Climate Change and Forests with Ms. Powell

Wrapping It Up

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:12:00 +0000

Good day, students. I have arrived home to SC and am writing my last blog. The trip home was uneventful. My experience was tiring, exilirating, informative and satisfying. The concerns I had at the beginning of the trip were not worth worrying about. I was concerned about not being able to keep up with the others in the group because of my age and physical condition. I was proud of me! I walked at least 3 miles a day and was able to do everything that was asked of me. I am still capable. My concern about the team was unfounded. We were a congenial group that just worked together to get done what we needed to do. If the dishwasher needed emptying, someone emptied it. We each did our part. My other concern was about leaving you for the week. That concern will have to wait until tomorrow to be answered! I'm sure you will tell me all the details!

On Friday, we tried to wrap up all the little details of our project. We wanted to leave Jeff and Nancy, the technicians of the project, at a good stoppping point for the holidays. We were a very goal-oriented group. Our goal was to get the hectare plot we were working on completed and the data entered in the computer. In the picture, you will see the Pink Pole Group picture. The pink pole indicates the northeast corner of the hectare. When we arrived at the plot, we divided the team up - three people finished up the last 2 sections, TJ and I rechecked some of the data that was questionable when we entered it. The other two checked the questions about the data from last week's teacher group.

We also had to collect the rain guages. There are 20 posts that have rain gauges and other instruments on them. The guages collect the rain that comes through the canopy of the forest. Since the project is on hold until spring, we collected the gauges to take back to the trailer. This picture shows why our vests had so many pockets.

I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. There was so much that I wanted to share with you that I couldn't really explain on the blog. We're going to finish up the forest ecosystem/global warming topic this week. Then on to inventions and microscopes!

Kick Off for Monday:

What impact did my "Live From The Field" fellowship have on you?

Winding Down

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:47:00 +0000

Hello! It was good to "see" all of you today. I'm looking forward to being back with you on Monday. I hope you've learned something from my experience. We will be doing some of the same things I did when Christmas break is over. I'm going to get on the ball about doing my part to help fight global warming - Travis, do you think I should get a hybrid car?

Today, because it is rainy and cold, we have been entering data into the computer. TJ and I have gotten pretty good at not making mistakes when we enter all the numbers.

Look at these two pictures carefully. One of these forests is a mature forest (100-120 years old) and one is a young forest (50 - 60 years old). Your Kick Off question for today is to decide which picture is the mature forest and which picture is the immature forest. Write your answer in your composition book. Now, give at least two reasons for making the choice you did.

Picture A

Picture B

Another day of collecting data

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:50:00 +0000

Good day! We spent all day today out in the field again. We are surveying 10 x 10 sections of a hectare. Most of you answered the question correctly. A hectare is 2.417 acres of land. One group said that it was a little less than a football field which is a good way to figure out how much land we are surveying. So - there are 100 ten by ten sections in a hectare. Our team surveyed 10 sections today. I will be talking to you today so I am not going to write a bunch.

Here's the Kick Off question for Thursday: Look at the picture below. It shows how we have to mark trees. The metal tag has a number on it so the scientists here can track the trees' growth over the years. (No, the nail doesn't damage the tree at all.) But here's the question: As you can see, the nail is only driven into the tree a tiny bit. There is a very good reason for this. Why do you think we only drive the nail part of the way into the tree?

One of the activities we did yesterday was to climb a tower 120 feet high. It was about 20 - 30 feet above the canopy. Each flight of stairs was 12 steps and the landing counted as the 13th step. When you got to the top of the tower, it swayed in the wind.

At the top of the tower, there were several kinds of scientific instruments. Some found out how much carbon dioxide was in the air, some measured rainfall. One absorbed different colored wavelengths of light. They had the same set up on the ground. Question: Why would there be instruments up high and near the ground? Would they get the same readings?

There were also spikes all over the top of the tower. What do you think those are?

I just talked to Mrs. Bagnal. It seems that I was right to worry that some of you wouldn't behave. I won't be a very happy camper on Monday if you aren't good for the next two days. Later....

