Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge with Ms. Gill

Tuesday September 30, 2008

2008-09-30T07:38:00.020-04:00

Excitement spreads throughout the Churchill, Manitoba: PERMAFROST EXISTS!!!!

We found it down at 71 centimeters in the tundra. The ground was saturated and very, very, cold. Ms. Gill found herself standing in it and her teammate Doug, a teacher from the Bronx, did a handstand.

After a long day of tree coring that included lunch with black flies in our faces, it was a welcome ending to all our work in the field.

Back at the lab, we mounted core samples, entered data, and cleaned the van (which was filled with tree parts from all the samples we took). Steve, our researcher, gave a rap up presentation of the work we had accomplished. A few jokes, last minute comments on the work we did and off we all went to blog.

Coming to Churchill as part of the Earthwatch Live in the Field Fellowship has been a unique adventure. Certainly, if you asked me if I would ever come this far north, the answer would have been no. If you asked me what climate change meant for students in Brooklyn, New York, I could have given you a half dozen answers. But actually participating in research that is putting down the roots of changes taking place on our planet is amazing.

What I try to impart to the students at P.S. 115 is that the world is a very large place and we are small pieces of it regardless of where we live. I will never again read about a scientific investigation without having a personal investment in the hours it took to make the hypothesis a reality.

I worked harder here physically than when I am teaching. The work is often tedious and boring. The people who work on climate research don't make tons of money, they don't live in mansions but they live to prove their theories of why the world around them is changing.

As students who will one day take charge of the world, you need to take the lead in what a world where the seasons are longer or hotter, winter disappears, habitats of various species are shrinking or even disappearing , and animals who live just in the Jamaica Bay Salt Marsh become extinct. Does this matter? How will it effect you?

WHAT CAN WE DO IN OUR LITTLE CORNER TO PROTECT OUR WORLD?

SEE YOU ALL ON THURSDAY.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR THOUGHTS.

KEEP CHECKING THE BLOG.

MS. GILL

Monday September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T07:31:00.019-04:00

Sunday morning and we will spend a full day working in the field. When we got up, we were told to make bag lunches to take with us. So out came platters of lunch meat, egg salad, lettuce and tomatoes, assorted breads, and cookies. I must say that the baked goods here are delicious. The temperature had dropped quite a bit so we had to really bundle up. it was the first time that I had put on most of the layers i brought with me. I had a little bit of time before we left so I went to look over my pictures. When I looked out the window, I saw the sky. The sun was just coming up and it was shades of pink, orange and purple. I ran with my camera up the the dome (which is an enclosed bubble on the roof of the center, and started snapping pictures. (to get to the dome I climb a steep stairway, and then a ladder that is at a odd angle).

The light was just beginning to come up. As you can see from the picture it was beautiful.

We went back to our field and finished our "destructive sampling" of the tree saplings. We then went out to a field that is further away to start the process over again. Here is a picture to the right of us searching for the seedlings. Some are less than a centimeter high. We began with searching for seedlings as they are hard to find. The lichen was very thick as we were in a forest upland location. There were a great many colors and one was called fairy lichen. Below is a picture of the area "BLK" where we were working.

With all that lichen and moss, it is very difficult to find the tiny seedlings. After awhile, your knees begin to ache, and if you are on a downhill slant, your rear end is in the air and your chin on the ground. All of us get distracted and stand up to take pictures. My teammates were an extremely cheerful group, and the jokes helped us get through what were often tedious tasks. For me, it was interesting to note how laborious scientific research can be and it takes a certain individual to take on this type of career. Yet, the tasks we performed in collecting the data needed to be accomplished and an individual who is interested in the world and travel can find a calling. But at the same time, we often found such interesting specimens that you left the site at the end of the day exhausted, hungry, but satisfied.

Here are Carly and Adam our two polar bear watchers.

Here is "fairy tale" lichen.

2008-09-28T07:44:00.007-04:00

Saturday was our day off and it was extremely busy. We had a fantastic tour of the Churchill area. Our guide Sheldon was knowledge, funny, and adept at dealing with a group of teachers who ask countless questions. he also was a wealth of information about local color and history. The day started off extremely cold and we were warned to bundle up. I had on my usual layers but I must say that the center staff was right: It was cold!

