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.
This course is part of the Arctic Climate, Environ. & Geographies of a Changing North Specialization
Offered By
Arctic Climate, Environ. & Geographies of a Changing North SpecializationUniversity of Colorado BoulderAbout this Course
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Approx. 12 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English
What you will learn
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
Skills you will gain
HistoryGeographyEnvironmental ProtectionoceanographyClimate Change
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 1 of 3 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Approx. 12 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English
Offered by
University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
2 hours to complete
Introduction to the Arctic
This module provides a basic introduction to the Arctic. It starts with a description of the Arctic as a geographical region, followed by an overview of some of the pronounced changes unfolding in the region. History provides context. As such, we then explore how our knowledge of the Arctic has been built, starting with early explorations and events and then moving through the Cold War and into the present.
2 hours to complete
5 videos (Total 56 min)
1 hour to complete
Arctic Climate Basics
To understand the Arctic system and the changes taking place, we need to become familiar with some of the basic climate drivers and features of the region, starting with solar energy, polar night and the midnight sun. Attention then turns to spatial patterns of temperature, precipitation and cloudiness.
1 hour to complete
4 videos (Total 54 min)
1 hour to complete
The Arctic Ocean
The Arctic region is an ocean surrounded by land, and to understand the Arctic, we need to understand the Arctic Ocean. We start with discussing Arctic Ocean basics - its shallow shelf sea and deep basins, and then move on to discuss the ocean's floating ice cover. As we will learn, the ice cover grows and shrinks with the seasons and is in near constant motion, squeezing together to form sea ice ridges and keels and pulling apart to form leads.
1 hour to complete
4 videos (Total 54 min)
1 hour to complete
The Arctic Lands
As we will learn in this module, the Arctic lands are highly varied. we'll first explore the Greenland Ice sheet. Attention then turns to tundra, boreal forest and the typically ill-defined Arctic treeline. We will learn that a number of very large rivers drain into the Arctic Ocean, having prominent influences on the ocean. Finally, we'll explore permafrost, the perennially frozen ground that underlies most of the Arctic lands.
1 hour to complete
4 videos (Total 48 min)
About the Arctic Climate, Environ. & Geographies of a Changing North Specialization
This specialization starts with an in-depth look at the physical geography of the Arctic and its key climate features, including the ocean's floating sea ice cover, the Greenland Ice Sheet, and patterns of temperature, precipitation, snow cover and permafrost. We will then learn about the remarkable unfolding changes that are transforming the Arctic environment, how they are related to each other, and cascading impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Attention then turns to the growing economic, strategic, and geopolitical importance of the Arctic in the context of observed environmental changes in the region.
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