Arctic Explorers Stranded at the North Pole!

Two women explorers, Sunniva Sorby and Hilde Falumn Strom, have been conducting science experiments at the Arctic for about eight months. The first females to ever solo winter at the North Pole, they were due to come home May 8th. However because of world shut down due to the virus, their ship that was to come pick them up and take them home, did not come.

So, Sorby and Strom, remain, using a  1930s trapper’s cabin, as they have done for now 9 months. Their cabin has no running water or electricity. It is also small, just 215 sq. feet. Although there is still food, the women have begun to ration it, not knowing when they will be going home. They think it will not be until the end of the summer when that will happen. The women also brought along, Ettra, a dog.

Co-founders of an organization called The Hearts in the Ice, Sorby and Strom  continue to do their scientific testing, collecting data on the weather and wildlife. They drill to take ice core samples to determine the microscopic life that lives in the sea ice. 

During the winter months, when temps went below zero, it took about 15 minutes just to don the twenty pounds of clothing needed to go outside. During the winter months, there was also complete darkness for 90 days. 

In addition to their scientific work, they need to collect ice for water and firewood that has drifted from Siberia and can be found along the shorelines. Fortunately, they have wind and solar power and technology to keep in contact with the outside world. 

The women also had to deal with hurricanes. And, there are polar bears nearby and it has been a worry that their wooden hut would not be sturdy enough to protect them, should the polar bears  decide to be more aggressive. The closest humans are about 87 miles away. There are Arctic fox , about 23 reindeer and seals in the area. Birds include auks and white ptarmigan.

YOUR TURN:

1. What would you miss the most being on an expedition to the Arctic for 8 months?

2. Pretend you are either Sunniva Sorby or Hilde Falumn Strom. Write a diary entry about a day at the Arctic. What are you doing? What are you thinking? What do you see? Etc.

3. What would be the very first thing you would do on return to your home from the Arctic Expedition?

4. What are 2 facts you know about the Arctic area of the world?

You can read their blog postings at this link: https://www.heartsintheice.com/blog/

Photograph from their website: heartsintheice.com

Learn about the Arctic with this informative web quest: Geographical webquest which introduces kids to the region of the Earth known as the Arctic. There are 14 web quests(with lots of information in the questions), Did You Know? facts, comprehension questions(including several "thought question"), a teacher page with a number of extension activities, additional links and key: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Arctic-Learn-about-the-ArcticWebquest-Distance-Learning-2889672

Learn about polar bears: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Polar-Bears-A-Webquest-604797