Part 5—Check the Trends Elsewhere in the Arctic

Step 1 –
Compare with another Arctic Region

students on the playground riding bikes
Children at the playground.
carving of a polar bear
Local artist carving of a polar bear.


The students have seen the results for Hudson Bay. They wonder though, "Are the Sea Ice and Temperature trends that we found for Hudson Bay the same in all areas of the Arctic?" Together they decide to locate data from other polar locations. They break into smaller teams and each takes a single region from the list below. They repeat the steps they learned while examining the region around Churchill and apply them to a new location.


Now that you have documented the decline in sea ice in the Churchill Region, choose a second region to investigate from the list below. Use the skills you developed in ImageJ and Excel to answer the question above.

Suggested areas of interest for analysis:
  • Clyde River - Baffin Island
    (look at June or October for Sea Ice extents and use the bounding coordinates 53 to 65 N, -75 to -97 W)
  • Newtok, Shishmaref, and Barrow - Bering Strait, Alaska
    (look at June or October for Sea Ice extents and use the bounding coordinates 60 to 75 N, -140 to -168 W)
  • Tiksi - Siberia
    (look at June or October for Sea Ice extents and use the bounding coordinates 65 to 75 N, 125 to 140 E)
  • Varandei - Siberia
    (look at June or October for Sea Ice extents and use the bounding coordinates 65 to 75 N, 50 to 60 E)

Access and analyze data for your chosen region and prepare a presentation about your findings. Learn more about the Impacts of Warming on the Arctic in the "Going Further" section of this chapter.