the white planet study guide

8/12/2019 The White Planet Study Guide

1/20

A STUDYGUIDE BY ANDREW F I LDES

www.metromagazine.com.au

www.theeducationshop.com.au

THE WHITE PLANET


2/20SCREEN EDUCATION 2

THE WHITE PLANET

Introduction

Unlike many recent nature

documentaries, The White

Planetfocuses on the ebb and

flow of life in the entire, frigid

system of the north. While there

is much concern about the rate

of melting in the Arctic Circle,

here we see only the lives of the

creatures that thrive and survive

in the planets refrigerator. It is

a classic nature documentary

that does not force an

environmental message down

your throat but simply shows

the natural treasures of theArctic and allows them to speak

for themselves as huge slabs

of ancient ice crash from the

melting glaciers. It is a starting

point for discussion with

older students and a wonder

for the young, with stunning

images of birth, motherhood,

companionship and the struggle

for survival in a truly hostile

environment. A gentle reminderof what we stand to lose; with

the viewer, and the teacher, left

to explore the implications.

Music based on native rhythms

both soothes and inspires as

we see a Polar Bear giving

birth in her icy den; a family

pod of ghostly, white Beluga

Whales swimming in families;

Narwhal males waving theirunicorn horns; tusked Walrus

rolling on the cold, summer

beaches; the young male Musk

Oxen colliding, head-to-head

in shattering impacts. Great

herds of Caribou trek across

the northern landscape to their

summer feeding grounds and

Guillemots hurl themselves into

the ocean after fish, flying in air

at one moment and water the

next.

Students often confuse the twopoles and some may expect

to see penguins. They wont,

but they will see birds that look

very much the same and which

can fly in air as well as water.

The seals and humpbacks

will be familiar but the small

whales are remarkable, and

remarkably different. This is not

an ice-bound continent but a

landscape of floating ice ringed

by stark, black, snow-dusted

cliffs in winter and beautiful

forested fiords in summer. As

we see, the animals dont avoid

the ice but depend upon it, the

bears actually unable to hunt

during the summer melt. And

unlike the southern pole, this is

an inhabited land although no

humans are allowed to intrudeinto this film. While the Antarctic

is a land of marine dependant

creatures, the Arctic has beencolonized by land mammals as

well. It is possible to consider

the ways in which these quite

different species have found

similar ways to survive in the

north and south and even

adapted into similar shapes and

lifestyles under the pressure of

the cold.

However you choose to usethe film and with whatever

age group, the scenery and

photography overwhelms. You

may never wish to share an

ice floe with a walrus but youll

never regret the sight of them

waving their tusks in the air. The

fate of the lovely little lemmings

may sadden you and your

students but they are the basis

of life for a range of wonderfulhunters.

The White Planet focuses on the ebb

and flow of life in the entire, frigid

system of the north.



THE WHITE PLANET

Time Log

00:00 04:30 Prologue. Hare, Polar Bear and Musk Oxen.

04:30 06:30 Polar Bear hibernation and birth of cub.

06:30 07:30 Fox and Crow.

07:30 10:00 Bears emerge from ice cave.

10:00 13:00 Wolf hunting.

13:00 17:30 Ice pack seals.

17:30 19:30 Tundra Caribou.

19:30 25:15 Polar bears hunting seals.

25:15 28:00 Summer in Nunavut.

28:00 29:00 Narwhal.

29:00 32:30 The food source. Algae, seaweed,

invertebrates, plankton, jellies.

32:30 37:00 Bowhead whale.

37:00 40:00 Bird migration. Murre swim underwater.

40:00 41:30 Beluga whales.

41:30 47:15 Arboreal forest and the Caribou migration.

47:15 50:45 Fish and the Giant Pacific Octopus.

50:45 54:00 Humpback feed in the fiords.

54:00 56:00 The ice melts, collapses and glaciers recede.

56:00 58:30 Polar bears go hungry as the ice melts.

58:30 1.00.00 Birds migrate and breed.

1.00:00 1.04:00 Tundra mosquitoes.

The Caribou reach their feeding grounds.

1.04:00 1.06:45 Walrus bask and wave their tusks.

1.06:45 1.08:30 Artic fox on the cliffs steals eggs from the Murre.

1.08:30 1.12:00 The winter begins again. Musk Ox return and butt heads.

