Overall Objectives

Students get an overview of Arctic natural history, current research in Arctic ecology, practice field sampling techniques, develop research proposal ideas, become involved in ongoing studies in landscape and ecosystem ecology, and are exposed to Inuit perspectives on regional land-use issues and understanding of the land.

Two Main Features

Education/Research: The course provides the experience a beginning research scientist needs to ask relevant questions and collect the right data in the unique setting of the Arctic.

Students:

• Are exposed to Arctic research projects and topics
• Gain data collection skills
• Generate research questions and proposal ideas
• Meet with working scientists, local Inuit, and other students to discuss our activities
• Gain confidence and knowledge to design and conduct original research

Exploration: We encourage students to explore the regions we visit in a variety of ways. Scientists rarely have the opportunity to spend a great deal of time observing, listening, and gathering knowledge about the physical and natural systems of these remote areas. The program permits you to take hikes, maintain a field journal, and gain insights into this special region of the earth.

Note: These very adventurous journeys do not require any special experience. We use the best equipment available, and have personal safety at the top of every list. Each participant receives a detailed set of information to help prepare for all aspects of the program. Credit will be offered for the courses through the University of Minnesota Itasca Field Biology Program.

The Region

The North American Arctic is a large, mostly undeveloped, treeless wilderness populated wi th a variety of mammals and birds including caribou, moose, muskoxen, bear, wolv es, fox, eagles, falcons, owls, loons, jaegers, & terns.

The Arctic has a variety of exciting aspects that make it a great place to study ecology and have a field class. The biome spans several countries, making the region ideal for international cooperative studies. The Arctic has a great deal of environmental and biological variability along a north-south climatic gradient. This gradient, and our current concerns about climate change, are important reasons for studying climatic controls on ecological properties and processes in the Arctic. The region stores vast amounts of fresh water; it is home to variety of unique mammals and birds; Arctic indigenous people depend on many of the resources from the land; and finally, the Arctic is strongly connected with other biomes by feedback effects on climate and hydrologic cycles.

The terrain is lush in the brief summer. Rolling hills and periglacial landforms are covered with flowers, mosses, lichens, and shrubs. The summer climate is similar to late spring in the continental United States. Temperatures can reach 80 degrees F (26 degrees C) during the long summer days. It can get chilly, too. The average summer temperature is around 10 degrees C.

We travel through the region by inflatable canoe and camp at study sites along various rivers. Each student will guide their own boat. No experience is required, but an adventurous attitute is great.

More topics covered on each trip.