We saw fissures in a tundra area where the freezing , thawing, freezing, thawing has opened up fissures in the surface. The ground below is extremely cold. The main question everyone kept asking was: "Will we see a polar bear?" The answer was a YES! So off we went to hunt one down. We found a polar bear that our guide, Sheldon said was at least 1000 pounds. we found another bear up on a rock ledge that appeared to be eating some large animal. The bear was engrossed in what it was doing and was barely moving especially when a helicopter came over head. Apparently, polar bears are afraid of the helicopters because that is how they are transported back to the wild. Polar bears up here are tagged to monitor them in their travels as well as when they enter into human settlements. If a polar bear is a continuous offender at hanging out where there is human habitation, they are put into the polar bear jail and not feed as a punishment. after, a time they are then taken by helicopter back to their natural habitat in the hope they will stay there.

Here is a picture of the polar bear tanks used to capture the animals.

This is the jail where bears with bad behavior are kept until they can be returned to their natural habitat.

Do you know what a "habitat" is?

How much food do you think polar bears eat in a day? What is the purpose of putting the polar bears in the jail?

We also saw a number of other wildlife on our tour.

The picture on the left is of the Arctic fox and the one on the right is the Arctic hare.

I was able to walk up close the the hare but the fox was at a distance.

The clouds here are amazing. The light and colors change dramatically minute by minute. I find myself drawn to the landscape. fall is here and the colors are an abundance of reds, oranges and yellows.In many ways it feels like home. I didn't expect to view the Arctic's edge from this perspective. There are endless distances, but the colors, textures, and shapes are extraordinary.

PICTURE TOUR

2008-09-27T08:48:00.017-04:00

Here is an arctic caterpillar we found while tree boring.

Here is an old rocket leftover from when this are was part of a military base

The picture above is of the "Arctic Hallway." This area separates the dormitory area from the kitchen, classroom and lab areas. Can you guess why they call it this? (Hint: not because we are on the edge of the arctic.) The picture next to it is of the kitchen dining area. Audrey, the chef cooks food to keep you warm and tastes delicious. The biscuits are especially good as is the strudel. Do you believe Ms. Gill is eating carbs?

Why would carbohydrates be good for you in this type of environment?

Teachers at work blogging to their students across the United States.

Friday September 26, 2008

2008-09-27T08:30:00.004-04:00

It was great talking to all of you on Friday. I'm sorry you couldn't see me but sometimes the the signal just doesn't pick up. I spent yesterday on the ground on my knees and stomach searching for seedlings. We moved from the forest/tundra to the forest area where there were more trees and plenty of of mosses. It was quite difficult to find anything, but we finally find an entire little grouping of seedlings. It was so exciting to find them even though we had to pull them out of the ground for lab work. We gathered the same data on the seedlings as we did on the trees: height,diameter, condition, and ground foliage. We had to gather a minimum of 50 in our plotted area for a sampling study. I could barely get up from my knees to gather my tools, and then get back down to do the measurements. It is hard, tedious, meticulous work that science researchers have to do to gather data in order to prove their hypothesis. It is also true that scientists need teams of volunteers to do this labor intensive work over a period of weeks, months and even years. The researcher for this study will need four years to attempt to quantify his information and formulate an argument to support his theory.

Tomorrow Saturday is our day off and we will tour Churchill. Lots of pictures to share.

Thursday September 25, 2008

2008-09-24T23:49:00.023-04:00

Here are three pictures of plants from the Arctic forest. The first is of wild cranberries which we tasted. They were on the way to having a bitter sweetness. Next is a white spruce covered in lichen. It is really quite beautiful though most of the tree is dead underneath (or what we called reduced). The other is blueberry. The colors are extraordinary here. It is really autumn and yet trees don't have leaves turning the way we do at home, but brilliant ground coverings of almost every shade.

Though it was colder today, it was very windy. At times, I felt as if I would be blown away. We finished coring our group of trees in the forest and headed out to the forest tundra where we did the same tasks. There were fewer trees there, and more wind to do damage to the trees. The ground is uneven and squishy and there are fewer trees. In the afternoon, we completed these tasks and began to do a search on the ground for seedlings and saplings. in groups of two, we laid out a meter stick and on our knees searched in front of it. You have to look very carefully, because there is a lot of different ground coverings. If we found either, we did our list of measurements. For a sapling, we then pulled it out of the ground for further analysis in the lab. This is called "destructive sampling". We didn't get very far, and the task was time consuming. We will continue in the AM on Friday.

Here is the lake that is next to the tundra where we were working today. The weather kept changing dramatically. We kept expecting rain but ultimately the sun won out. One of the trees we were working on was on a ledge over a huge stand of water. It was difficult to core or even find if the main trunk was a single standing trunk or more because of the tangle of roots, dead branches and underbrush. I must say that the members if my group were tenacious and persisted in their effort until the task was completed.