Before I call, think of questions you might want to ask me!

Collecting data

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:40:00 +0000

Congratulations to Megan, Chase, Prateek, Ben Daniel and Sam for their math honor. I'm proud of you!

Here's a picture of your teacher dresssed for the cold (27 degrees) yesterday. I had on three layers - silk long underwear, underarmour, and jeans and my legs nearly froze! I felt like the little boy in the cartoons whose mother dresses him up in a snowsuit and he can hardly move. What do you think about the hat? I'm glad the fashion police weren't working! We have to wear the orange vests everywhere we go because this is hunting season and we are working in the forest! There are trade -offs, however. Each vest has lots of pockets, so you have plenty of room to carry stuff. We walked to the bay this morning bright and early - 7:15 AM. As we left the dorm, we saw six white-tailed deer run across the road. There are managed hunts on the SERC property Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of this week. That's the reason for the orange vests. It also identifies us as part of the Earthwatch group.

The answer to the Kick Off for yesterday was:
1. Bark - Each tree has a distinctive bark pattern. The ironwood tree looks like muscles. The bark of the sycamore tree looks like camouflage cloth.
2. Buds - The ends of the branches where growth takes place have tiny buds on them. Beech trees have a red, sharp-pointed end on them.
3. Branch pattern - Branches either come off the tree in on opposite pattern or an alternate pattern.
4. A less reliable way is to look for the indirect evidence such as leaves or fruit (like the sweet gum balls or pignut hickory) left on the tree or around the bottom of the tree.

Some of you were exactly right. Did you look it up or did you think about it?

Today we spent all day in the forest measuring trees, identifying them and mapping them in a square. We did 9 plots today. Each plot was a 10 meter x 10 meter plot. Our goal is to finish the hectare we're in now. Here's your kick off question for today. How big is a hectare? Your answer will probably be in acres. How big is an acre? So how much land are we talking about?

We are collecting data for the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS). It is a global network of forest research plots dedicated to the study of tropical and temperate forests and how climate change is affecting them.. There are 33 forest plots in 19 countries across the Americas, Africa and Asia. It is a part of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and began in 1980. In each plot, the research is done exactly the same way. All free-standing trees with a diameter at breast height (dbh) of at least 1 cm are tagged, measured, and identified by species. This data collection is repeated every 5 years. Here is the question I want you to talk about and email me your answer. Why would it be important that every scientist, no matter which plot they were studying, collect data exactly the same way?

There are 5 climate centers involved in the research. Earthwatch and The North American Climate Center are helping collect the data on the temperate deciduous forest here in Maryland.
When you measure the diameter of the tree at breast height, you are meausring it at 1.3 meters from the ground. There are special measuring tapes that we use. Then we have to map the tree by giving it a point on an x and y axis in the plot. Then we identify it using everything we know and the buds, branches or bark. Sometimes we had to have help from the technicians on the project. We also have to tell how heatlthy the tree is and what the crown of the tree looks like. We tag each tree with a metal tag. We keep a data sheet on each plot so that in 5 years, when other people collect data, they will know exactly which trees to compare. Here is a picture of us collecting data.

First period is doing a great job emailing me what I ask them to. Do the rest of the classes have a problem? You must read the whole blog and carefully read the question before you answer. I bet that you are NOT reading the blog and are just picking out the question. Then you say you don't understand. I'm expecting better work tomorrow!

I need you to do some research today. There are a couple terms that I want you to look up. What is carbon sequestration and what is a carbon sink? How are these two terms related to forests?

There is a 90% chance of rain tomorrow so we are probably going to be working in the lab. I'll let you know about that later.

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:48:00 +0000

Oh my gooddness, boys and girls. I have already learned so much today and it's only lunch time.

Here is the correct answer to the Kick Off question on Monday. Thank you 1st period emailing me your answers. This group must have the Christmas spirit. They used red and green fonts on their email.

