Data Puzzles Collections

The color of Earth's surface determines how much of the Sun's energy is reflected or absorbed (albedo), with lighter-colored surfaces being more reflective than darker-colored surfaces. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze authentic Arctic datasets (albedo and sea ice extent) to investigate the question, "How might the Arctic’s albedo be affected by the observed decline in sea ice?" Figure credit: NASA.

What makes the Arctic climate system so unique is the sea ice, which influences the Arctic climate in many ways. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze a humidity dataset captured by a drone during the historic MOSAiC Arctic expedition to investigate the question, "What effect, if any, do leads (cracks in the sea ice) have on the transfer of moisture between the Arctic Ocean and atmosphere?" Image credit: Calle Schonning.

Since the early 2000s, the Greenland Ice Sheet’s mass balance has been consistently negative, meaning more mass is being lost than gained. But this change in mass balance hasn’t always happened at the same rate. In this Data Puzzle, students analyze temperature, snowfall, and meltwater rate datasets to investigate the question, "What factors are contributing to changes to the Greenland Ice Sheet in recent decades?"