2006 Tracking Narwhals in Greenland The Good, the Bad and The Arctic (adapted from the Hidden Ocean, 2005 Arctic Expedition) FOCUS (Optional) Copies of resource materials needed Social, economic and environmental consequenc- for student research; see “Learning Procedure” es of Arctic climate change AUDIO/VISUAL MATERIALS GRADE LEVEL None 9-12 (Biology/Earth Science) TEACHING TIME FOCUS QUESTION One 45-minute class period for introduction and What social, economic and environmental conse- two or more periods for student reports, plus quences are expected to result from Arctic climate time for student research; see Note in “Learning change? Procedure” Step 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES SEATING ARRANGEMENT Students will be able to identify and explain Groups of 2-6 students at least three lines of evidence that suggest the Arctic climate is changing. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS 30 Students will be able to identify and discuss at least three social, three economic and three envi- KEY WORDS ronmental consequences expected as a result of Arctic Ocean Arctic climate change. Baffin Bay Narwhal Students will be able to identify at least three Climate change climate-related issues of concern to Arctic indig- Indigenous peoples enous peoples. Traditional knowledge Marine pollution Students will be able to identify at least three Biodiversity ways in which Arctic climate change is likely to Integrated management affect the rest of the Earth’s ecosystems. BACKGROUND INFORMATION MATERIALS Global climate is heavily influenced by the Earth’s Copies of “Impacts of Arctic Climate Change ocean. One of the most significant climatic influ- Worksheet,” one copy for each student or stu- ences results from the “deep ocean thermohaline dent group circulation” (THC). This circulation is driven by 1 2006 Tracking Narwhals in Greenland – Grades 9-12 (Biology/Earth Science) Focus: Social, economic and environmental consequences of Arctic climate change oceanexplorer.noaa.gov changes in seawater density, and has a major some scientists wonder whether the THC may be influence on water movements between the related in some way to other changes being seen Atlantic, Antarctic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. in Earth’s ocean. One such change is an apparent The causes and effects of the THC are not fully decline in net oceanic primary productivity; more known. But we do know that it affects almost all than six percent globally in the last two decades of the world’s ocean and plays an important role (Gregg, et al., 2003). Nearly 70 percent of the in transporting dissolved oxygen and nutrients. decline occurred in high latitudes (above 30 For this reason, the deep ocean THC is often degrees) in the North Pacific and North Atlantic called the “global conveyor belt.” We also know Basins. These observations, coupled with very lim- that the THC is at least partially responsible for ited understanding of how the global ocean influ- the fact that countries in northwestern Europe ences life on Earth, illustrate why many scientists (Britain and Scandinavia) are about 9°C warmer believe that it is critical to learn more about about than other locations at similar latitudes. the deep ocean THC and how it is being affected by climate change—especially in the Arctic. In recent years, changes in the Arctic climate have led to growing concerns about the possible Ocean Exploration expeditions in 2002 and effects of these changes on the deep ocean THC. 2005 focussed on the Canada Basin, which In the past 30 years, parts of Alaska and Eurasia includes the deepest parts of the Arctic Ocean have warmed by about six degrees Celsius. In which is particularly isolated and unexplored the last 20 years, the extent of Arctic sea ice has because of year-round ice cover. A key objective decreased by at least 5%, and in some areas, of these expeditions was to obtain detailed infor- sea ice thickness has decreased by 40%. Dense mation about the living and physical components water sinking in the North Atlantic Ocean is one of Canada Basin ecosystems, including a wide of the principal forces that drives the circulation range of organisms from microbes to vertebrates. of the global conveyor belt (see “More About the A strong element of urgency accompanied these Deep Ocean Thermohaline Circulation,” below). expeditions, because the Arctic environment is Since an increase in freshwater inflow (such as changing at a dramatic rate. from melting ice) or warmer temperatures in these areas would weaken the processes that cause The 2006 Tracking Narwhals in Greenland seawater density to increase, these changes could Exploration is directed toward obtaining profiles also weaken the global conveyor belt. of salinity, temperature, and depth in Baffin Bay; a region that is directly