1.) What do airports use to deice the wings of the plane?
A liquid or spray that is 90% glycol and 8% water
2.) Why is it necessary to get rid of the ice on the plane wing?
Even with a small amount, when ice gets on the plane's wings it can change the shape of it and because of that, the air no longer glides smoothly on the top and bottom of the wings . Which reduces the lift. Without the lift it is hard to keep the plane aloft.
3.) What is a fragmented forest?
A large forest seperated by another peice of land.
4.)What causes fragmented forests?
Some farm feilds, roads,etc.
Kaiya Trask, Jessie Wheeler, Chase Sullivan, Isaiah Sumner

Here is the dorm that we are staying in. It has 4 rooms with 3 bathrooms across the hall. It is not like sleepng in a tent outside, however, it's not plush either. There is a living/eating area and a kitchen area. They keep the temperature a lot cooler than I keep my house -kinda like the sixth grade hall! Here is a picture of the living area.

Some of you who wanted to know more about Lindsey McMillan. She has been married for 2 years. She and her husband raise chickens for the eggs! She has taught 7th grade for 7 years. We had to cook dinner tonight and she's fun to work with.

This is a picture of the sunrise this morning on the Chesapeake Bay. No, I was not up in time to see the sunrise! The team is definately sharing their work.

The first thing this morning, we had a talk by Dr. Bert Drake who is a plant physiologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. He is an expert on global warming. His talk was about whether or not we can control the amount of carbon dioxide we put in the atmosphere. There is so much that I don't know about the topic and I thought I was an informed citizen. I felt really overwhelmed by all the information.

Then we had an introduction to the project for which we are going to be collecting data. The SERC (acronym for Smithsonian Env. . . Center) used to be a dairy farm. A man named Robert Forest (How funny is that?) bought the land in 1916 and had pastures where he kept dairy cows. He sold the milk to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, which is nearby. In 1962, he died and donated the land to The Smithsonian Museum. It was a 362 acre plot. At first, the Smithsonian was going to sell the land, but then decided to use it as a research center. There are areas on the property that are mature forests (100 - 120 years old) that were not cleared for the pasture lands due to the topography of the land. Remember, topography means how high or low the land is. Some areas of pasture land have become immature forests (50 - 60 years old). There are different species of trees in each forest. One of the first trees to grow when a pasture is no longer being used is the tree that gives off "porcupine eggs". (If you are not in one of my classes, you need to read sweet gum tree here.) In the immature forest, the predominent species is the tulip popular. We found some of these on the nature trail last week.

Tomorrow we are going to be identifying trees, mesuring their dbh and locating them in a 10 meter by 10 meter square. There are 3 ways to identify trees during the winter when there are no leaves. Here's the kick off question for Tuesday.

What are three ways to identify trees in the winter? Email me what your group thinks you can use.

SERC has gradually bought land around the farm and today the Center is 3000 acres. There are alot of different scientific studies going on here. We are participating in a cooperative study among 3 research groups. They each have different purposes, but are related to one another. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow.

Greetings from Maryland

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:41:00 +0000

Good morning, everyone. It's Sunday and I’m on my way to Maryland. My first flight was from Greenville-Spartanburg airport at 7:25AM. When I go somewhere, I tend to take a lot more stuff than I need. You all told me to take warm clothes, gloves, long underwear, and bunches of other stuff. I have a big suitcase full of warm clothes. When you fly, your bag can only weigh 50 pounds. Big Al, my husband, said mine would be too heavy and I would have to pay more. Guess what? My bag weighted exactly 50.0 pounds. Of course, I checked another bag and am carrying 3 more bags with me! I know of several things I forgot, too.

The temperature was 27⁰ F. when we arrived at the airport. Before we could leave GSP, the wings of the plane had to be deiced. A truck came out and sprayed the wings with some kind of chemical that melted the ice.
Two kick off questions:
!. What do airports use to deice the wings of the plane?
2. Why is it necessary to get rid of the ice on the wings? (Don’t answer that the plane will crash. Why will the plane crash?)
This site might help you answer the kick off questions. http://www.go-explore-trans.org/2007/jan-feb/winterflying.cfm

I’m sitting in the Atlanta airport now waiting for my flight to Baltimore. I’m kind of anxious about the week. (I know, Kaylen. I need to take a deep breath!) Some of the questions that I wonder about are: I’ll be rooming all week with a person I’ve never met. Will we get along OK? I’ll be working with real scientists. Do I know enough to do the research they want me to do? Will the other members of the team think I’m a good team member and that I do my part? Will my students be on their best behavior for Mrs. Bagnal and do their work?

