Antarctica

Last week we had a Skype conversation with Dr. Penny Rowe. She was calling in from the Antarctic Peninsula. This was a great follow-up to her presentation on climate change and infrared. She is working with Chilean scientists to study clouds in Antarctica. The kids had lots to ask about how she lives down there (sleeping quarters, weather), and what the South Pole is like. Penguins!

She also told us about her work with radiosondes also called "weather balloons." Each day she is there she launches two balloons, that travel high into the atmosphere sending back information about clouds and their make-up. She is interesting in clouds because they interact with incoming UV and out going Infrared to create changes in climate, some beneficial.

She told us the Peninsula in recent years has seen temperature rises much higher than elsewhere in the world. Meanwhile, Antarctica as a whole has been insulated from global temperature rise by a number of factors including how air pollution and the ozone hole influence the polar vortex.

At Seabury we are excited to bring real scientists' voices into the classroom, and especially when they can share about careers in science.