the following marine mammals is likely negatively impacted by the loss of sea ice in the Arctic
a) Weddell Seal b) Harbor Seal c) Ringed Seal
The correct answer is c. Neither the Weddell Seal nor the Harbor Seal live in the high Arctic. In contrast the ringed seal is highly ice depend as it rests on sea ice and gives birth to her pups on the ice. UAS Professor Brendan Kelly discusses seals and his seal search dogs at www.earthsky.org (search: arctic seals).
Q7: Which of the following marine mammals was discovered in 1741 and wiped out by 1768 likely due to overharvesting?
a) Steller sea cow b) Aleutian sea horse c) Barrow ice crawler d) Bering white seal
Answer: The Steller sea cow was first described by naturalist Georg Steller who traveled with Vitus Bering. The sea cow occurred in small populations along the North pacific coastline, feeding mainly on kelp. The other species are made-up, they never existed!
Q8: In which month below is the area of sea ice - in the whole world - the largest?
a) February b) March b) September b) November
Answer: (d). Maximum sea ice area is at the end of the winter - March in the Arctic, and September in the Antarctic (the seasons are opposite!) October and November have the highest combined totals – about 28 million square kilometers (11 million square miles) - nearly the total combined land area of the US, Canada and China , or about 8 % of the world’s ocean. For more info, see www.nsicd.org/seaice