1.12:00 1.15:30 The ice and blizzards return. The Polar Bears feed again.

1.15:30 1.18:00 The ice brings life but the climate is changing.

1.18:00 1.21:45 Credits.



THE WHITE PLANETSpecies Cast List

In order ofappearance

Arctic Hare

Musk Ox

Polar Bear

Arctic Fox

Raven

Arctic Wolf

Lemming

Harp and Hooded Seals

Caribou

Ptarmigan

Narwhal

Jellyfish

Copepods

Arctic Angels

Bowhead Whale

Greater Snow Goose

King Eider Duck

Arctic Tern

Thick-Billed Murre Guillemot

Beluga Whale

Giant pacific Octopus

Crab

Northern Humpback Whale

Tundra Mosquito

Walrus

Black-Legged Kittiwake

Snowy Owl



THE WHITE PLANET

Viewing Question Sheet

1. Where does a Polar Bear give birth?..........................................................................................................................................................................

2. Why is the male bear dangerous?.................................................................................................................................................................................

3. What do the wolves eat?........................................................................................................................................................................................................

4. Why do hooded seals do the weird display?.....................................................................................................................................................

5. What do Caribou eat?................................................................................................................................................................................................................

6. What do Polar Bears hunt?..................................................................................................................................................................................................

7. What kind of animal is a Narwhal?................................................................................................................................................................................

8. What is algae and why is it so important?............................................................................................................................................................

9. What does the Bowhead Whale eat?.........................................................................................................................................................................

10. What does a Thick-Billed Murre look like?...........................................................................................................................................................

11. What did the sailors call Beluga Whales?..............................................................................................................................................................

12. Why do the Caribou migrate?............................................................................................................................................................................................

13. What do octopuses eat?.........................................................................................................................................................................................................

14. What is a fiord?.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

15. How do the humpbacks catch fish?...........................................................................................................................................................................

16. Why cant the bears hunt in the summer?............................................................................................................................................................

17. What makes a Caribou itch?...............................................................................................................................................................................................

18. How is a Walrus different to a seal?............................................................................................................................................................................

19. What does the Arctic fox steal?.......................................................................................................................................................................................

20. Why would the Polar Bear be the first victim of the Arctic Ice melting?.................................................................................

................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................



THE WHITE PLANET

Viewing Questions Answers

1. Where does a Polar Bear give birth? In a den under the snow.

2. Why is the male bear dangerous? He could kill the cubs.

3. What do the wolves eat? Lemmings

4. Why do male hooded seals do the weird display? To threaten other males and to impress females.

5. What do Caribou eat? Mostly lichen and moss.

6. What do Polar Bears hunt? Seals

7. What kind of animal is a Narwhal? A small whale with a unicorn tusk.

8. What is algae and why is it so important? Seaweed and it provides the basic food

ecosystem producer.

9. What does the Bowhead Whale eat? Shrimp, krill and microscopic plankton.

10. What does a Thick-Billed Murre look like? A flying penguin.

11. What did the sailors call Beluga Whales? Sea Canaries, because they sing.

12. Why do the Caribou migrate? In search of fresh pastures, food.

13. What do octopuses eat? Crabs.

14. What is a fiord? A sea inlet, valley.

15. How do the humpbacks catch fish? By surrounding them with bubbles.

16. Why cant the bears hunt in the summer? No ice. They cant reach seals.

17. What makes a Caribou itch? Tundra mosquitoes, worst mossies on earth.

18. How is a Walrus different to a seal? It has tusks.

19. What does the Arctic fox steal? Eggs from the Murre on the cliffs.

20. Why would the Polar Bear be the first victim of the Arctic Ice melting?

Because without the ice shelf in the winter, it cant hunt seals.



THE WHITE PLANET

Overview:

An ecosystem exists when

plants and animals interact with

each other and their physical

environment. Students will

seek out the key animals and

plants after they view the arctic

ecosystem and identify the

areas of Canada where this

habitat is found.

Materials Required:

Blank Canada outline map task

sheets, one for each student.

Photocopies of animal graphics.

World atlas set.

Crayons or colored pencils,

scissors, glue.

Objectives:

Students will dene terms

associated with ecosystems,

including Carnivore,Herbivore and Producer.

Students will see the

relationships between the

species in the habitat, their

needs and lifestyles.

