Stanford experts explain why the recently approved Willow oil drilling project in Alaska has sparked controversy, discuss the significance of new limits on oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, and describe the complicated nature of energy transformation in the fastest-warming place on Earth.
Arctic biodiversity at risk as world overshoots climate planetary boundary
by Gloria Dickie on 29 April 2021
The Arctic Ocean biome is changing rapidly, warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. In turn, multiyear sea ice is thinning and shrinking, upsetting the system’s natural equilibrium.
Thinner sea ice has led to massive under-ice phytoplankton blooms, drawing southern species poleward; fish species from lower latitudes are moving into the peripheral seas of the Arctic Ocean, displacing and outcompeting native Arctic species.
Predators at the top of the food chain, such as polar bears, are suffering the consequences of disappearing ice, forced onto land for longer periods of time where they cannot productively hunt.
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
on February 9, 2021
Introductory classes are the foundation of Stanford’s undergraduate experience. They form the basis for students to succeed in future courses and determine a major, and many fulfill important WAYS requirements as well.
This year, though, introductory classes’ large enrollment numbers have made them uniquely challenged by the move to virtual learning. In various undergraduate programs, including economics, earth science and chemistry, courses have had to change their structures, exam formats and grade distributions.
Unique rules apply to online courses. According to the University’s Interpretations of the Honor Code, all take-home examinations “should not be closed-book examinations, nor should there be a specific time limit less than the full period between the distribution of the exam and its due date.”