Students Measure Changes in Ice and Snow

Fairbanks KUAC and Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, Teachers' Domain

This short video features the Alaska Lake Ice and Snow Observatory Network (ALISON project), a citizen science program in which 4th and 5th graders help scientists study the relationship between climate change and lake ice and snow conditions.

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Notes from our reviewers

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Link to the ALISON project found here [link http://www2.gi.alaska.edu/alison/], with ample ideas for how students might be able to download the data and compare locations around Alaska. Links to other related publications can also be found on this page.
Investigations by students contribute to a larger data set that examines how lakes store solar energy and how measurements of snow density, ice thickness, thermal conductivity, and temperature gradients provide information about climate. Comments from expert scientist: Presents a nice overview of a crowd-sourced research program to study the impact of climate change on Alaskan Lakes, and use these lakes as monitors of climate change. This is more of an overview of a project, than a presentation of scientific facts.