Permafrost matters

The Nunataryuk project explores the changes taking place in areas which have previously had permafrost which has lasted for decades or centuries.

From the Grida.no website which I've used for years, comes a really thorough definition of permafrost - a feature which is almost as threatened as coral reefs...

Permafrost, defined as sediment or rock that remains at or below 0°C for at least two years, is found on land, along coastlines, and below the seafloor. The thawing of terrestrial permafrost leads to increased coastal erosion and ground instability that stresses infrastructure, posing serious problems for Indigenous communities and other people who live in the Arctic, as well as for industry. The thawing of both terrestrial and submarine permafrost can lead to the release of methane and other greenhouse gases, which can trigger a positive feedback loop that results in further atmospheric warming. Numerical modelling suggests that almost all submarine permafrost is thawing.

Map funded by EU Horizon 2020 research - the sort we in the UK used to have access to.

Map on CC license on Flickr

Apparently five million people live on permafrost.

Comments

Explore the world with the Go Jetters

Really useful post and resource for those teaching Primary Geography . A new set of characters called the Go Jetters who teach young people about key geographical ideas. Geography helps children to make sense of their world. Very young children are naturally curious, and they love to actively explore the world around them, noticing all kinds of detail. That’s why they need to develop geographical vocabulary like the names of places, people and things, and the words needed to describe and locate them. It helps to think of children as little geographers – they each have their own world of private geographies - the places they name for themselves with meanings that only they understand: the dens where they hide out with their friends, special meeting places in the school playground. Whether they’re playing in the back garden, or splashing through a muddy puddle on the way to school, children are intrepid explorers making new (to them) discoveries about the world every sing...

Making Space for Sand

Making Space for Sand is a project I was made aware of recently. The ‘Building Community Resilience on a Dynamic Coastline by Making Space for Sand’ project (also known as Making Space for Sand or MS4S) is one of 25 national projects funded by DEFRA as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme (FCRIP). The programme will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate. The project website has an excellent section outlining the formation of Sand Dunes, particularly within the located context of Cornwall. Sand Dunes are an important part of the coastal defences in the locations where they are found. I am particularly familiar with the dunes on the North Norfolk Coast at places like Holkham. I've previously carried out fieldwork on those dunes with both GCSE and 'A' level students, and also Atkins has provided GIS support and created some visualisations of future landscapes.

Landscape in a Box - more student examples

Thanks to Jack Marsh for sending me some examples of 'landscapes in a box '. Landscapes in a box is one of the ideas that seems to have gone down the best of the things that I've shared over the years. The basic idea is to create a landscape within a box, perhaps a burger box (but could also be a shoe box) This was featured in 'Teaching Geography' in 2009. Jack used the activity with his groups, and has sent me three excellent images of contrasting images from the students: an Antarctic scene, New York's Central Park, and Paris... Outstanding work !! If you've used Landscape in a Box, why not share your students' work too...

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