Synopses & Reviews
In the world there are probably fewer than 30 people who spend all or most of their effort working with polar bears. A veteran polar bear biologist, and the man in charge of Alaskan polar bear research for the past thirty years, Dr. Steven Amstrup has worked full time on polar bears since he joined the Polar Bear Project in 1980. The Polar Bear Project conducts ongoing research on polar bear populations and habitats in the Southern Beaufort Sea in Barrow, Alaska. Now under the leadership of George Durner, the Project has collected four decades of detailed, valuable data about how polar bears are responding to sea ice changes in the Arctic. This information has helped raised awareness about polar bears and their plight, and the same data may one day help scientists make new decisions for polar bear survival.
Amstrup and Durner now spend most of their time 725 miles south of Barrow, Alaska at the University of Alaska, Anchorage campus, conducting research and drawing conclusions based on the discoveries that their team makes. Those scientists include polar bear biologists K ristin Simac and Mike Lockhart, based at times out of the abandoned N avy Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow. E very spring scientists like Kristin and Mike go out for six to eight weeks to capture bears on the Southern Beaufort Sea. By capture one means "tranquilize, take samples and measurements, tag, and release" -- The Polar Bear Scientists begins on the first day of capture season and follows Kristin, Mike, and their helicopter mechanic as they fly through the skies over Barrow, looking for polar bears, and finding more water and less ice than they've seen in the past.
The process of capturing polar bears is an exciting and challenging one. The polar bears have to be properly tranquilized in a safe area -- so just because the team spots a polar bear, doesn't mean they automatically try to capture it. Tranquilizing a bear too close to water or thin ice might mean the polar bear could stumble in and drown. It's also a challenge to tranq a mom bear and her babies, but when the opportunity presents itself, the team does its best to get the job done. Once they are on the ground with a captured bear, the research begins. All sorts of information and measurements are taken, blood is drawn, tags are affixed. What does it all mean? Are the polar bears getting smaller and moving further to find food every year? Is there more water and less ice than there was before? What can be done?
Review
"Combining exemplary color photos and simple, vivid language, the chapters detail not only George's day-to-day methodology, but also his motivation: to explore "the mystery of the whales"--all the things that remain unknown about the animal."--Booklist, starred review
Review
Step by step, the reader of this engaging description of research involving familiar objects like tub toys and LEGO pieces comes to the profoundly depressing realization that the oceans of the world and the stomachs of marine animals are filled with indestructible bits of human trash, just in time for the section entitled, "What You Can Do." and#8212;
Kirkus, starred review
The well-written narration will keep readers engaged, and it's excellent for reports. The science is clearly explained, and the vivid and lively photographs and well-labeled charts and diagrams help to create interest and build understanding. This title will get readers thinking and possibly acting on these problems.and#8212;School Library Journal, sand#8212;tarred review
Scientific information builds from chapter to chapter, creating a natural detective story.and#8212;Horn Book
The writing is light, but the facts are weighty, and the message of reduce, reuse, and recycle comes across loud and clear. This book iand#8212;s fascinating on its own, but it also can hold its place in a middle-level science curriculum. The complex science behind the movement of the ocean is explained clearly with excellent supporting graphics.and#8212;VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
Spacious layout, exceptionally fine color photos, and handsome maps give this book an inviting look. . . . A unique and often fascinating book on ocean currents, drifting trash, and the scientists who study them.and#8212;Booklist, ALA
"Even kids not remotely interested in science might find this work captivating." and#8212;Newsday, 9/30/07 Newsday
"There's plenty of good reading . .and#160;. "and#8212;Columbus Dispatch
"[L]oaded...with information, insight, and intellectual twists." and#8212;Natural History Magazine 12/07-1/08
Review
"The full-color photographs are nothing short of stunning."--School Library Journal
Review
"The full-color photographs are nothing short of stunning."--School Library Journal "An informative, vicarious trip to the Arctic for polar bear enthusiasts and future scientists."--Booklist
Synopsis
Not all scientists live where they work, harvest their own subjects, or use information passed down from generation after generation of Inupiaq Eskimos to help learn about theand#160;bowhead whale. Arctic whale scientist Craig George is the son of childrenand#8217;s author Jean Craighead George,and#160;and out on the ice with the whales and the whalers in Barrow, Alaskaand#160;is where this Arctic whale scientist works.and#160;He has studied them for nearly thirty years and the mysteries these creatures hold never fail to amaze him.and#160;Join Craigand#160;at the top of the world, where the days and nights are long, the people full of stories, and the bowhead whale is at the center of it all
Synopsis
Follow scientists as they scan the Alaskan wilderness for these magnificent creatures. It is springtime on the North Slope of Alaska, and the U.S. Geological Survey teamand#8212;the polar bear biologists Kristin Simac and Mike Lockhartand#8212;is gearing up for polar bear capturing. During a capture, all information is collected on the sea ice. The scientists locate bears from a helicopter, tranquilize them, give them tattoo ID numbers and tags, and collect data such as height, weight, and body fat measurements and samples such as blood, hair, feces, and even teeth. All this information goes into a
large database studied by scientists such as Drs. Steven Amstrup and George Durner, the former and current leaders of the Polar Bear Research Project. For more than forty years, scientists have been capturing bears in order to get information. What has this information been telling scientists about polar bears and global warming? and#160;
and#160;
Synopsis
In this captivating Scientists in the Field entry, follow scientists as they scan the vast Alaskan wilderness for polar bearsand#8212;the amazing creatures that have become the face of global warmingand#8212;but encounter more water and less ice than theyand#8217;ve ever seen before.
Synopsis
It is springtime in Alaska, and the U.S. Geological Survey team is gearing up for polar bear capturing. The scientists locate bears from a helicopter, tranquilize them, give them tattoo ID numbers and tags, and collect data such as height, weight, and body fat measurements and samples such as blood, hair, feces, and even teeth. For more than fortyand#160;years, scientists have been capturing bears in order to get information. What has this information been telling scientistsand#160;about polar bears and our changing global climate? Find out in this fascinating entry in the Scientists in the Fieldand#160;series!and#160;
Synopsis
This hard-hitting look at climate change tackles the past, present, and future of global warming, examining the effects it's having across the world, the politics behind denial, and the ways in which we can all work to lessen the harsh effects of our warming world. Perfect for young environmentalists looking to learn about the ways in which we can take action against global warming.
Synopsis
Tackling the issue of global warming head-on for a teen audience, Bridget Heos examines the science behind it, the history of climate change on our planet, and the ways in which humans have affected the current crisis we face. It’s Getting Hot in Here illustrates how interconnected we are not just with everyone else on the planet, but with the people who came before us and the ones who will inherit the planet after us. This eye-opening approach to one of today’s most pressing issues focuses on the past human influences, the current state of affairs, the grim picture for the future—and how young readers can help to make a positive change.
Synopsis
Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our ocean.
In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all (Curtand#8217;s mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curtand#8217;s discoveries to preserve delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them. A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book for Nonfiction.
About the Author
Peter Lourie is the author and photographer of
Whaling Season,which received two starred reviews,and#160;and
The Manatee Scientists.and#160; Peter lives inand#160;Vermont with his family and he is an avid traveler.and#160; Heand#160;visited Alaska numerous times to write and shoot photos forand#160;
Theand#160;Polar Bear Scientists and has been traveling to Africa to work on his next book about theand#160;Leakey family.
Visit Peterand#160;Lourie's website at http://www.peterlourie.com/and#160;.