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16 February, 2003Welcome back to Fairbanks, Alaska! I am back for a refreshers course on lake ice with Marge. We will help Dr. Martin Jeffries collect measurements from frozen ponds in the Fairbanks area. I am only here for a week this time and my journals will be focused on middle school students. There is so much information to share and I do not know where to begin! Actually, I think it’s appropriate to begin with a re-introduction. Martin Jeffries – an intelligent glaciologist from the
Geophysical Institute ../tea_porter_jeffries.html Kim Morris - a scientist who works closely with Dr. Jeffries on various lake and sea ice projects. Marge Porter - a witty science teacher from Connecticut and TEA parcticipant for both Antarctica and the Arctic ../tea_porterfrontpage.html Deborah Perry - an ASL interpreter from Portland And the journal begins! Why are two of us teachers working with a scientist? One good way to understand science is to DO science. The more we understand science, the better we teach science. What will we do in Fairbanks? We will visit different frozen lakes in the area. Aurora pond is a practice site for many teachers and students. Other ponds are along the Steese Highway within the Poker Flat Research Range, a 45-minute beautiful drive outside of Fairbanks. Why visit frozen ponds? While bundled up like Michelin men on frozen ponds, we will measure snow depth, snow temperatures, ice thickness, and collect snow samples. What is the purpose of these measurements? When ponds freeze, energy is released. This energy (heat flow) from ice accumulation travels upward through the ice and snow into the atmosphere. Ice grows due to extreme weather conditions and snow depth. We need the measurements to calculate this heat flow. English, please!? During colder days, people need to wear more clothes or a thick coat. The reason for this is to prevent heat loss from your body. If people do not wear extra clothing outside during the winter, their bodies will begin to freeze. This is the same process for lake ice. Lake ice will freeze when the air temperature decreases. The snow on the ice acts as a thick coat preventing heat loss from the lakes. Don’t forget to see Marge’s journal entry. See you tomorrow!
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