This is a partially developed activity description. It is included in the collection because it contains ideas useful for teaching even though it is incomplete.
Sea Ice III
David Smith, Gary Randolph, and Walt MeierTopic: Sea ice volume
Course Type: intro
Description
Use sea ice extent fields and total extent data to show change and trends in extent. Compare March and September - look at % change (small for March, large for September) and compare to total change in sq km (about the same for March and September).
Then get estimates of ice age/thickness or volume (Jim Maslanik, Univ. Colorado). Compare these trends for Mar with extent. Extent isn't changing much in Mar, but volume/thickness is decreasing. This translates into the low Sep extents.
Goals
Understanding the difference between relative and absolute change. Understanding the difference between surface changes in the sea ice and the volume changes and how surface changes can be subtle while the volume is decreasing - until the ice gets thin enough.
Assessment
Assess concepts of volume vs. surface, trends, % change, etc.
