Snow Pit Fun!
Hello from Churchill!
I hope all the SDS students enjoyed time off in the snow. I have also spent time over the past 4 days getting to know the fascinating details of snow. On my last blog entry M.E. an SDS fourth grader asked, "How much snow is there between the ground and the top of the snow?"
That's a fascinating question M.E.! Here in Churchill that can't be answered with a consistent measurement like, "two feet of snow". Since Sunday we have gone out into the field to measure the snow in different ecosystems. We are studying the forest, forest tundra and tundra ecosystems of the area surrounding the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC).
Snow fall averages around 40 cm in the Churchill area. However the depth of snow varies from 0 cm to well over 2 meters. How is it possible for snow fall not to equal snow depth? Wind! Wind plays a huge part in snow depth. The wind blows snow everywhere. Snow drifts are highest around trees. Trees act like wool mittens catching the snow. Do you think snow is deeper around the trees in the forest or on the tundra where there is open space?
The picture below is me in a snow pit over 6 feet deep.
few days. Below is a video that describes many of the things we do while in the field. You will hear two words in the video which you probably don't know, Pukak, and Depth Hoar.
Yes they do sound funny, but they are actually two different names for the same type of snow. Both terms describe the snow normally found at the bottom layer of the snow pack which have deconstructed their original crystal structures, and have reformed in a larger, ice-like faceted structure.
Want to learn more about snow crystal types? Visit snowcrystals.com to learn more.
No assignment for this blog entry, but please comment or ask questions so I know you visited.
posted by Mr. Thompson @ 9:24 PM
10 Comments:
The snow depth may be not the same as the snow fall b/c some snow may melt and the other snow might have already been there
KRR
The answer to the question "how much snow is between the snow and ground is there?" the answer is two feet between the ground and the surface where we walk on. The second second question is about where the snow falls father in a open space or a tundra? the answer is probably the open space because if it falls in the tundra it an land on trees and so snow would not reach the ground. But with a open space it can just fall down and land without a object in the way. The definition to cyroshere means frost or icy cold so its the portion of the earths surface where water is in a solid form. The second word is albedo the portion of the surface typically a planet or a moon which radiation is reflected by the surface.
~eHF~ (lizzie)
I think the snow is deeper near the trees in the forest because the trees might have mounds around it so the snow might form around the mounds where the snow might be deeper.
Cryosphere- describes the portions of Earth's land. The word comes from a Greek word which means cold or too cold.
Albedo- Fraction of incident electromagnetic radiation shown by a surface. .
I think that 2 ft of snow is between the ground and the top of snow.
BV
Can you hunt legally within the Curchhill limits or out of it?
Is there a lab up there?
Has anyone gotten frostbite during your field work so far?
What are the temperatures like up there?
Have you seen any interesting animals during your fieldwork?
CT
Have fun on your TRIP!!!! :D
How many hours did it take to build that snow pit?
did you us a pole or a shovel to dig the hole? do you look foward to coming home.
from,
cw4
Hello again,
it is me julianne!
how hard was the wind blowing?
Plus who was your partner?
Hello Mr. Thompson,
this is thomas g.
how windy did it get
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