Interactions of Natural and Social Systems with Climate Change, Globalization, and Infrastructure Development in the Arctic 2024

This project brings together earth system scientists, engineers, ecologists, and anthropologists to document and explain changes in ecosystems and their effects on the plants, animals, indigenous peoples, and the built environment of the Arctic. It emphasizes interactions between these elements to help understand, inform, and plan for changes to come. Janice Ledgerwood and her students are working with the science team to tell the researchers’ stories through comics arts and animation. The resulting artworks will be shared with diverse audiences both in the US and Norway.

Learn more about the project.

Participants Involved in This Project

Mary Heskel outdoors

Mary Heskel | Researcher Fellow

Macalester College | Saint Paul, MN
Aleksey Sheshukov outdoors

Aleksey Sheshukov | Researcher Fellow

Kansas State University | Manhattan, Kansas
Peter Ungar outside

Peter Ungar | Researcher Fellow

University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR
Matt in front of green hills

Matt Wattendorf | Educator Fellow

Anchorage STrEaM Academy | Anchorage, AK

From the Blog

The team using the conductivity, temperature and depth tool on board the ship
A Day in the Life
The US academic research vessel RV Neil Armstrong departed from Nuuk, Greenland in early October. On the first leg of our journey, the science team’s initial purpose was to collect water samples and previously deployed instruments along a line of moorings at the southern entrance to Baffin Bay, a gateway between the Arctic and the north Atlantic. This line stretches from Sisimiut, on the west side of Greenland, to just off Cape Dyer, near the Canadian coast. 
The Power of Collaboration
Our plane glides through the Endicott Mountains of the Brooks Range as we make our final descent into Anaqtuuvak. Accessible only by plane, Anaktuvuk Pass (“the place of caribou droppings”) is located 250 miles northwest of Fairbanks and is home to the only community of inland Iñupiat, Nunamiut, people [1]. Below, icy blue glaciers feed into a winding network of streams that snake through dense, green tundra and low-lying willows that line the banks of the Anaktuvuk River. From the air, the tundra is a verdant forest, but once on the ground the trees and shrubbery are no taller than 5-6 feet. The village stands out like a colorful flower within the greenery, blooming into view as we enter the valley. In Anaktuvuk, the roots of plants and people alike extend down into permafrost, the lifeblood of the ecosystem and holder of history. 
Polar STEAM Vlog on YouTube
Connecting to the Classroom
In July 2024 I had the opportunity to visit Amy in person in Arizona.  In the vlog of my trip, I share pictures of the work one of Amy’s colleagues is doing on a telescope that is going in a hot air balloon in Antarctica, we visit Kitt Peak Observatory, which is built on the tribal land of the Tohono Odham nation, and then Amy’s lab at the University of Arizona.  You will also hear snippets of the songs I wrote for our Polar STEAM resource assignment.
Erika wearing a puffy jacket and holding up her hands in front of shelves of ice cores.
The Power of Collaboration
As a high school science teacher, I’m always looking for ways to inspire my students with real-world science and deepen their understanding of our planet. The PolarSTEAM Educator Fellowship has been an extraordinary opportunity to merge my passion for polar environments with my teaching. Through this year-long virtual collaboration with T.J. Fudge, a research scientist at the University of Washington, I’ve been immersed in cutting-edge research on ice cores, allowing me to bring current polar science research to my students.
Seven people sit up in sleeping bags in front of a building
A Day in the Life
The Juneau Icefield is a group of interconnected glaciers just north of Juneau, Alaska that extends into British Columbia, Canada and covers an area the size of Rhode Island. Maybe you’ve heard of the Mendenhall Glacier? It is part of the Juneau Icefield! The Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) has been collecting data on the icefield since 1948.