It was so exciting to hear from all of you today during our Skype call. I am trying to answer all your questions.

You can look at the comments or student questions to find some of your answers.

Wednesday September 24, 2008

2008-09-24T19:20:00.013-04:00

One of the questions I received was "What is a tundra?" The simple answer is a treeless plain. The word comes from the Finnish (what country is that?) and is the coldest of biomes. There is little precipitation, low biotic diversity, and simple vegetation structure. There is a short season of growth and most energy and nutrients come from dead organic matter. There are two tundra environments: Arctic and Alpine.

Today I continued with my team taking tree samples. We are still in the forest area but have only one tree left for tomorrow and then we move out to the forest-tundra.

Some other students asked if I had seen any animals yet. We did find a lot of this all over the forest site. It is SCAT, or goose pooh. One of my fellow teammates is excited by finding this but is looking for larger deposits, such as polar bear scat. But Carly, our Earthwatch Coordinator says that polar bears don't eat very much this time of year. They're waiting for the ice to come so they can go out on the ice and hunt for seals. So far though, NO POLAR BEARS HAVE BEEN SIGHTED.

KEEP WATCHING MY BLOG!

Here are the tree core samples we took from the trees today. When we remove them from the tree borer, we tuck them nice and eat into straws. (Just like those you get from McDonald's) Both ends of the straw are tapped so the piece or pieces don't fall out. Back at the lab, we remove the pieces and put them on cedar strips. After the pieces dry, they will be glued down and sanded. Then the rings will be counted to find the age of the trees and climatic changes. The Earthwatch Team is just collecting the data and not analyzing it.

Think about it. How do scientists go about their work? What do they have to do first? Looking at the information I've given you so far, what is the hypothesis the scientists are trying to prove? Send me your answers.

Tuesday September 23, 2008

2008-09-23T07:44:00.016-04:00

It's a gray morning but most of the team is up Skyping or working on their blogs. We are all waiting for breakfast to get that first cup of coffee. Today will be the real test of all the skills we learned yesterday. We will go out to one of their sites and start doing the real work.

Before we go, we meet to go over the tasks and gather the equipment. As we will be out all morning, we have to prepare for the weather. While it is just cloudy now, it is cold and the chance of rain exists. I was ready. I had on long johns, fleece pants and shirt. I put on ski pants and rain pants, along with my rain boots with sock liners and heavy socks. Next, I had my ski jacket with the lining, scarf, hat and gloves.

We drove to the site and had to walk in. The route was rocky at first and then the ground turned soft. They call it peat. There we divided up into groups and began our work.

The picture above is of my team for the day. They include Anna Janovicz, Earthwatch Corporate Fellows Manager, Linda Santoro, a teacher from Connecticut and your teacher, Ms. Gill.

Our first job was to test soil samples across a grid or transect line (which is one line of a grid) which is an area of research.

We had to dig 10 holes and one pit. This was multiplied by three as we did this across a forest section, forest-tundra section, and the tundra. At each spot, we measured the depth of the soil to rock with a probe, and with a shovel we measured the sediment to rock. Then we dug a pit. Here we looked more carefully at the different layers of soil and did a few experiments.

We took turns doing the various jobs. My first one was digging the holes in the forest area. The holes there were deep and required maneuvering around trees. Because the ground was uneven, it was difficult to find a level place to stand. The weather all this time was brisk but invigorating. in fact, I was quite warm with all my clothes and had to unzip a few layers. We managed to finish two areas before lunch. Everyone, including myself, was glad to head back and eat.

The food here is great as is the company. I sat next to a polar bear researcher at lunch. her work begins in October. She works with polar bear babies who have lost their parent and need to be reattached to another bear. She told me that when they return polar bears to the wild they sedate them. Their bodies are paralyzed but the bears are still awake. They are then flown on helicopters back to wilderness areas.

In the afternoon, we returned to the site and finished our soil survey in the tundra area. The soil was not very deep and we hit rock quickly. We then joined another group to do tree boring. We had to do measurements of height, diameter, branches, whether a tree was dead, reduced (not healthy) or alive. We looked at the seed, bed under the tree and the various growth plants on the ground and different heights around it. The tree borer looks like a cork screw and we took samples from the tree at ground level and chest height. While we were doing this, it began to pour rain and we quickly were soaking wet. The rain was steady for over an hour. Those of us in the forest were protected from the heaviest downpours, but the group working in the tundra had to deal with large wind blasts off Rocket Lake.

