The Arctic is no longer remote.  Arctic sea-ice loss, shipping through the legendary Northwest Passage, the international land-grab for the North Pole and the Arctic sea floor, Arctic oil and gas exploration, the fate of the polar bear – these and more are all household terms.  Yet, many people’s understanding of this system and the reality of the issues is based primarily on news and media coverage.  The UW houses a remarkably wide range of world-class Arctic research – this course will access that knowledge base and provide an interdisciplinary, science-based introduction to Arctic science and topical world issues that are at the forefront of understanding how the Arctic works today, how the Arctic is changing, and what impacts those changes may have on us.

     We will investigate the Arctic ocean, ice and atmosphere system; Arctic ecosystems from the “charismatic megafauna” (polar bears and more) to the (not so charismatic?) microbes that exist inside the matrix structure of sea-ice; and how humans interact with the Arctic system.  We will study how we got to know what we know, how we advance our knowledge now, and how Arctic studies may look in the future.  We will consider how the components interact, how they are changing, what the future may hold, and what international governments are squabbling over at the minute.  We will include guest lectures by internationally recognized UW experts in a wide range of fields.

     The course is offered at the 100 level, to interest both those considering a major in science and those who seek a topical course to fulfill an out-of-option requirement.  It will provide a level of understanding suitable for those going onto a career in many non-science fields, including education, government advising, and Arctic-relevant industry.  It will also provide a science introduction that may spark enthusiasm for a major in science.

By the end of the course, you should have:

- qualitative and quantitative fact-based interdisciplinary knowledge of the key aspects of the Arctic system, including how the components of the system interact, and the current challenges and possible future impacts of Arctic Change;

- an ability to critically, qualitatively and quantitatively assess information  from various sources (e.g., media, academic research, internet), especially in issues concerning the Arctic.

… and an enthusiasm for a realm that is at the forefront of science and exploration in our world today.

An enquiring mind. 

The course material is drawn from the cutting edge of current Arctic research, thus there is no text-book for the variety of material we will cover.  The main instruction medium will be:

     - two 50min lectures a week,  Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:30-12:20, in Denny Hall, Rm 216

reinforced with:

     - a weekly TA session, Fridays 11:30-12:20, in Denny Hall, Rm 216, reviewing  concepts introduced in the lectures

     - readings from various UW-accessible sources,

     - instructor office hours, (currently set at Thursday 2:30-4pm, Applied Physics Laboratory, Henderson Hall). 

You are expected to attend the lectures and the weekly TA session and do the readings.  

Arctic Basics (1) – the “trivia” questions – how big, how far, how deep, how cold; a basic introduction to the system.

Arctic Atmosphere (1) – Polar Night; the Polar Vortex; implications of the Coriolis force; the “Arctic Oscillation” (i.e. getting a handle on climate variability).

Arctic Ocean Circulation (3) - what goes in, what comes out, and where and why?  temperature and salinity as the accent of sea-water;  circulation of waters from the Pacific and the Atlantic, and how (well) we trace them; the unforeseen advantage of nuclear reprocessing; Arctic-wide manifestation of molecular scale processes; the mysteries of “the Deeps”; what if the ice goes away?

Arctic Ice (2) – knowing what you can stand on; ice types, formation and decay; ice impacts on atmosphere and ocean; the ice-albedo feedback; tracking ice from space; ice as somewhere to live.

Historic Exploration (1) – the Fram (old and new); the race for the North Pole; Borneo (no, that’s not a typo).

Arctic Science – how we do it (1) – ships; satellites; ice camps; moorings; autonomous monitoring; gliders under the ice; modeling; real life issues (costs, clearances, international logistics); weekend field trip to USCGC Healy.

Modern Exploitation (1) – oil and gas resources; Law of the Sea; the Arctic Landgrab; shipping and the Northwest Passage; the growing responsibility of the Coast Guard and Navy; international governance (guest lecture by Professor Vince Gallucci).

Life on and under the ice (1) - the charismatic Megafauna – polar bears, whales, seals and more (guest lecture by Dr Sue Moore).

Life in the Ice (1) – the (not so charismatic?) Arctic microbes and ice and water biology (guest lecture by Professor Jody Deming).

Humans of the Arctic (1) – native communities, previous and current lifestyles, languages and customs, the whaling controversy (guest lecture by Dr Nadine Fabbi)

Case study I – The Blame Game (1) – what caused the 2007 extreme Arctic Sea-ice retreat, and why didn’t we see it coming?

Case study II – Over 50% of the US fish catch (1) – the Bering Sea Ecosystem (guest lecture by Professor George Hunt)

Arctic versus Antarctic (1) – sea-ice change opposites, ice-shelves and ice sheets, the Antarctic Treaty, green icebergs

The role of the Arctic in the World (1) – CO2 uptake, Greenland and implications of its loss; the day after tomorrow?, Arctic and the flywheels of global climate.
 

Exams and Grading: Grades will be assigned on a combination of homeworks and written examinations, and will draw on material discussed in lectures or in assigned readings.  The final exam is on all the course material.  Homeworks and exams will be short answer questions, some verbal, some quantitative, some graphical.  Homework deadlines and details are below. The relative contribution of components to the final grade is:

     Homeworks  - 50%

     Written mid-term exam  - 15%

     Written final exam  - 35%

There are no make-up exams.  There is no acceptance of late homework (except in exceptional circumstances, with prearrangement with the instructor).  Student athletes and students with other legitimate conflicts need to contact the instructor at the beginning of the quarter to make arrangements for the exams. 

Academic Honest: A goal of university education is for you, yourself, to learn the material.  While you may discuss homeworks with your classmates and colleagues, homework assignments must be your own original work and you will work independently on midterms, and the final exam.  We expect all students to maintain the highest standards of academic conduct.  The UW expectations are outlined in various UW sites, including

     http://www.washington.edu/uaa/gateway/advising/help/academichonesty.php

Student Athletes: The Student Athlete Travel Notification form (supplied by the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics) indicating which classes will be missed must be turned in to instructors at the start of the quarter. We will discuss how you can fulfill the requirements.

Academic Accommodations: To request academic accommodations because of a disability, please contact the Disability Resources for Students (DRS), uwdss@u.washington.edu, 448 Schmitz Hall, 206-543-8924. Please present a letter at the start of the quarter to the instructor so we can provide appropriate accommodations.