Ice Resources

• Ice Science

  

  Observing ice is an important component in making new discoveries about the many curious and fascinating aspects of frozen water and its role the environment and people’s lives. Below we provide some examples of what scientists have learned about ice so far and hints at some of the many questions that new ice observations may help answer.

  Basic Frozen Water Knowledge and Discovery

  Wikipedia on Ice

  National Geographic Resource Library on Ice

  Ice Formation Physics
  
  Freshwater Ice and Climate Change

  Extreme Events for Lake Ice

  The Past and Future of Global River Ice

  Arctic Lake and River Ice

  Union of Concerned Scientists: Water and Climate Change
  
  Applying Ice Science to Society

  How to Build an Ice Road

  Ice Jam Flooding Prediction

  Natural Skating Rinks

   

   

• Ice Learning

  

  When ice is safe, it is very fun to play on and play leads to learning and discovery.  Fresh Eyes on Ice aims to spark interest in science through an ice and snow observation network where youth contribute to large scale, cutting edge climate change research, conduct their own investigations, and learn about physics, weather and climate, and the environment. Youth get the opportunity to apply math skills to analyze data collected by themselves and their peers in communities across Alaska. We will be actively working with teachers, parents, and other educators on age-appropriate ice learning activities and lesson plans. We also very much welcome input from teachers, kids, and anyone interested in ice fun and learning. Below are some ice science learning resources we are beginning to compile and develop for Fresh Eyes on Ice.

  
  Activities, Media, and Lesson Plans for Learning about Ice

  • Ice Thickness and Calibration (grades 4-12)
  • Zoom from Noyes Slough & Snow Depth Challenge with Anne Wien Elementary
  • 2019 Community-based Monitoring Team Training Workshop

   

  Content Standards Alignment: Matter and Energy

  • What is ice? (grades K-2)
  • Reflections on ice: how we look for ice from space (grades K-12)
  • Make an Ice Bomb (grades 4-12)
  • Ice cream energetics! (grades K-5)
  • NASA's Our World: ICESat-2 What is ice? (grades K-2)
  • Why Ice Floats (grades K-6)
  • Ice has a structure (grades K-6)
  • Inquiry Icebreaker: An Ice Experience (grades K-6)
  • Build an Ice cold cooler (grades K-8)

   

  Content Standards Alignment: Earth Systems, Earth and Human Activity

  • Historical records of climate are trapped in ice (grades 6-12)
  • Global importance of ice and the cryosphere (grades 6-12)
  • GLOBE Earth System Poster (grades 6-12)

   

  Content Standards Alignment: Defining and delimiting problems and possible solutions

  • Problem solving: an ice excavation (Grades K-5)
  • Build an Ice cold cooler (grades K-8)

   

  Practice Standards Alignment: Analyzing and Interpreting Data 

  • Finding trends in ice-off data (grades 10-14)

   

  Culturally-Responsive Curriculum Standards Alignment: Value personal, local and Indigenous knowledge

  • Sharing our own Ice-y experiences (K-7)
  • Conducting interviews of elder or long-term community member observations of change (grades 7-12)
  • Guidance for bringing Elders in the classroom (all ages)
  • Inuit observations of climate change (grades 6-12)
  • Recordings of local and indigenous observations of river ice changes in Interior AK (grades 7-12) 
  • Native Voices: Orville Huntington -"It's a changing thing" (all ages)
  • NPR Science Friday: What's so cool about frozen water (all ages)

   

  Resources from Related Snow, Ice and Freshwater Monitoring Programs:

   

  Alaska Lake Ice and Snow Observation Network (ALISON)-

  • Students measure changes in Lake Ice and snow video
  • Teacher's guide and measurement protocols

   

  Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) 

  • Make Hydrology measurements
  • Make Snow measurements
  • Observe lake and river freeze-up and break-up (draft)

   

  Alaska RiverWatch

  • Program website

   

  Fun Ice Videos

• Freshwater Ice in the Arctic System

  

  One of the goals of the Fresh Eyes on Ice project is to provide data products and analysis to support broader understanding of the Arctic system. Just as permafrost-, sea-, and glacier-ice are well known, dynamics, and interacting elements of our changing planet, so is freshwater ice. Addressing questions about how river and lake ice interacts with the hydrologic cycle, energy balance, carbon emissions, and biological communities, as well as human society, starts by providing comprehensive data sets to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of freshwater ecosystems in the cryosphere. Below are examples of research projects and results that explore Freshwater Ice in the Arctic System.