We returned to the base, cleaned all our instruments, and entered the data on spreadsheets on the computer.

The classroom where we worked looked like a giant laundry mat as we had all our wet clothes scattered over chairs and tables to dry.

One item we found all over the area we worked in was "SCAT". Do you know what that is?

Other vocabulary words for you are: TUNDRA, FOREST, PH LEVEL, ORGANIC MATTER, PERMAFROST.

Here is a picture of "SCAT". We think it belongs to the Canadian geese who love to eat all the berries we found.

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Monday September 22, 2008

2008-09-22T14:12:00.011-04:00

Many students are asking me if I have adapted to the weather in Churchill. I must confess the today is a glorious day. It is 4 degrees Celsius at 8 AM. The air felt warm. I was however dressed in a number of layers which included long johns, a tee shirt, fleece pants, wind pants and my ski jacket with the lining. I had on a neck scarf and a hat. After lunch, when we went back outside, my hat and gloves came off. Right now at 6:30 PM it is 11 degrees Celsius and should go back to to 4 degrees Celsius tonight. I understand that the week before I arrived, it was extremely rainy and snowy.

Question: Do you know the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius? All measurements in Canada are in the metric system. Can you figure out the temperature in both measurements?

What's the temperature in Brooklyn? How much different is it from where Ms. Gill is staying?

We had a meeting this morning with Steve Mamet, our researcher, to explain the charts we would be using out in the field and learn how to fill them out. We will be doing a lot of measuring, calculating and identification of plant species. One instrument I worked with is called "clinometer". It seemed easy as I watched other team members work with it, but I felt like I had two left feet.I understand the concept (measuring the height of a tree) but actually using it took eye coordination. One task is "tree boring". This requires boring a hole through a small tree and puling out the core on what looks like a small spoon. You then place it inside a straw, tape both ends and label the sample. It seems we will be doing a lot of kneeing and laying on the ground looking at vegetation and soil samples. I am a little out of my element but I intend to keep up with the rest of the team.

(This is a tree borer at work.)

(Here is a sample tree core.)

One of the student's asked me about bugs in Churchill. Today when we were outside being trained in our tasks, there were a number of black flies. They were annoying but not a distraction. Other then that, there was a great breeze and minimal bugs or insects.

A consistent question is about the polar bears. No, I haven't seen any, though we all have been looking.

We took a ride before dinner into Churchill to pick up some snacks and take a short car tour. The road on the way in was wide open with little evidence of civilization. There are many rock formations. The Hudson Bay surrounds Churchill. One of my team members wants a swim before we leave.

Question: What do you know about the Hudson Bay? What do you think the temperature of the water is? What is the temperature of the Atlantic ocean at home?

Here is one picture of rocks around the Hudson Bay in Churchill. Why do you think there are so many rocks? Where could they come from?

HINT: Do you know what glaciers are?

We just had a lecture with pictures and graphs on the Permafrost research that is being done here and which I will be doing my small part. Early tomorrow we we get up and go "OUT IN THE FIELD." I can then share with you the work that these researchers are working on.

Did you all find out what "Permafrost" meant?

Finally, M. asked me about the Aurora Borealis. We saw it last night. They are amazing lights that dance up in the sky?

Do you know what causes it?

Here is a small treat of the northern lights. Click on the word "Aurora Borealis" to learn more.

Good night all!

Student Questions

2008-09-21T23:07:00.004-04:00

One of the questions I was asked was how long scientists stay at the center. The center was very busy over the summer but at the moment we are the only group here. By the beginning of October, more research scientists will arrive to work on their projects. Two of the staff are here for only 3-4 months.

Another student asked about the number of polar bears that were around. Apparently, there a lot. I must say I would love to see one but the rule is if any one sees a bear we are to tell someone immediately.

Sunday September 21, 2008

2008-09-21T22:32:00.006-04:00

Here I am in Churchill, Manitoba.
I left New York from LaGuardia Airport in Queens at 6AM and arrived in Toronto, Canada at 8:30 AM. After a large cup of coffee, (which you all know Ms. Gill drinks constantly), I took another flight to Winnipeg, Canada where I arrived at 11:30 AM. There I meet up with several members of my Earthwatch team for lunch. We are a diverse group of teachers from New Jersey, Connecticut, Arizona, Florida, Wisconsin, and two other New York City teachers.

