Polar Science Weekend

 

Polar Science Weekend

March 2 – 3, 2024

Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 5 pm

at Pacific Science Center located at the Seattle Center under the white arches.

Polar Science Weekend is two days of hands-on activities, live demonstrations, and exhibits presented by scientists who work in some of the most remote and challenging places on earth. Learn about ice sheets and sea ice, polar bears and penguins, scientific instruments, and polar expeditions. Don’t miss Polar Science Weekend!

Polar Science Weekend is a partnership between Pacific Science Center and the University of Washington’s Polar Science Center and Applied Physics Laboratory.

Come check out these cool activities and talk to the scientists from the University of Washington who study the polar regions of the Earth and beyond! 

  • Arctic Ice Camp

What’s it like to be in an Arctic ice camp? Check out the hut, try on a parka, and ride the snowmobile!

  • Salinity Taste Test

Just how salty is the ocean? Your tongue will tell you! Come take the World Famous Salinity Taste Test.

  • Sea Ice vs. Freshwater Ice

How is frozen seawater different from frozen lake water? Do an experiment to find out.

  • Ocean Watchdogs

How can you measure the ocean year-round without being there?  Put your instruments on a long cable and anchor it to the bottom. Come see our 2.5-mile-long North Pole mooring.

  • Glacier Flow

Watch silly-putty glaciers ooze down a slope and find out why real glaciers are important to the Earth’s climate. Where does the ice in glaciers come from?

  • Greenland Ice Core

The Greenland ice sheet is 2 miles thick and thousands of years old. See a real ice core from Greenland and learn what it tells us about Earth’s climate.

  • Listening to the Arctic

Eavesdrop underwater to the sounds of whales and seals in the Arctic Ocean. What are they saying?

  • Penguins – Our Fascination and our Impact

Touch a real penguin flipper, see how sharp a penguin’s beak is, and try your hand at being a penguin scientist.

  • Float Your Boat

Decorate your own wooden boat that we’ll launch into the Arctic Ocean next summer. Where will your boat end up?

  • Life in Ice – Some Like it Really Cold!

Learn about microbes that live in the frozen world of sea ice.

  • Build your own Icy Alien World

Did you know there’s water and ice beyond Earth? Learn about the structure of icy moons and dwarf planets in the Solar System as you build your own.

We hope to see you there! 

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