Downright balmy in Churchill

 Even though there was an extreme cold warning today again, it felt down right balmy compared to yesterday's windchill factor of -49! Nurse MacRae was able to wear a few less layers than she had on yesterday...

It was time to be scientist today. After all, we are staying at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, where scientist from all over the world come to conduct research.

We began our day once again in the classroom learning about the data that we would be collecting in the field today. Here, students are getting familiar with the tools they will be using in two locations; first in a small forested area, then in a fen (a type of wetland or bog - the difference between a bog and a fen is that a bog is fed by water that flows into it and they tend to be more acidic, whereas a fen is fed from water below the surface and is less acidic)

After gearing up and taking a short walk to our first test site, students began by digging rectangular pit all the way down to the earth. They then had to measure the depth of the snow in their pit.

Next, they had to place thermometers at ground level and then every five centimeters for the depth of the pit.

While a few students were measuring temperature and depth of the pit, the other two were taking 11 depth samples around the pit using the tool Ian is holding below to excavate the snow. Once they had the depth of snow in the tube, the recorder wrote it down. Then they pulled the tube out and dumped the snow into a bag and weighed it, this information too was recorded.

Students diligently worked together to ensure data was recorded accurately as they knew the information they were gathering was going to contribute to a schools research on permafrost in Baltimore. Students in Baltimore are studying permafrost and can't get to Churchill in the winter. Our students were gathering this data about the snow so they can use that information to see the effect snow pack has on the permafrost.

Along with temperature and depth, students were looking at the different layers of snow that were revealed in their pit, along with that, they had to analyze the snow crystals in each layer, identifying them with a chart and then measuring the largest crystal in their identification sample.

Lastly they took a density measurement of each layer they unveiled.

All the above pictures are from the first site in a small forested area.

It really was a pleasant day today. While I was admiring the scientists at work I was appreciating the sound of the snow crunching under foot. You can sure hear the difference in the type of snow I am walking on; from hard packed to crystalized and loose.

The following pictures are from on the way to, and the fen testing area:

Mrs. Russell