Students will develop

an understanding of the

geography and climate of

Northern Canada

Suggested Procedure

After viewing the film, distribute

an outline map of Canada to

the class and explain that you

are going to discuss the arctic

ecosystem that they have seen.

Create a list of facts students

now know about the wildlife

and how it survives there.

Some responses might include

references to the ice, the cold,

hunting, reindeer or mosquitoes.

Remind students that the Arcticis the area of Northern Canada

above sixty degrees north and

which is locked in ice for most

of the year.

Geography Tasks:

Locate North West Territories,

Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island,

Hudson Bay and Nunavut on

a map of Canada and color in

the areas mentioned in the film.

Mark in the areas where the

animals are found.

Caribou migration North-West

Territory & Yukon (north coast)

Polar Bears Lancaster Strait,

Nunavut

Bowhead Whale Igloolik,

Nunavut

Belugas Admiralty Inlet,

Nunavut

Murre/Guillemot Baffin Island

(south coast)

Musk Ox, Arctic Wolf

Ellesmere Island, Nunavut

Walrus Hudson Bay, Manitoba

Octopus & Humpback Whale

British Columbia (north

coastal area).

FINDING THE PARTS OF THE ECOSYSTEM

(Suggested year levels 5-8)


8/20

THE WHITE PLANET

Science Tasks:

Create an Arctic ecosystem by

drawing or using the pictures

provided. Cut out, colour and

arrange the animals in levels,

depending on their position

in the food web. Use them tocreate a poster, diorama or

mobile.

Explain the levels of

Producer Sedges, Lichens

and Mosses. Seaweed and

(Phyto)plankton.

Herbivores Lemmings,

Caribou, Musk Ox. Fish,

(Zoo)plankton.

Carnivores Foxes, Wolves,

etc. Seals, Walrus, Murre

(Guillemots).

Top Carnivore Polar Bear.

Whales.

Closing:

Ask students what would

happen to the ecosystem if one

of the elements were removed.

For example, if there were no

lemmings, what would happen

to the wolves? Does the polarbear need the seals, or do the

seals need the bears (to control

their population)? Ask the

students if any of the animals

they have learned about remind

them of animals that they know

about that live in different

ecosystems? (For example,

what hunts seals in Antarctica?)

Suggested Student

Assessment:

Pairs or groups producing

posters, mobiles or dioramas.

Draw and describe the

ecosystem in their workbooks.

Choose, research and prepare a

profile on one key species seen

in the film (Use animal profiles

copy and cut out distribute

at random).

Extending the Lesson:

Compare and contrast the

extremely hostile ecosystem of

the Arctic with the challenges of

living in another hostile region,such as the Australian desert.

Research the Inuit and the way

that they live within the system

ask whether they should be

allowed to hunt whales as part

of their traditional lifestyle.

Research the Inuit (Eskimo)

themselves and the territory of

Nunavut which now forms their

nation.

SCREEN EDUCATION 8



THE WHITE PLANET

Student Task Sheet

Canada

Using your atlas, locate and mark the North West Territories, Yukon, Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island, Hudson

Bay, Manitoba, Quebec and Nunavut.

Mark in the areas (approximately) where you think each of the animals are found. Use the number code

below.

1. Caribou migration North-West Territory & Yukon (north coast)

2. Polar Bears Lancaster Strait, Nunavut

3. Bowhead Whale Igloolik, Nunavut

4. Belugas Admiralty Inlet, Nunavut

5. Murre/Guillemot Baffin Island (south coast)

6. Musk Ox, Arctic Wolf Ellesmere Island, Nunavut

7. Walrus Hudson Bay, Manitoba

8. Octopus & Humpback Whale British Columbia (north coastal area)



THE WHITE PLANET

Web Resources

Canadian Species Resource -

http://www.hww.ca/hww.asp?id=1&pid=0

Simple whale pictures to print out, especially Narwhal, Beluga and Bowhead. Plus lots of whale information

and activities.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/activities/whaletemplates/Templatelist.shtml

Should the Inuit of Nunavut be allowed to hunt Bowhead Whale?

