This trip has been completed. View photos of the trip.

August 10-27, 2008 with Michael Lemonick, Journalist and Lecturer, Princeton Environmental Institute.
A Vanishing Treasures Program.

Scientists have shown that rising temperatures have caused the average Arctic sea ice break-up to occur nearly three weeks earlier than normal, leaving Polar Bears with a shorter hunting season. Polar Bear population estimates have consequently dropped by approximately 20% since 1987, leading some experts to believe there will be scarcely any bears left in 30 to 40 years. Join your fellow Princetonians August 10-27, 2008, for this timely expedition to the high Arctic.

The region this journey explores is very remote, requiring a vessel with the highest polar-class rating. Flying from Ottawa, we embark the 100-passenger icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov in Iqaluit on Canada's Baffin Island. (Please note, Princetonians will occupy only one-third of the vessel.) We will cruise Baffin Bay to the western fjords of Greenland and on to Ellesmere Island and Tanquary Fjord ultimately returning to Resolute. Whales, including narwhal, musk ox, walrus and seabirds are among wildlife subjects, along with a fascinating human history, and Arctic exploration. However, climate and Polar Bear habitat change will serve as the dynamic topics of our onboard educational component. Michael Lemonick's commentary will be complemented by that of Zegrahm's top-caliber naturalists and scientists.

About the Study Leader
Michael D. Lemonick, Lecturer in Astrophysical Sciences and the Princeton Environmental Institute, will serve as study leader for this program.

Michael Lemonick was a senior science writer at TIME magazine for more than 20 years, during which he wrote more than 50 cover stories about science and the environment, including pieces on the Exxon Valdez oil spill; humanity's impact on the ecosystems of the Antarctic; the Antarctic ozone hole; and three cover stories on climate change. Since leaving the magazine, he has completed his fourth book and written on a freelance basis for National Geographic, Scientific American, New Scientist and Wired magazines. He has taught at Princeton since 1998, offering courses in science journalism, environmental journalism, and several science-related courses in the Freshman Seminar program. He has also taught as an adjunct at Johns Hopkins, NYU and Columbia; served on the faculty of the Santa Fe Science Writing Workshops; and served as science writer in residence at the universities of Tennessee and Wisconsin. He is a member of the Advisory Council for the Princeton's Department of Astrophysical Sciences. In June of 2008, he joined the staff of Climate Central, a newly formed climate-change think tank based in Princeton.

Lemonick, who holds an A.B. in economics from Harvard College and a Master of Science in Journalism degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, served as study leader for the Princeton Journeys program to the Canadian Arctic in summer 2008. During the 2009 Arctic journey, he intends to speak on the scientific basis for the claims of global warming, the effects of climate change on wildlife in the region where we will be traveling, and the role of the media in the public discourse on climate change.

To make reservations, fill out the form in the brochure or contact Princeton Journeys at (609) 258-8686 or journeys@princeton.edu.

View photos of the trip

Arctic Reading List [PDF]