involved with processes Changes are being seen in Arctic regions where that drive the deep ocean THC. These profiles are dense seawater formation occurs, but the signifi- among the most fundamental pieces of informa- cance of these changes is not yet clear. Although tion used by biological and physical oceanog- the Arctic as a whole is getting warmer, air and raphers, but extreme cold, six-month nights, and sea surface temperatures near western Greenland ocean areas blocked by sea ice have made these show a significant cooling trend, and sea ice con- measurements impossible in Baffin Bay during centrations in Baffin Bay have increased signifi- the winter. The Tracking Narwhals in Greenland cantly since 1953. At the same time, deep (400 Exploration plans to overcome these difficulties m and below) water temperatures in Baffin Bay through an unusual partnership between humans are slowly increasing. Some of this warmer water and the narwhal whale. flows into the Labrador Sea, which is one of the sources for the cold, dense water that drives the One of the species likely to be affected by climate deep ocean THC. Because it is a global process, changes in the Arctic is the narwhal, a whale 2 2006 Tracking Narwhals in Greenland – Grades 9-12 (Biology/Earth Science) oceanexplorer.noaa.gov Focus: Social, economic and environmental consequences of Arctic climate change best known for its unicorn-like tusk. Narwhals tions that represent many indigenous peoples spend their entire lives in the Arctic, and prefer of the Arctic: Aleut International Association, habitats that are in or near sea ice. But increas- Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich’in Council ing concentrations of sea ice may be “too much International, Inuit Circumpolar Conference, of a good thing” for narwhals, since they need Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the some open water to survive. One of the largest North, and Saami Council. Environmental moni- populations of narwhals spends most of the win- toring and assessment is a key element of the ter in Baffin Bay, where they dive repeatedly to Council’s activities, which are carried out by five depths that exceed 1,500 m in search of food. expert Working Groups. A closely related activity The Tracking Narwhals in Greenland Exploration is the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), plans to enlist the help of narwhals to learn more an international project of the Arctic Council and about climate change in the Arctic and its impact the International Arctic Science Committee to on ocean ecosystems. evaluate and synthesize knowledge on climate variability, climate change, and increased ultravi- Instrument packages called “satellite tags” will be olet radiation in the Arctic and the consequences attached to narwhals to record temperature and of these changes. The full ACIA scientific report depth as the whales dive for food. A transmitter (1042 pages) can be downloaded from http://www. in each tag will send the data to a satellite in acia.uaf.edu/pages/scientific.html. polar orbit above Earth. Later, the data will be downloaded back to Earth to give scientists the Because winter oceanographic conditions in first-ever information on deepwater winter temper- Baffin Bay have never been studied, the work of atures in Baffin Bay. The purpose of the Tracking the Tracking Narwhals in Greenland Exploration Narwhals in Greenland Exploration is to improve is crucial to international efforts to monitor the our understanding of climatic changes occurring impacts of Arctic climate change and prepare for in an offshore ecosystem of Baffin Bay, and how the consequences of these impacts. This lesson is these changes may affect narwhal populations intended to provide an introduction to the larger that are part of that ecosystem. Expedition activi- context of this exploration. While many people ties are directed toward three objectives: still think of the Arctic as a remote part of Earth • To employ narwhals as oceanographic sam- with little connection to human communities in pling platforms to collect temperature data temperate regions, the reality is that Arctic climate from deep waters in Baffin Bay; change will have major global impacts. To better • To identify narwhals’ response to movement understand these impacts, students will use very of openings in pack ice; and recent information produced by the Arctic Council • To describe relationships between narwhal to investigate some of the anticipated social, eco- behavior and properties of the pack ice habitat. nomic, and environmental consequences of Arctic climate change. The environmental, social, and economic conse- quences of Arctic climate change are a primary LEARNING PROCEDURE concern of an intergovernmental group known 1. To prepare for this lesson, read the introductory as the