Interactive discussion and role-play game

http://www.rippleeffectlearning.com/webquest/Webquest.html

How to draw a cartoon walrus (and lots of other animals!)

http://www.howtodrawit.com/walrus.html

Walrus finger puppet pattern

http://www.billybear4kids.com/FingerPuppets/Walrus-Manatee.shtml



THE WHITE PLANET

Species Profiles

Land Mammals

Lemming (Avinga)

There are two common species

of lemmings in Northern Canada

brown lemmings, and collared

lemmings. The lemmings eat

the tundra vegetation. They

are the base of the food chain

for carnivores, and are the

most important food source for

snowy owls, ermines, wolves

and arctic foxes. Lemming

populations rise and fall in

cycles of approximately four

years. This cycle has a stronginfluence on the distribution

and breeding success of their

predators. Lemmings are not

often seen, but their nests,

runways and tunnels can

be found wherever there is

vegetated tundra or under the

snow in winter. There is no truth

in the stories of mass suicide

by these little rodents but they

do swarm one year and almost

disappear the next so that may

be the origin of the myth.

Arctic Hare (Ukaliq)

Hares are a close relative of

rabbits but larger and faster.

Arctic hares are even larger

than their southern relatives,

but have smaller ears - both are

adaptations that help save body

heat. The hares can weigh up to

five kilograms! Their brownish-

grey summer coats turn white

for the winter, except for the

tips of their ears, which remain

black. In the past, Inuit used the

white winter fur of the hares to

camouflage the sails on their

boats when hunting for seals tomake them look like icebergs.

The hares also feed on Tundra

vegetation and are an important

food source for wolves, foxes

and owls.

Arctic Fox (Tiriganiaq)

Arctic foxes are pure white in

the winter and grey-brown in

summer. Smaller than common

red foxes, they weigh between

2.5 and five kilograms. They

travel widely in search of food.Their diet includes lemmings,

hares, ptarmigan, bird eggs, and

carrion. Arctic fox are known to

follow polar bears and scavenge

on the remains of their kills.

The species has a high-pitched

bark and will sometimes make

hissing or screaming noises.

Arctic foxes can carry rabies, a

very serious disease that can

be fatal for humans. Arctic foxnumbers seem to rise and fall

with lemming populations.

Arctic Fox (Tiriganiaq)

Alopex lagopus

Lemming (Avinga)

Lemmus lemmus

Arctic Hare (Ukaliq)

Lepus arcticus



THE WHITE PLANET

Barren-ground Caribou

(Tuktu)

Caribou once roamed huge

areas of Northern Canada

and their migration was the

largest herd on earth, bigger

even than the Wildebeest ofSouthern Africa. Well-adapted

to the arctic, caribou have a

double-layered coat a short

thick inner layer of fine hair, and

an outer layer of long hollow

hairs. This double layer provides

excellent insulation in the

winter, and also helps provide

buoyancy when the animals

swim during their seasonal

migrations. Caribou haverounded hooves that spread

apart as they walk, providing

good traction on the spongy

tundra as well as on rocky

terrain and ice. They eat Lichens

and Mosses mostly, the thin

green covering on rocks and

tree branches in the summer.

Caribou are an important food

source for Inuit. The hides are

used for winter clothing.

Ermine (Tiriaq)

[not in film]

Small but fierce, ermines are the

most common small predators

of the arctic tundra. They are

relatives of otters, weasels and

polecats. They feed mostly on

lemmings, birds, and fish, but

can tackle prey up to the size

of a young arctic hare. Ermines

are brown in the summer, but

their fur turns white in the winter

except for a black-tipped tail.

They build their dens in rock

piles. Ermines may be seen

from sea level up to the high

alpine areas. They were trapped

for their thick white fur for

centuries.

Musk Ox

Musk oxen are more closely

related to sheep and goats than

cattle. Both sexes have long

curved horns. They are usually

around 2.5m long and 1.4m

high at the shoulder. Adultsusually weigh at least 200kg

and can exceed 400kg. Their

coat, a mix of black, gray, and

brown, includes long guard

hairs that reach almost to the

ground.

Musk Oxen are social and live in

herds, usually of around ten to

twenty animals, but sometimes

over 400. Winter herds consist

of adults of both sexes as well

as young animals. During the

mating season, which peaks in

mid-August, males compete for

dominance, and one dominant

bull drives other adult males

out of the group. Non-breeding

males will often form male-only

herds of three to ten or wander

the tundra alone. During this

period all males are extremelyaggressive. Bulls will even

charge birds if they are close by.

