Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Grey And I'm so excited that you've decided to join me to learn geography today.

Today's lesson is in our unit of Ice and Glaciers: How are Cold Places Affected by a Warming Planet? The title of today's lesson is Climate Change in Polar Regions.

By the end of the lesson, you will be able to describe the impacts of climate change on the polar regions.

There are some keywords that we'll come across in today's lesson.

They are permafrost, Arctic ice pack, habitat loss, and ice sheet.

Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen.

The Arctic ice pack is sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean; it has a regular seasonal cycle of spring and summer melt and accumulation in the autumn and winter.

Habitat loss is the decline of natural environments that support wildlife often due to climate change.

And ice sheet is a continental glacier, a massive ice that is greater than 50,000 kilometres squared.

Today's lesson on climate change in polar regions is split into two learning cycles.

The first, how does climate change impact the Arctic.

And the second, how does climate change impact Antarctica? Let's take a look at our first learning cycle.

How does climate change impact the Arctic? The Arctic region is warming four times faster than the rest of the world.

This is known as arctic amplification: when ice and snow melt, less sunlight is reflected back into space and more heat is absorbed by darker ocean and land surfaces.

So when the ice and snow's there and it's all white, a lot of sunlight is reflected back into space.

But when that melts, more of that sunlight is absorbed, which means it's getting warmer and warmer.

And this is known as arctic amplification.

A quick check for us now, then the Arctic region is warming how many times faster than the rest of the world? Is it A, three, B, four, or C, five? So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? The Arctic region is warming how many times faster than the rest of the world? And the answer was B, four.

Did you get that right? Well done.

Now, rising temperatures have led to the loss of sea ice.

The Arctic ice pack grows in winter and shrinks in summer reaching its minimum in September.

What do you notice about sea ice in September 2024? Have a look at the image there.

Laura says, "It covered a much smaller area than the average for the years 1981 to 2010." That's right, Laura, it did.

The rate of loss of Arctic sea ice is 12% per decade, losing 12% of sea ice every 10 years.

The decline in the extent of Arctic sea ice has consequences for people and ecosystems in the region.

What might those consequences be? Habitat loss, ocean current and weather changes, and erosion and flooding.

And this is some of the consequences for people and ecosystems in the region.

Now, the rapid shrinking of Arctic sea ice has caused habitat loss affecting species like polar bears, walruses, and seals.

These animals depend on sea ice for hunting, breeding, and resting.

As the sea ice retreats, they are forced to travel greater distances for food that leads to malnutrition, lower birth rates and higher mortality.

So the sea ice melting and shrinking in the arctic is having a really big impact on those different species because they depend on it so much.

Quick check for us now then.

Which of the following are animal activities carried out on ice? A, hunting, B, breeding, C, resting.

Which of the following are animal activities carried out on ice? So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay.

How did you get on? Which of the following are animal activities carried out on ice? And the answer is all of them; hunting, breeding and resting.

Did you get them all? Well done.

The retreat of sea ice leaves arctic coastlines exposed to more powerful waves and storms. Coastal communities, particularly indigenous peoples living in Alaska and Canada, which is highlighted on that map there, they're experiencing increased flooding and erosion.

That's actually forcing some people to have to relocate, to have to move.

Melting ice in the Arctic on land or in the sea also alters the balance of fresh water and salt water in the ocean.

The global thermal hairline circulation is like a giant ocean conveyor belt moving heat around the globe.

Scientists are investigating whether ice melt could disrupt ocean currents.

Fresh water and salt water have different densities.

So this is one factor driving ocean circulation.

Any disruption could have consequences for climate patterns around the world.

Another check for us now then.

Which of the following are potential impacts of reduced ice in the Arctic region? Is it A, sea level rise and flooding, B, coastal erosion, C, disruption to ocean currents.

Which of the following are potential impacts of reduced ice in the Arctic region? So I'll pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay.

How did you get on? Which of the following are potential impacts of reduced ice in the Arctic region? The answer is all of them.

Sea level rise and flooding, coastal erosion and disruption to ocean currents.

Did you get them all? Well done.

So permafrost is thawing at increasing rates due to temperatures.

Now Laura asks, "Why does it matter if permafrost melts?" Why does it matter? So permafrost releases methane, which is a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Ground movement with melt causes damage to buildings, roads, and infrastructure in arctic communities, and it leads to the habitat loss and could disrupt migration patterns for some species.

So really, really big consequences of permafrost melts.

So unto our first task of the lesson now.

The paragraph below explains how climate change is impacting the Arctic.

There are seven mistakes.

Find and correct them.

The increase in an area of the Arctic ice pack has caused habitat loss for species like polar bears, walruses, and seals.

Inland communities, particularly indigenous people living in Alaska and the UK are experiencing decreased flooding and erosion, forcing some to stay put.

The melting of the Greenland ice sheet could cause a fall in sea level and further change to the balance of fresh water and salt water in the ocean.

The arctic's permafrost has begun to freeze as temperatures rise.