  Past and Present Research

  Arctic Lake Ice System Science

  Arctic Freshwater Systems: Hydrology and Ecology

  Committee on River Ice Processes and the Environment

  Research Products Linking Freshwater Ice to the Arctic System

  Depth, ice thickness, and ice‐out timing cause divergent hydrologic responses among Arctic lakes

  Arctic sea ice decline contributes to thinning lake ice trend in northern Alaska

• Ice Safety

  

  One of the goals of the Fresh Eyes on Ice project is to provide data to help in making decision about safe travel and recreation on Alaska rivers and lakes. Once Observations & Data begin to be publicly available for the winter of 2019-20, estimates of ice thickness and overflow conditions can be used to make decisions about general ice conditions. However, extra precaution is always advised in using these data because ice conditions can vary greatly from place to place, particularly on rivers. Especially early and late in the winter use extra precautions such as traveling with personal flotation devices, ropes, and ice picks.

  The following links provide more detailed information for evaluating safe ice conditions and preparing for ice emergencies.

  General Ice Thickness Guidelines (Minnesota DNR)

  Ice Thickness Safety Information (Bethel Search & Rescue)

  On Dangerous Ice (UAF Project Jukebox)

  Overflow & Slush (WinterTrekking.com)

  Ice Rescue (Minnesota DNR)

  Ice Fall-through Self-rescue Video

  Additional safety information for conducting ice learning activities with school classes can also be found (coming soon!) in Fresh Eyes on Ice Community-based Monitoring protocols in Science & Learning and guidance in using data to evaluate safe and recreation and travel conditions in Communities & Outreach.

• Local Ice Knowledge

  

  Many people in northern regions naturally build great knowledge about ice on rivers and lakes. A native elder who grew up hunting, fishing, and traveling in the Arctic. A hard core ice fisherperson who religiously tracks ice thickness and overflow conditions. A North Slope oilfield worker with many years of experience pumping water from lakes to build ice road. Often times its year-round residents living by a lake or river pay close attention when ice first forms in the fall and goes out in the spring. Knowledge from all of these examples and more can be considered sources of local ice knowledge. As part of the Fresh Eyes on Ice observation network we are working to bring this extremely useful knowledge to inform ice datasets, science, and safety.

  Below we provide some sources of local ice knowledge that we are working to synthesize and very much welcome contributions or introductions to new people with fresh or ancient eyes on ice!

  Ice Knowledge from Indigenous Sources

  Dangerous Ice Project Jukebox: Photos, audio recordings, and video highlighting traditional knowledge of ice from Interior AK rivers

  Local Ice Reports and Blogs

  NWS River Forecast Center - Ice Thickness

  Historic Accounts of Freshwater Ice Conditions

  Report on Ice Growth and Decay Records from 1960-70's in Alaska and Canada

• Ice in the Media

  

  Alaska Ice News

  • New Project Links Communities with River and Lake Ice Monitoring
  • Alaska Relies on Ice
  • Record warm March brings flurry of Nenana Ice Classic guesses
  • Weather Service Warns of Thin Ice on Chena River
  • Watch out for overflow
  • Ice road along Kuskokwim River a “blessing” for villages

   

  National Ice News

  • Lake Erie shoreline ice shove
  • Massive, spinning ice disc forms in freezing river
  • Ice jam flooding on the Grand River
  • Polar vortex freezes Chicago River

   

  International Ice News

  • Art and patience in Russian ice fishing
  • Climate could leave more lakes ice-free
  • Snowcat sinks to bottom of Yukon River at Dawson City