Imagine this: You’re a NOAA scientist working in the remote Arctic, responding to an oil spill, when a storm comes through. One of your fellow scientists falls on the frozen tundra and injures her leg, and — to make matters worse — you see a bear steadily approaching in the distance. What’s your plan?
![A NOAA scientist practices Arctic survival skills in cold waters of Seattle's Lake Washington, December 2019. Exercises like these teach trainees to focus on survival and the future. Trainees practiced cold-water survival swimming techniques and how to get onto a life raft. (Image credit: NOAA) A NOAA scientist practices Arctic survival skills in cold waters of Seattle's Lake Washington, December 2019. Exercises like these teach trainees to focus on survival and the future. Trainees practiced cold-water survival swimming techniques and how to get onto a life raft.](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/legacy/image/2020/Jan/PHOTO%20%20-%20Jan%202020%20-%20Man%20overboard%20%20in%20water%20-%20%20Arctic%20survival%20training%20-%20NOAA%20Seattle%20-%20Landscape.png?itok=Kcnz_bP6)
A NOAA scientist practices Arctic survival skills in cold waters of Seattle's Lake Washington, December 2019. Exercises like these teach trainees to focus on survival and the future. Trainees practiced cold-water survival swimming techniques and how to get onto a life raft. (Image credit: NOAA)