Polar Science Weekend is your opportunity to investigate current science from Earth’s polar regions through hands-on activities and demonstrations led by local polar scientists. Visit a polar ice camp and check out the polar science stations. And don’t miss classics such as the polar planetarium show and Tinker Tank activities with a polar twist. Brrrr!
Meet Polar researchers from the University of Washington and elsewhere and delve into current field research through demonstrations and hands-on activities, including:
Arctic Ice Camp – What’s it like to be in an Arctic ice camp? Check out the hut, try on a parka and ride the snowmobile.
Salinity Taste Test – Just how salty is the ocean? Your tongue will tell you. Come take the world famous Salinity Taste Test.
Glacier Flow – Watch silly-putty glaciers ooze down a slope and find out why they’re important in the earth’s climate. Where does the ice in glaciers come from?
Greenland Ice Core – See a real ice core from the Greenland ice sheet and learn about the secrets it holds from thousands of years ago.
Sea Ice vs. Freshwater Ice – How is frozen seawater different from frozen lake water? Do an experiment to find out.
Ocean Watch Dogs – How can you measure the ocean year-round without being there? Put your instruments on a long cable and anchor it to the bottom. Come see our 2.5-mile-long North Pole mooring.
Listening to the Arctic – Eavesdrop underwater to the sounds of whales and seals in the Arctic Ocean. What are they saying?
Float Your Boat – Decorate your own wooden boat that we’ll launch into the Arctic Ocean next summer. Where will your boat end up? (while supplies last)
Penguins, Our Fascination and Our Impact – Touch a real penguin flipper, see how sharp a penguin’s beak is, and try your hand at being a penguin scientist.
Some Like It Cold; Life in Ice – Learn about microbes that live in the frozen world of sea ice.
Other activities include:
Watch the IMAX documentary, “Arctic: Our Frozen Planet”
Science on a Sphere – Explore polar ice, wind and water patterns at the Science on a Sphere exhibit.