I’m pretty jazzed about the experience, too. I like learning new things and I think I will be learning lots of things. I hope you will be learning, too. I’ve always been concerned about taking care of the environment. I want to know if global warming is really happening. What can I do besides recycling to help the environment? I have to sign off now because it’s time to board the plane for the second leg of my journey. More later.

Later (at 7:00 PM): I arrived safely at the Baltimore airport and met all the team. We had to ride about 35 minutes from Baltimore to get to where we are staying. I’ll show you pictures tomorrow. I laughed when we left the Atlanta Airport because we flew right over Clemson and the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport! You need to go to Mrs. Fechhelm’s (it's pronounced fek-helm) blog to see a picture of the snow from last night. There is still some on the ground and the wind is really cold. We had pizza for dinner tonight. Everyone is on a team that either has to cook or clean up for the dinner meal. My team gets to cook vegetable stir fry tomorrow night.

My roommate is Kate Bennett. She is from Massachusetts - about 50 miles from Boston. Her 4th grade class is studying the southeastern states. She has three children – 2 girls and a boy. They are all in their twenties. So far we’ve gotten along great! Do you think that’s something I shouldn’t have been anxious about?

If you want me to ask a team member a question, email me the question and I’ll see if I can find out what you want to know. You can also email me from your house. Just type in my address: pbpowell@greenville.k12.sc.us Ms. Rohrer’s class thought I would make good cookies!

Tomorrow we are learning about climate change. I need you to answer these questions in your composition book. To better understand what I'm doing, follow the link shown below to answer the questions:http://www.qacps.k12.md.us/bird/fragment/species_study/JWBI.htm
1. What is a fragmented forest?
2. What causes a fragmented forest?
3. Why are they being studied?
4. How big should a forest be?
5. Evaluate: Which species shown seems to be the most suited to a changing forest? SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER>

Deer Ticks

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:03:00 +0000

Good job, students! Here is some of the information we found out yesterday.
Edgewater, Maryland is 30 miles from Washington, DC, 21 miles from Baltimore, MD and 2 miles from the Cheaspeake Bay.
The temperature in December averages from a low of 38 degrees F. to a high of 49 degrees F.
The population is around 3,500.
You think I need to take warm clothes such as turtlenecks, wool socks, comfortable shoes
that are waterproof or boots, a big coat, and insect repellant.

One of the sugggestions the team received in our briefing from Earthwatch was to wear light colored clothing because of deer ticks. For the Kick Off today, go to this website, http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/dtopics/tickborne/ticks.html Answer these questions.
1. Where do ticks normally live?
2. What disease do deer ticks carry?
3. What are the symptoms of the disease?
3. What do I need to do to avoid geting a tick on me?

Thank you for all your suggestions and good wishes. I hope it will be a good experience for all of us.

Let's Roll!

noreply@blogger.com (pbpowell) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:35:00 +0000

Good day, Hughes Academy students. I was excited to share with you about the fellowshhip we were granted. The project is called Sustainable Forest Management in a Changing Climate. This is a new project and we are the second team to do scientific research about forests and climate change in this location. The research will take place in the Chesapeake Bay region at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center located in Edgewater, Maryland. Answer the following questions in your composition books for your Kick Off today.
1. Where am I going? Give me at least three informative facts about the area I am getting ready to visit.
2. What kind of clothes do you think I need to take? Support your answer with data. For example, I think you need to take your swimsuit because you will be near lots of water.

Now, as a crew, choose one fact you want me to know today and comment on the blog. Your comment will not post immediately . It should be there by the end of the day.

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noreply@blogger.com (Earthwatch Institute: Live from the Field) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:37:00 +0000

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