Module 9 How are climate, terrestrial ice and Alaskan indigenous cultures all connected

Explain

  One thing that I learned in this unit was that there is a difference between terrestrial ice and sea ice - I thought that ice is ice: a few hydrogen and an oxygen held together below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. As it turns out this is not the case...

Terrestrial ice, such as glaciers, are constantly on the move. This is evidenced by the moraines and scars cut into the rock by the advancing or receding ice.  I recently learned that this movement can be a problem. I was lucky enough to be involved in a project done by the City of Sitka's Electric Department to explore the possibility of building a hydroelectric project out of Takatz lake On Baranof Island.

This is an aerial view of Takatz Lake

The project proposes running a power line across the island to supply the city with power. The problem is, there is a glacier that cuts across the head of Takatz Valley and it bisects the proposed route for the Transmission line. We obviously cannot build on ice that is moving...

I also am interested in glaciers (especially the parts of the unit that involve the Mendenhall Glacier) because I love to spend time exploring them. I got to go The National Mountain Rescue Association conference in Juneau last year and learn about glacier travel and rescue. The following photo is me on the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau

Extend

  I was excited to see the TD resources about Antarctica Ice because we study the continents in the Third grade and I will be able to use those this spring.  I have already used the Drop in the Bucket activity where I asked my students to guess where all of the earths water is stored. Interestingly enough, all of my students way overestimated the amount of water that was in the air. I guess in rainy Southeast it feels like you can drown standing up...

We will study glaciers some, but they will hit that topic more in fourth grade. All I get to teach them about glaciers is how they can move rock and sediment from place to place. This is a photo that I use to help illustrate that - it's the receding edge of the Mendenhall taken from a Tempsco Helicopter. That rock came from way up the valley...

Evaluate:
 How is understanding ice relevant?  Well, at first it might not seem like it would matter to most Sitkans and my students.....until you think about it a while.  Ice will directly affect whether we are able to harness hydroelectricity from Takatz Lake, if the project goes through. That energy will power Sitka for who knows how many years to come. I never thought about ice being a barrier - until I had to cross a glacier. Now I have to know how to pull someone out of a crevasse and what to do if I fall into one.  Terrestrial ice is certainly not on the forefront of our minds, but it is connected to many things that we do without our knowing it...