Data Puzzle: Tracing Carbon Through the Arctic Food Web

Center for Education, Engagement, and Evaluation

There are two types of Arctic algae (sea ice and ocean), and components of the Arctic food web are reliant on specific types. In this activity, students explore the food web relationships, and the cause and effect relationships within the food web as sea ice algae decline, and ocean algae increase. This activity includes field and lab videos to support the investigative nature of the study at the center of the activity.

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Notes from our reviewers

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Be sure to read the educator notes in the slide deck for teaching tips, such as having students present their model in a gallery walk format that invites student feedback and model revision. Consider using this resource to introduce students to the concept of radioactive isotopes, and other scientific methods of using animal tissue to identify local food webs. Users should review all the materials connected with this activity to identify curriculum connections for the content. This activity is number 5 of 8 in a unit called "A Changing Arctic Ecosystem." Consider reviewing the other activities in the unit to provide coherent context for this activity. This resource asks students to analyze how changes in the Arctic food web might impact Indigenous peoples that depend on their direct environment for food. A 7-minute video about the direct impacts of sea-ice melt also supports student inquiry and understanding of the effects of climate change in these populations.
In this resource from the University of Colorado, students will analyze concepts of energy flow through the Arctic food web by analyzing and interpreting carbon-based fats (ocean vs. sea ice algae) stored in Arctic animals. Students relate these concepts to their own understanding of the phrase "you are what you eat" with a discussion. Students will also construct conceptual models to explain how the decline in sea ice may affect the Arctic food web and extend this thinking to include the effects on Indigenous people in the Arctic. It appears that the data within this activity is found in Figure 5. Additional information (research paper) would be helpful for the user of the activity to provide additional context in how the dataset was developed. Students develop their investigative skills as they interpret the information presented in Arctic food web changes. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
The sequence of the activity parts outlined in the Teaches Guide and the student worksheet scaffold the development of knowledge about the Arctic food webs. There are no assessments associated with this activity; however, the user could easily create formative and summative assessments for the activity. The activity does not mention prerequisites, although students would benefit from a review of food web dynamics.
A teacher and student guide, slide deck, student worksheet, and answer key are available through a Google Drive link. Resources are available for download in a PDF format. This resource includes discussion questions, infographics, videos, and an activity to engage students with a diversity of learning styles. This resource is complete in scope and ready to use. All embedded links are accessible through Chrome web browser. The user should review the content of the entire activity prior to implementation.