Caribou (Tuktu)

Rangifer tarandus

Musk Ox

Ovibos moschatus

Arctic Wolf

Canis lupus arctos



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Polar Bear (Nanuq)

The great white bear is the most

powerful predator of the arctic.

In autumn, winter and spring,

polar bears spend most of their

time out at sea, preferring areas

of broken pack ice and theedges of fast ice. These areas

provide the best hunting for

seals, which are the main part of

the polar bears diet. Pregnant

female bears remain on land in

the fall and dig maternity dens

in deep snow banks in October

or November. Their young one

or two cubs are born in early

January. Female bears remain

at their dens with their offspringuntil mid-March or early April,

at which point they move back

onto the ice to resume hunting

seals. In late spring,

as the ice melts and

blows offshore,

polar bears are

forced back onto

land, usually

staying close

to the coastline

waiting for ice to

form. Summer is

a time of fasting, but

polar bears will eat seaweed,

grasses, moss, fish, eggs,

birds, small mammals, and

carcasses (carrion) when they

are encountered.

Seal (Natsiq)

Seals are the most common

and widespread species of

marine mammal in the arctic.

Traditionally, they were the main

staple of the Inuit diet, and

today seals remain an importantfood source. Ice conditions

have a strong influence on the

movements and distribution

of seals. In winter they are

limited to areas of the sea ice

where breathing holes can be

maintained. Their birth dens are

hollowed out from snowdrifts

associated with pressure

ridges, or from bulges in the

fast ice. Single pups are bornin late March or early April,

and are abandoned within

two months of their birth after

being weaned. In spring,

summer and fall, the

seals are found

in areas where

their diet of fish

is abundant and

easily caught.

Marine Mammals

Marine mammals are

an important part of the

ecosystem, as well as a vital

food source for Inuit. Many of

the marine mammal species are

migratory, moving away from

the coast to the ice-free regions

of Davis Strait and the North

Atlantic Ocean.

The distribution of marine

mammals is strongly influenced

by the annual cycle of sea ice

formation. With extensive ice

cover for most of the year,

open water occurs near somecoasts only from late June to

November. Fast ice is the first

ice to form. It begins to form

in the fiords and along the

shoreline in late October. As

the ice cover develops, seals

create a network of breathing

holes that are maintained

throughout the winter. When

the ice is stable enough, polar

bears quickly move onto it to

begin hunting seals after their

long summer fast. The forming

ice also forces narwhals, orcas,

and belugas from coastal areas

into the deeper open waters. In

some years, when the ice forms

quickly, whales can become

trapped and will die.

Ice break-up occurs in the fiords

in late June or early July. Seals

disperse at break-up, and polar

bears move into areas such as

fiords or bays where the ice

remains the longest. Polar bears

spend their summers onshore,

usually in areas near persistent

ice cover where they can still

hunt seal.

Polar Bear

(Nanuq)

Ursus maritimus

Hooded Seal Cystophora cristata



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Narwhal (tuugaalik or

allanguaq)

Narwhals grow up to four

metres in length, and weigh

nearly two tonnes. The male

narwhals are best known for

their distinctive, single ivorytusk. Occasionally, they may

grow a double tusk. Females

sometimes grow a tusk as

well, but it is always short. It is

not known why narwhals have

the tusk, or what purpose it

serves, although they have been

observed to use them in social

displays.

It is actually a long tooth that

projects from the mouth and

twists into a unicorn horn. It

may be the origin of that legendwhen people further south saw

Narwhal tusks without knowing

where they came from. At one

time they were hunted for the

tusk, which was used as a form

of ivory.

Narwhals feed on squid,

turbot, arctic cod, shrimp, and

octopus. In winter, the narwhals

migrate away from the fast ice

near land to the open waters

of Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and

Hudson Strait. In spring they

migrate to the north Baffin

region. They return to the coast

by September or October,

where they may be seen in

the northern fiords. Inuit hunt

narwhals for meat.

Beluga Whale (Qinalugaq

or Qilalugaq)

Historically sea canaries

by whalers, the snow-white

belugas are sociable and vocal,

and are often seen frolicking

together in pods, or groups.This is the common species of

small, toothed whale. In winter

they move only as far out to

sea as is necessary due to

ice. In early summer, belugas

congregate in estuaries and

certain bays to feed and moult.

