Arctic's Edge Climate Change with Mr. Thompsom

Igloo Building and Sleeping

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Building an igloo was hard work. We paid close attention while, Mike Goodyear, the director of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre and an expert on extreme cold weather survival taught us the process.

First, we needed to cut out 50 snow blocks. The blocks were roughly 4' x 3' , 8" thick and weighed on average 25 pounds. After cutting, we then joined them together using the snow as glue. It was amazing to see the physics and chemistry of how each block supported the next with only snow to hold it together.

I was surprised to find the spiral building technique was the best way to build the igloo. I just assumed you put one block on top of the other block.

Last night three of us slept in the igloo.Sleeping in an Igloo while a blizzard brews outside with wind chill of -50? No problem. The igloo was warm and toasty with an inside temperature of around -9C (15F). I slept the night away.

Completed structure with Julie, one of the other teachers here, by the entrance. It was fun to experience the igloo building and now I can say I've slept in an igloo in the arctic.

Not Your Average Pet!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Yesterday was our day off from field research. We headed into Churchill for shopping, lunch and a tour of the Eskimo Museum. In the afternoon, I decided to try dog sledding.

The dogs are not your average house pet. They are purebread huskies. All were lean, muscular dogs that have gone through rigorous training. As a dog team, the goal is for them to run the Hudson Bay Quest. It takes the dogs and driver roughly 36 hours to cover 250 miles. The sledding was fun, but short. At one point, I was able to do a little steering. It was a quick 1 mile ride. At the end of the day, I received a certificate that said, "IDidaMile" .

WT asked, "Do the dogs like to go sledding?" Yes, they would jump for joy and yelp as if to say to the driver hey pick me I want to run! Below is a picture of me (in the middle) trying to hold on while steering.

Sled Riding!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:57:00 +0000

I heard some of my students had the chance to go sled riding last Monday and Tuesday. So, I thought this would be a good time to show you a Qamatuk.

Qamatuk is a boxed sled pulled behind a snowmobile. This is how we get out to our test sites where we dig snow pits. We all enjoy the view as we ride. It can be pretty bumpy! Tomorrow we have a 45 minute ride to get to the site that is furthest from the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. You can view the video below to get an idea of how the ride feels. Our team member Kevin McAndrew shot the video.

I haven't slept in the igloo yet. My turn is tomorrow night. I will post the igloo adventures on Monday.

Today was our day off. We spent most of it visiting the town of Churchill. Our team did some souvenir shopping, had lunch at a nice cafe, toured the Eskimo Museum and had a lesson in dog sledding. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Aurora Borealis

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:29:00 +0000

Thank you sixth and seventh grade for all your wonderful questions during our video conference today.

One of the questions asked was of the Northern Lights. To further answer your questions I thought I would borrow my fellow team member's words about the lecture we had with Roger Woloshyn, otherwise known as Starman.

"He explained how and why they appear so brillantly in the skies here. The Northern lights are a natural light display usually seen best at night and at the polar regions. The sun is a constant star. It does not change size or temperature. It is a ball of gas that makes energy all day. There are sunspots on the sun that are getting rid of energy. These bits of dust are shot off the sun and hit our Earth's outer space which then create a halo of light around the pole. The Aurora Borealis, another name for the Northern Lights, are most commonly green in color. Sometimes they are pink or bright red."

Here is a picture of Roger "Starman" Woloshyn:

For the next blog entry, look for our adventure in igloo building. Have a great weekend!

Snow Pit Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 03:24:00 +0000

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.

We have been digging snow pits for the last
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.

Time for Class

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:54:00 +0000

Sorry for the delay in my blog. I experienced some technical difficulties with my computer. Maybe it was due to the magnetic storms. Here is my next blog. Due to the busy schedule here and the need now to borrow a computer, I might be limited to how many blogs I write. I will do my best to keep you up to date.

While my family was at church Sunday morning, I was in a training class! Steven Mamet a PhD student working with Dr. Peter Kershaw (the head scientist here at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre) shared with us a summary of his doctoral thesis (a thesis is a long, many hundred paged paper that Ph.D students have to write in school). Steven's hypothesis: How does environmental change effect tree growth?

Our task is to assist Steven with gathering and processing the huge amount of data to support his hypothesis/thesis. So, the past two days have been a flurry of activity. When not out gathering samples and data in the field we are in the "lab" measuring the samples and entering the data. See the video below of our efforts.

I am enjoying this opportunity to learn more about the topics we (the 6th and 7th grade) are studying. Tonight, we will be treated to a lecture by "Starman". Roger is an expert on Aurora Borealis.

This blog entry's assignment is:
Define the following two words, cryosphere and albedo, then use them each in a sentence.

*Don't forget to post your comments so I know you are doing your homework.
**At this point, I am inviting all to comment. So even if you are not one of my students please post a comment or question. I won't post all of them but I'd love to hear from you.

12 Hours!

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Twelve hours to go, but I'm still not totally packed. :(

In my last entry, I referenced the town of Churchill and was asked about traveling in Canada. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions is, "how will you get around on the ice if there are not any roads?" That's a great question. We will use gamutiks.

For this entry, it is your assignment to define gamutik. In the Inuit language it is actually spelled qamutik.

I'm excited that my next entry will be Saturday night. I will write it from Churchill!

And the Winner for Best Answer Is...

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:25:00 +0000

Thank you to all of the 6th and 7th grade SDS students who commented on the first blog post. I received 76 responses to the question about converting temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius, and posted 8 of them.

Seventh grade student KRG had the best answer to the temperature question, and showed the math involved in conversion.

Sixth grader MB asked if I will be going anywhere else in Canada during my trip. Since I am going as part of a research team, I won't have much time for sightseeing. I will be working 12 hour days gathering data and then entering it into a computer. Our team will have one day off to visit the town of Churchill (population 963), and see the local sights.

Sixth grader, EO, asked if I would see any animals while in Canada. Yes! I will probably see polar bears and beluga whales. Churchill is known as the polar bear and beluga whale capital of the world. Not only that, but Churchill is, "one of the top ten bird watching" areas of the world.

Irrelevant Temperatures

noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Thompson) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Next Saturday, February 28, I will begin to experience "irrelevant" temperatures on the edge of the Arctic Circle. I would love it if that meant I didn't have to be concerned about the weather. However, the opposite is true. My trip briefing describes, "... the wind chill often exceeds -45 degrees C or -50 degrees F and exposed skin will freeze in seconds."

To protect myself from the elements, experts suggest lots of layers. My search for extreme cold weather gear has become a recent hobby for my wife and me. So far, snagging the new-with-tags $300 North Face parka for $90 on eBay wins for best bargain find. I will be wearing this over five other layers.

Ironically, the extreme conditions of Churchill, Manitoba has an "upside". For example, I won't have to worry about bed bugs biting. All types of "insect pests" are rare. The short days and the long nights will allow for prime time viewing of the Aurora Borealis, known as the Northern Lights.

For your first assignment, explain the following:

Zero degrees Celsius equals 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

So why is -40 degrees Celsius equal to -40 degrees Fahrenheit?