Polar Peril from Coursera

What's inside

Syllabus

Visible Indicators of Change

The Arctic is home to some of our planet's most visible indicators of climate change and we'll learn all about them in this module. Notable among these are the shrinking Arctic sea ice cover and the stronger warming of the Arctic compared to the rest of the globe, a phenomenon known as "Arctic Amplification". We'll then look at how the Arctic permafrost - perennially frozen ground - is warming and thawing. Finally, attention will turn to a direct threat to Arctic residents - coastal erosion and how it is tied to sea ice loss, ocean warming and warming permafrost.

Shrinking Land Ice

The Arctic is home to the Greenland ice sheet, one of the planet's two ice sheets (the other is the Antarctic ice sheet) as well as many ice caps and glaciers. With few exception, these ice bodies are losing mass and contributing to sea level rise. Here we'll learn all about the Arctic's shrinking land ice, including the complexity of processes affecting the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet, and the sad story of the disappearance of the two small ice caps that your instructor studied back in the early 1980s.

Cascading Impacts of a Warming Arctic

Here, we'll discover how changes in the Arctic are having cascading effects not just within the Arctic, but beyond the region. There is is evidence, albeit still controversial, that the strong warming of the Arctic, known as Arctic amplification, can influence weather patterns in middle latitudes. We'll see that the Arctic itself is experiencing extreme weather events. We'll also explore how treeless, windswept tundra is being taken over by shrubs, and how the loss of sea ice is is having impacts cascading through the marine food chain from phytoplankton to top predators like the polar bear.

Learning from the Past

A key part of understanding recent climate change in the Arctic, as well as where the Arctic may be headed, is to understand climates of the past - the realm of paleoclimatology. Here, we'll learn about the science of paleoclimatology, different types of paleoclimate data and some of the causes of past climate changes. The Arctic turns out to be a rich course of paleoclimate data. Then we'll focus on climates from the past million years up to the modern period, noting the tremendous changes that have occurred in the Arctic and elsewhere, setting the stage for a peek into the future.

The Future Arctic

This week, we'll first learn that while climate models are a key tools for making projections about the future Arctic, they also have biases and uncertainties. We'll then take a look at projected changes in temperature, precipitation and sea ice. We'll see that the Arctic is expected to continue to warm more strongly than the rest of the planet, that Arctic precipitation is likely to increase and that the sea ice cover will continue to shrink. However, it will also become clear that the magnitude of these changes will very much depend on human behavior - specifically, future rates of fossil fuel burning. Finally, we'll look at the permafrost carbon feedback, and its potential to lead to further warming of the planet.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores the remarkable changes unfolding in the Arctic environment, which is highly relevant in environmental science and climate studies

Taught by Mark C. Serreze, who is recognized for their work in the topic that the course teaches

Covers unique perspectives and ideas that may add color to other topics and subjects such as paleoclimatology and its significance in understanding recent climate change in the Arctic

Teaches skills, knowledge, and/or tools that are highly relevant to industry

Takes a creative approach to an otherwise established topic, field, or subject

Develops professional skills or deep expertise in a particular topic or set of topics

Reviews summary

Polar peril: education and entertainment

Learners say that Polar Peril is a great course that everyone needs to be aware of. The lectures are easy to follow and engaging because of the laid-back style. Assignments are a valuable way to reinforce the material that is taught. According to students, this course is both excellent and enjoyable.

Career center

Learners who complete Polar Peril will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Glaciologist

Glaciologists study glaciers and ice sheets to understand their properties, dynamics, and responses to climate change. Polar Peril can help build a strong foundation for a career in this field, providing a broad overview of the changes occurring in the Arctic ice cover and the potential impacts of these changes on the Earth's climate.

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Climate Scientist

A Climate Scientist studies and predicts how the Earth's climate system works. Work in this field requires a foundation of knowledge about how climate works, how climate has changed in the past, and how it is expected to change in the future. Polar Peril helps build this foundation by providing an understanding of climate change in the polar regions. This is important because the Arctic has one of the fastest-changing climates on the planet and serves as an indicator of broader climate changes.

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Paleoclimatologist

Paleoclimatologists study past climates to understand how the climate has changed over time and what factors have contributed to these changes. Polar Peril will help build a foundation for a career in this field by providing a thorough understanding of how the Arctic climate has changed in the past and how these changes can inform our understanding of the impacts and causes of modern climate change.

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Environmental Engineer

An Environmental Engineer focuses on improving the environment. Environmental Engineers may work with city planners and architects to design eco-friendly structures, work with farmers to help them reduce pollution, and even perform testing to understand how pollution moves through ecosystems. Polar Peril can help build a foundation for this career by providing insights into how climate change impacts ecosystems, including the movement of pollutants through arctic ecosystems.

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Environmental Scientist

Environmental Scientists help find solutions to environmental problems. They study the harmful effects of human activities on the environment and work to develop solutions that enable a sustainable relationship between human activity and the environment. Polar Peril can help build a strong foundation for this work by providing an understanding of climate change as an environmental problem, and by exploring the effects of human activity on the environment in specific.

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Physical Geographer

Physical Geographers study the physical features of the Earth, including landforms, soil, water, and the atmosphere. Polar Peril can help build a foundation for a career in this field by providing a detailed overview of the physical changes occurring in a region that is particularly impactful and impacted by climate change.

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Ecologist

Ecologists study the interactions between organisms and their environment. Polar Peril can help build a foundation for a career in this field by providing an understanding of the effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems.

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Soil Scientist

Soil Scientists study the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil to understand how soil is formed, how it changes over time, and how it can be used sustainably. Polar Peril can help build a foundation for a career in this field by providing a detailed understanding of how warming permafrost impacts soil in the Arctic.

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Meteorologist

Meteorologists study and predict the Earth's weather. Polar Peril can help build a foundation for a career in this field by providing a thorough understanding of the changing climate in the polar regions and the dynamics that drive these changes. This information is critical to accurately understanding and predicting weather patterns.

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Geochemist

Geochemists study the chemical composition of the Earth. This work helps us better understand the Earth's history and can be used to inform decisions about how we use the Earth's resources. Climate change may cause significant changes in the Earth's geology, particularly through the impact of warming on permafrost. Thus, Polar Peril may be a useful course for someone looking to enter this field.

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Hydrologist

Hydrologists study the movement and quality of water on Earth, including water in the atmosphere, on the surface, and underground. Polar Peril may be a useful course for a student looking to enter into the field of hydrology, as it provides an understanding of water in the atmosphere and on the surface, and how water in these places in the Arctic is changing as the climate changes.

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Water Resources Engineer

Water Resources Engineers focus on developing innovative strategies for managing the Earth's water resources. Polar Peril can help build a foundation for a career in this field by providing an overview of how climate change impacts the movement of water through the planet's coldest, driest region.

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Oceanographer

Oceanographers study the world's oceans, including their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Polar Peril may be a useful course for someone looking to enter into the field of oceanography, providing a foundation of knowledge about the ocean in polar regions and how the ocean interacts with the atmosphere in these regions.

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Climatologist

Climatologists study climate and its long-term changes. Polar Peril may be a useful course for someone looking to enter into the field of climatology with a focus on polar regions. The course provides an overview of what climate change looks like in the region with the most rapidly changing climate on Earth.

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Wildlife Biologist

Wildlife Biologists study the behavior, ecology, and conservation of wild animals. Polar Peril may be a useful course for someone looking to enter into the field of wildlife biology, as it focuses heavily on the impacts of climate change on wildlife in the Arctic.

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