Their diet includes fish like

arctic cod, turbot and arctic

char as well as shrimp, squid,

and marine worms. Belugas arehunted by Inuit for meat.

Narwhal

(Tuugaalik)

Monodon monoceros

Beluga (Qinalugaq)

Delphinapterus leucas



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Bowhead Whale

Bowheads are related to the

Right Whales. They are robust-

bodied, dark-coloured animals

with no dorsal fin and a strongly

bowed lower jaw and narrow

upper jaw. Filter plates in theirmouths, baleen, are over three

meters long and the longest of

all the baleen whales. These

are used to strain tiny prey from

the water, small fish, plankton

like copepods and krill. The

whales have massive bony

skulls, which they use to break

through from beneath the ice

to breathe. Some Inuit hunters

have reported whales surfacingthrough sixty centimetres of

ice in this method. Bowheads

may reach lengths of up to

twenty metres and females are

larger than males. The fatty

blubber layer of whale flesh is

thicker than in any other animal,

averaging forty-three to fifty

centimetres.

Bowhead Whales are the only

baleen whales that spend their

entire lives in and around Arctic

waters. Those found off Alaska

spend the winter months in

the southwestern Bering Sea.They migrate northward in the

spring, following openings in

the pack ice, into the Chukchi

and Beaufort seas, hunting krill

and zooplankton. Bowheads

are slow swimmers and usually

travel alone or in small herds of

up to six animals. Although

they may stay below the water

surface for as long as forty

minutes in a single dive, they

are not thought to be deep

divers. They may live up to 200

years.

Inuit and Alaskan tribescontinue to kill small numbers

of Bowhead Whales in

subsistence hunts each year.

This level of killing (twenty-five

to forty animals each year)

is not expected to affect the

populations recovery.

Bowhead Whale

Baleana mysticetus



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Humpback Whale

The Humpback Whale is

a baleen whale. One of

the larger rorqual species,

adults range in length from

twelve to sixteen metres and

weigh approximately 36,000

kilograms. The Humpback

has a distinctive body shape,with unusually long pectoral

fins and a knobbly head. It

is an acrobatic animal, often

breaching and slapping

the water. Males produce a

complex whale song, which

lasts for ten to twenty minutes

and is repeated for hours at a

time. Found in oceans and seas

around the world, Humpback

Whales typically migrate up

to 25,000 kilometres each

year. Humpbacks feed only in

summer, in polar waters, and

migrate to tropical or sub-

tropical waters to breed and

give birth in the winter. During

the winter, Humpbacks fast and

live off their fat reserves. The

species diet consists mostly of

krill and small fish. Humpbacks

have a diverse repertoire of

feeding methods, including the

spectacular bubble net fishing

technique.

Humpback Whale

Megtaptera novaeangliae

Giant Pacific Octopus

Enteroctopus dofleini



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WalrusWalrus divide their time

between the water and beaches

or ice floes, where they gather

in large herds. They may spend

several days at a time either

on land or in the sea. Diving to

depths of ninety metres, they

sometimes stay under for as

long as a half hour. Walruses

live for around fifty years.

In the sea they sometimes catch

fish, but usually graze along thesea bottom for clams, which

they can dig out with their tusks

and suck from the shell. They

also feed on more than sixty

kinds of marine organisms

including shrimp, crabs, tube

worms, soft coral, tunicates, sea

cucumbers, various mollusks,

and even parts of other

pinnipeds (seals). Large male

walruses have been observed to

attack seals if they cannot find

any other food source.

Walruses have only two naturalenemies: the orca (killer whale)

and the polar bear. Polar bears

hunt walruses by rushing at

them, trying to get the herd to

flee, then picking off calves or

other stragglers. This is often

a desperate action by the

bear (done when it is either

starved or ill), as the bear

risks injury from walrus tusks.

Walruses use their long tusks

(elongated canines) for fighting,

dominance, and display and the

males will spar with their tusks.

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

(tooth-walking sea horse)



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Birds

Murre or Guillemot

The Common and Thick-Billed

Murre belong to a family that

includes other Guillemots, Auks,

Razorbills and Puffin.

They are the penguins

of the north except that

they can fly, in air as well

as underwater. Like penguins

they are black on the back and

white underneath, a camouflage

that makes them hard to see in

the water.

