Mission: Arctic: A Scientific Adventure to a Changing North Pole

Gr 3-7–Could you spend a year in the frigid darkness drifting with ice floes in the Arctic? Join the MOSAiC expedition team aboard the Polarstern to examine ice caps vital to our ecosystem before they disappear. Multidisciplinary scientists from over 20 countries and 37 nationalities studied climate change from the least explored area on Earth, the North Pole. Weiss-Tuider was an expedition member who breaks down the content into three parts: Arctic expedition, climate research, and humanity’s future. The Polarstern affords bountiful stargazing, wonderful meals, water basketball, and a sauna; but it is more difficult to communicate with home than it is for astronauts on the International Space Station. The text resembles a logbook or corkboard packed with stunning mixed-media images and bold, colorful graphics explaining scientific concepts and what a typical day looks like, along with the route of the planned drift alongside historical photos and diagrams that compare and contrast prior Arctic experiences. The text is clear and the use of concise vocabulary makes complex concepts accessible. A quiz is included to check how smart our environmental choices are, and Weiss-Tuider discusses the role young people play in making wise decisions and activism.