Scientists Still Work During A Blizzard

A blizzard blew into Churchill today. The temperature is -21F but with the wind chill it feels like -54F. It is predicted to get as low as -40F tonight. Who knows what the wind chill will be? It sure is loud outside with all the wind hitting against the building! The wind is gusting between 28 - 37 miles per hour. Because Churchill is located in the tundra, it only gets about 25 centimeters of a snow a year. During the blizzard, all the snow gets whipped around and creates high snow drifts. I hope I can stay warm under all 4 blankets.

Out in the blizzard today, I thought that the wind would lift me up and let me fly.

What is a blizzard?













Our last day of science work was filled with needle extraction. This was lucky since we got to stay inside and work during the blizzard. I would not want to have to be out there digging a snow pit in this weather. We had to remove and count all the needles from the branchlets. We had already finished weighing the branchlets. We did this for five days straight to see how much weight they lost as the moisture evaporated from their needles. We are helping Scientist Steve with his research which will show the effects of climate change on trees here at the Arctic's Edge.

What would be the most precise and efficient way to count all these needles?