They usually nest in tight-

packed colonies (known as

loomeries) and lay their eggs

on bare rock ledges or ground.

The eggs are pointed, so that

if disturbed they roll in a circle

rather than fall off the ledge.

Eggs are laid between May and

July for the Atlantic populations

and March to July for those in

the Pacific. The eggs vary in

colour and pattern

to help theparents recognize

them; each egg is

unique. Colours

include white,

green, blue or

brown with spots or speckles

in black or lilac. Both parents

incubate the egg,

swapping in twelve-

hour shifts.

Snowy Owl

The main raptor of the Arctic,

this large white owl is easily

recognized. Unlike many owls,

it hunts by day. It is fifty-three

to sixty-five centemetres long

with a 125-150cm wingspan.The adult male is virtually

pure white, but females and

young birds have some dark

scalloping. Its thick plumage,

heavily-feathered feet, and lack

of colour make the Snowy Owl

well-adapted for life north of the

Arctic Circle.

This powerful bird relies on

lemmings and other rodents for

food, but at times when these

prey are not available, or during

the nesting period, they may

switch to young birds. Nesting

birds require roughly two

lemmings per day, and a family

may eat up to 1500 lemmings

before the young birds set off to

fend for themselves.

Thick-Billed Murre or

Guillemot

Uria Lomvia

Snowy Owl

Bubo scandiacus



THE WHITE PLANET

Climate change

the problem

The earths atmosphere is made

up of a delicately balanced

layer of greenhouse gases.

This layer acts like a blanket,

trapping enough heat to sustain

life.

Humans are burning huge

amounts of fossil fuels adding

more and more greenhouse

gases to the atmosphere and

making this blanket thicker.

This traps more and more heat,

warming the globe and throwing

our climate into chaos.

Climate change is already

underway.

Temperatures have already

risen 0.76C over the past

century and there is more

than 90% probability that

most of this global warming

was caused by humans.

Eleven of the last twelve years

(1995-2006) rank among the

12 warmest years on record.

Melting of glaciers and ice

caps is already contributing

to sea level rise.

Many long-term changes

in climate have already

been observed. These

include differences in Arctictemperatures and ice and

changes in extreme weather

events like droughts, heat

waves and tropical cyclones.

Per person, Australians are

among the highest greenhouse

polluters in the world.

The future is in our hands

Temperatures will increase

further during the 21st Century.

But the extent of change will be

determined by how much more

greenhouse pollution we put in

the atmosphere.

In other words, the future is in

our hands. It is crucial we take

action to limit climate change to

2C above pre-industrial levels.

Beyond 2C, scientists tell us

climate change will become

dangerous and could spiral out

of control.

If we choose to reduce

pollution, we can keep

temperature increases below

the 2C threshold. To achieve

this goal, global pollution levelswill have to be reduced 55%

by 2050 (from 1990 levels). As

a wealthy nation, Australia will

have to do even more an 80

to 90% reduction by 2050. This

should keep us under the 2C

threshold scientists say it would

be dangerous to go beyond.

What will happen if we

dont take action?

If we allow pollution to keep

increasing (under a business

as usual scenario), scientists

tell us average temperatures

will rise up to 6.4C by 2090.

Climate change would spiral

out of control with terrible

consequences for future

generations.


20/20

THE WHITE PLANET

How can we solve the climate crisis?

Avoiding dangerous climate change has become

Australias greatest challenge. We can still rise to the

challenge and protect our planet for future generations

but only by taking strong and urgent action to reduce

greenhouse pollution.

Fortunately, Australia is in the perfect position to be

a world leader on climate change. We need to stop

wasting energy and become much more energy

efficient. Doing more with less will save our economy

large amounts of money by reducing fuel and

infrastructure costs.

We can use these economic savings to help us move to

clean, renewable sources of energy. Australia is blessed

with abundant sources of renewables like solar, wind,

geothermal and biomass.

We also have abundant reserves of natural gas, a usefultransition fuel. While natural gas isnt carbon neutral, it

creates far less greenhouse pollution than coal.

It makes sense to focus our efforts on cleaner energy

solutions that are proven and available to us right now.

That means better energy efficiency and renewable

energy.

For further information go to www.acfonline.org.au

This study guide was produced byATOMATOM 2006

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