• Develop an understanding of climate and Arctic terminology
• Compare the four featured systems in the Arctic: atmospheric, terrestrial, marine, and human
• Demonstrate the connected nature of Arctic systems
• Analyze how those systems interact and affect one another
• Interpret climate science reports such as the US Arctic Report Card, Alaska’s Changing Environment, and others

Week 1: Change in our Arctic Atmosphere

• Atmospheric systems and how climate change affects them across the Arctic
• Temperature and precipitation
• Snow, storms, extreme events, and air quality
• Modeling and climate model projections, downscaled projections

Week 2: Change On and Under the Waves

• Ocean temperature & salinity
• Changes in Arctic sea ice concentration, formation, and thickness
• Ocean currents
• Ocean acidification and ocean change
• The marine food web: algal blooms, fish, marine mammals
• How changes in physical properties impact the entire marine food web

Week 3: Our Changing Terrestrial Environment

• Permafrost and terrestrial snow cover
• Glacial ice
• Vegetation
• Wildfire impacts
• Terrestrial animals and ecosystems
• Birds
• Future changes

Week 4: The Human Element

• History of humans in the Arctic
• Food security
• Governance: local and global policy
• Risk and vulnerability assessments
• Infrastructure
• Adaptation actions and multiple stressors