The airport in Churchill is very tiny so it was easy for the team from the CNSC to find all of us. We then headed to where we will be staying for the duration and had a tour of the facilities. And for all those asking about the polar bears, we were told in no uncertain terms not to go outside alone. The Center staff told us that the polar bears who roam around the center are more dangerous than those we will meet up with out in the field.

After a delicious supper, we were shown our bunks and then had a team meeting with Steve Mamet, who is one of the researchers on this project. However, Ms. Gill is so tired that I am having difficulty remembering the exact research we are doing . Tomorrow, I think I will be in better shape to explain to you exactly what I will be doing here in Churchill.

Saturday September 20, 2008

2008-09-20T22:46:00.003-04:00

It's 11 P.M. and I am still packing. I am worrying whether I will be warm enough while I am in Churchill. It was a beautiful day in NYC and I spent the day wandering around lower Manhattan. All I could think of was what a contrast it would be with tomorrow. I am off on a 6:15 A.M. flight to Toronto, then to Winnipeg and finally to Churchill around 5:45 P.M. (That will be about 1 hour difference.)

If I haven't answered all your questions, I will start tomorrow. it might be a good idea for all my students to keep a check on the weather in Churchill and compare it with the weather in Brooklyn.

I look forward to sharing my journey and new friends with you.

September 18, 2008

2008-09-18T21:24:00.005-04:00

Class 407 asked me what kind of animals I would see in the Arctic. I am almost positive that at some point I will see polar bears, as Church is the "Polar Bear Capital" of the world. However, I don't believe that they are so cute that I should go up and cuddle with them. I have to bring a whistle with me and we have someone when we go out in the field whose job is JUST TO WATCH for POLAR BEARS.

QUESTIONS: I wonder how big polar bears get and how much they weigh?

How fast do they move?

What do they eat?

SEPTEMBER 16, 2008

2008-09-15T21:02:00.003-04:00

It was exciting looking over my blog with Ms. Lissade's class. One of the questions that provoked the most conversation was the fact that the time difference from New York City was minimal despite the distance. The students also expressed disbelief in the weather conditions in Churchill. As soon as one says the word "Arctic", the assumption is of constant snow. So, as one student asked, "Where is it?"

Using the maps in your classes, find Canada and then Churchill, Manitoba.

Where is it in relationship to the Arctic Circle and the North Pole.

What has the weather been like this past year? the last five years?

Check the news for the last month and find any articles on the arctic. Bring them in to share with your classes.

Vocabulary: arctic, thaw, tundra, ecosystem, permafrost, treeline, climate change, impact

Beginning Questions

2008-09-14T17:17:00.005-04:00

As you all begin your study of my adventure, the first question is where in the world is Ms. Gill going??

I will be in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada from September 21 - October 1, 2008. The expedition I am participating is: Climate change at the Arctic's Edge. The purpose of this research project is to study the ecosystems in the Hudson Bay area. How is the environment in this region affected by climate change.

The questions your teachers back at school and I will be asking are:

"How does this affect you?"

Do you have any responsibilities if it does?

Find Churchill on the map. What surrounds it?

How far is this from Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York?

(Tip: Did you know that where I am going is the exact center of the North American continent?)

How could you travel there? Find a variety of options. Find the shortest distance.

What land forms are there?

What is the climate for each season?

Churchill is the Beluga Whale and Polar Bear Capital of the world. Find out all you can about these beautiful animals.

End of the day question: Why are scientists studying climate change in this location?

Sunday September 14, 2008

2008-09-14T16:35:00.004-04:00

The start of school has left us all so busy settling in and adjusting, it's hard to believe I will be leaving for my adventure in just a week. I am very excited to meet the rest of my team members. I am quite nervous to leave for places soooo far north, and I must admit to the students and staff at school that my main concern is having the right clothing. However, a few of the teams members, who are appear to be far more winter oriented, have kindly giving me their expertise.

I am posting a few pictures of my shoe expedition, as my hiking shoes from past Frost Valley expeditions did not seem up to the climate I am heading toward. The weather is apparently quite unpredictable this time of year, so I have to be prepared for hot, cold, rain and snow.

Ms. Chasworth and Ms. Perry's classes as well as those classes involved in following me, will be able to post questions about this trip. You will be exploring the "Arctic" and it's environment. We will look at "Why this area in the world is important to us in Canarsie and how what happens here effects us.

Please feel free this week to stop by and ask questions or just wish me a good journey. I will leave a folder outside my door this week for questions.