Intro to the Arctic

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/intro-to-the-arctic

Introduction

# Course Review: Intro to the Arctic on Coursera ## Overview If you’ve ever been curious about the Arctic, both as a geographic region and as a stage for the unfolding narrative of climate change, Coursera's "Intro to the Arctic" course is a valuable resource. It offers a comprehensive insight into various aspects of the Arctic, encompassing its rich history, the distinctive physical geography, and the compelling environmental changes currently taking place. The course promises a deep dive into the Arctic’s geographic significance, detailing the peoples that have inhabited these cold regions and tracing the long history of Arctic exploration. While the course covers the past, it also emphasizes the present by addressing critical environmental shifts, such as climate change, which are transforming the landscape of the Arctic in real time. ## Course Structure and Content The course is organized into several modules, each focusing on different facets of the Arctic: ### 1. **Introduction to the Arctic** The initial week serves as an introduction to the Arctic as a geographic entity. It adeptly contextualizes the numerous changes occurring in the region, highlighting the implications of rapid warming, shrinking sea ice cover, and thawing permafrost. The course also delves into early explorations and how they shaped our understanding of the Arctic, providing a historical backdrop that is essential for appreciating the current landscape. ### 2. **Arctic Climate Basics** In this module, learners become acquainted with the fundamental climatic elements that characterize the Arctic. Important topics include solar energy distribution, polar phenomena such as the midnight sun, and regional variations in temperature and precipitation. This foundational knowledge is crucial for understanding the complex environmental dynamics presented in later sessions. ### 3. **The Arctic Ocean** Arguably the heart of the Arctic, this section explores the unique features of the Arctic Ocean, which is predominantly ice-covered and surrounded by land. The study includes an examination of the ocean's structure, its seasonal ice cover dynamics, and the interaction between ice and ocean currents. It’s a fascinating module that reveals the intricacies of one of the world’s most captivating and least understood bodies of water. ### 4. **The Arctic Lands** In the fourth week, the course goes beyond the ocean to investigate the Arctic land masses. From Greenland's vast ice sheet, contributing to global sea-level rise, to the unique ecosystems that flourish in seemingly inhospitable tundra, this module illustrates the surprising diversity of Arctic landscapes. It also addresses the alarming changes occurring, such as permafrost thaw, which poses significant risks to infrastructure and communities. ### 5. **The Arctic Atmosphere** The final module shifts focus to the atmospheric phenomena of the Arctic. Learners explore how Arctic weather—including extreme winter conditions and summer thunderstorms—influences broader climate patterns across the Northern Hemisphere. This section also introduces concepts like energy budgets and teleconnections, which help frame the Arctic's significant role in global weather systems. ## Learning Outcomes By the end of the course, participants can expect to: - Appreciate the deep historical ties between the Arctic environment and its diverse peoples. - Recognize and recall key features of the Arctic's physical geography, from climate to oceanic and terrestrial landscapes. - Understand the implications of rapid environmental changes in the Arctic and their potential impact on global climate systems. ## Recommendation "Intro to the Arctic" is highly recommended for anyone interested in environmental science, climate change, geography, or Arctic studies. The course is well-structured, with engaging content that balances historical context with present-day issues. Moreover, the various multimedia resources, interactive quizzes, and comprehensive reading materials enhance learning and retention. Whether you are a student, a professional in a related field, or simply a curious individual wanting to expand your knowledge, this course provides essential insights into one of the most crucial areas of our planet today. Embrace the opportunity to learn about the Arctic—a region that is not just a remote wilderness, but a dynamic environment that plays a pivotal role in the global climate conversation. Take the plunge and enroll in "Intro to the Arctic" on Coursera—it could be the first step in understanding a complex and vital part of our world.

Syllabus

Introduction to the Arctic

With so much going on in the Arctic, it can be a challenge to decide where to start. This week we provide an overview of the Arctic as a geographic region, followed by some of the pronounced changes unfolding in the North, such as rapid warming, the shrinking sea ice cover and thawing permafrost. History provides context. As such, we need to explore how we built our knowledge of the Arctic, starting with the sometimes tragic ends of early explorers searching for the fabled Northwest Passage, then moving through the Cold War and into the present.

To understand the Arctic system and the profound 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 patterns of temperature, precipitation and cloudiness and how they vary across the Arctic.

A defining feature of the Arctic is that it is a largely ice-covered ocean surrounded by land. While by area, it is the smallest of the world's oceans, it is by far the most interesting of them all. This week, we focus on the Arctic Ocean starting with some basics - its shallow seas and deep basins, and then move on to discuss the Arctic Ocean's floating ice cover. As we will learn, the Arctic sea ice cover, which ranges from a thin veneer to more than five meters thick, grows and shrinks with the seasons. The ice cover is in near constant motion, with ice flows squeezing together to form pressure ridges and pulling apart to form leads. Unlike other oceans, the Arctic Ocean has an intriguing vertical structure, with fresh cold water at the top and warm salty water below.

The Arctic lands are much more than treeless, windswept tundra. Greenland, the largest island in the world, is mostly covered by an ice sheet up to 3,200 meters thick. It is losing mass and contributing to sea level rise. While much of the Arctic lands are indeed covered by tundra, the Arctic is also home to large swaths of forest and extensive mountain ranges. Some very large rivers drain into the Arctic Ocean, discharging massive amounts of fresh water. Almost all of the Arctic lands are covered with perennially frozen ground called permafrost. However, this permafrost is now thawing, changing the landscape and putting infrastructure at risk.

While blizzards, whiteouts and extreme winter cold are a part of living in the Arctic, summer thunderstorms are common over land. Arctic weather is varied and fascinating, but the Arctic region plays a bigger role in the climate system by helping to shape weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere. Arctic weather and climate is also shaped by teleconnections, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, that link weather conditions across widely separated locations. Another important framework for understanding the Arctic is its energy budget, which refers to the flows of energy into and out of the Arctic and between the atmospheric ocean.