Arctic Meltdown

In this course you will first learn about the Arctic as a geographic region, the peoples the Arctic, and the long history of Arctic settlement and exploration. Attention then turns to key features of the Arctic environment – its climate and weather, features of the ocean, sea ice, lands and the Greenland Ice Sheet, and some of the rapid changes being observed.

Learning Objectives: Appreciate the long history of the Arctic and its
peoples. Recognize and recall the physical geography of the Arctic, including
major features of the Arctic Ocean and Arctic lands. Describe the key climate and
environmental elements of the Arctic, including its sea ice cover, patterns of
temperature, precipitation, snow cover, land ice, permafrost and vegetation, the
physical processes giving rise to these features, and how they are changing.

This course takes a detailed look at the remarkable changes unfolding in the Arctic environment, including the shrinking Arctic sea ice cover, shrinking land ice, thawing permafrost and cascading impacts on Arctic ecosystems. After a review of Arctic climates of the past, attention turns to the possible future of the Arctic’s climate and environment.