Arctic ice pack

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/arctic-ice-pack

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographic extent?Covers the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, exhibiting significant seasonal variation
2. What is the Arctic ice pack and why does it change size each year?The Arctic ice pack is the sea ice that covers the Arctic Ocean. It melts in spring and summer and grows again in autumn and winter, so its size changes every year.
3. How thick can the old multi‑year ice be and why is it important?Multi‑year ice can be 3 to 4 meters thick and sometimes forms ridges up to 20 meters. It lasts many years and keeps the Arctic ecosystem stable.

Sea Ice: Frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface, distinct from land-based ice sheets or glaciers.
Multi-year Ice: Sea ice that has survived at least one summer melt season, typically thicker and more resilient than first-year ice.
Arctic Amplification: The phenomenon where the Arctic region warms at a rate significantly faster than the global average, largely due to feedback mechanisms like reduced albedo.
Albedo: The measure of the reflectivity of a surface; bright surfaces like ice have high albedo, reflecting more solar radiation.