So you need to find seven mistakes and correct them.

So pause the video, read through that paragraph again.

Identify the seven mistakes, correct them, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? Let's have a look at the answer.

So the decrease in an area of Arctic ice pack has caused habitat loss for species like polar bears, walruses, and seals.

Coastal communities, particularly indigenous people living in Alaska and Canada, are experiencing increased flooding and erosion, forcing some to relocate.

The melting of the Greenland ice sheet could cause a rise in the sea level and further change the balance of fresh water and salt water in the ocean.

The arctic's permafrost has begun to thaw as temperatures rise.

How did you get on? Did you identify all of those seven mistakes and correct them? Well done.

Okay, so we finished our first learning cycle now then on how does climate change impact the Arctic.

Now, we're going to go on to our second learning cycle, how does change impact Antarctica? While Antarctica is changing less rapidly than the Arctic, there are clear signs of change.

Some areas like the Antarctic peninsular are among the fastest warming places on earth.

Can you see they identified there? The Antarctic peninsular reaches north of the Antarctic circle and is the most northernly part of the continent.

This is why it's the area with the mildest climate.

Over the last 50 years, average temperatures in the Antarctic peninsula have risen by 0.

5 degrees per decade.

An ice shelf is a large platform of glacial ice, which floats on the ocean.

In Antarctica, some ice shelves are breaking apart due to the rate of melting.

In 2017, part of the Larsen ice shelf collapsed.

That's identified there.

One iceberg that broke off was 5,800 kilometres squared in area, a quarter of the size of Wales.

Very, very big.

Current losses from ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland are being monitored as melting of ice on land causes sea level rise.

The West Antarctic ice sheet is smaller and seen as more vulnerable to the effects of rising temperatures.

You see that identified there.

In 2022, the Conger ice sheet in East Antarctica collapsed.

It was estimated to be around the size of the city of Rome.

Ice shelves are extensions of ice sheets.

Without them, inland ice flows faster into the ocean.

This process leads to sea level rise.

Quick check for us now then.

What was the size of the largest iceberg calved during the collapse of the Larsen C ice shelf in 2017? Was it A, the size of Wales, B, a quarter of Wales, C, the size of Cardiff? What do you reckon? Read through that question again.

Pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, what was the size of the largest iceberg calved during the collapse of the Larsen C ice shelf in 2017? The answer is B, a quarter of Wales.

Did you get that? Well done.

Okay, another check for us now then.

True or false? The ice shelves affected by rising temperatures are limited to those found in the Antarctic peninsula.

Is that true or false? Pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay, how did you get on? The answer is false.

The ice shelves affected by rising temperatures are limited to those found in the Antarctic peninsula.

That is false.

In 2022, the Conger Ice Shelf in East Antarctica collapsed.

This was an indication that East Antarctica's ice is also affected by rising temperatures.

Did you get that right? Well done.

So two thirds of the world's fresh water is stored in the ice sheets of East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and Greenland combined.

Climate change is increasing the rate of melting of these polar stores.

Scientists predict that the global sea level could rise by up to a metre between now and 2100.

That's a huge level, isn't it? A huge rise of one metre.

What effect would this change have? If sea level rose by that much, what effect would that have? Flooding of low lying land around the world and millions of people in coastal communities would be forced to move.

So that would have huge, huge effects and implications for people all around the world.

Another check for us now then.

True or false? A global sea level rise of one metre would affect all countries around the world.

Is that true or false? So pause the video, write down your answer and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay.

How did get on? True or false? A global sea level rise of one would affect all countries around the world.

Is that true or false? That is true.

Sea level rise is a global phenomena.

Though some countries with large coastal communities would be more directly affected than others, the scale of rise will have knock on impacts worldwide.

So we're onto our final task of the lesson now.

Annotate the map to show how climate change affects Antarctica.

So you've got a map there and you need to annotate it to show how climate change affects Antarctica.

So pause the video, annotate the map, and then come back and let's see how you got on.

Okay.

How have you got on? Let's have a look at the answer.

Some areas like the Antarctic peninsula are among the fastest warming places on earth.

In 2017, part of the Larsen C ice shelf collapsed.

The block that broke off was 6,000 kilometres in area.

If major ice sheets like the East or West Antarctic ice sheet melt significantly, global sea levels could rise by up to a metre.

How did you get on with that task? Did you manage to add all of those annotations? Well done.

So we're at the end of our lesson now on climate change in polar regions.

Let's have a look at what we've learned today.

Polar regions are experiencing warmer at a faster rate than other places around the globe.

The extent of Arctic sea ice in summer is shrinking at a rate of 12% per decade.

Loss of ice in Antarctica is also being monitored as melting of ice on land will lead to global sea level rise.

The melting of the Greenland ice sheet in the Arctic is also contributing to this process.

As permafrost thaws in tundra regions, habitat loss affect species that live in cold environments.

Thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

I've really enjoyed it and I hope you have to.

I'll see you next time.