14 November, 1997

Hi All,

Today was spent surveying an area on the ice field here at Siple Dome.   We
were doing this to find the sastrugi  that can be found there.   Sastrugi
are similar to sand dunes and are formed pretty much the same way - by
wind.   If  you have ever walked in the wind than you know that when it
blows it blows things around with it.   Sometimes they blow really hard
like a hurricane so that it destroys things.   Sometimes they blow very
gently and blow only a few small grains of things  around.   When the small
grains start building up on top of each other, they can form sand dunes.

Sand dunes are formed when wind blows sand around until the pile up in
different shapes.   The shapes depend on the kind of  sand, the wind and
the surface of the land that it blows them across.      Sastrugi are formed
when the wind blows across a flat area and takes the snow with it.   The
snow piles up on other snow until they form a small mound - some have
really neat shapes.

When Joey Tsai and I go outside we measure the area with a level, which is
a special kind of surveying tool. We find how high the ground is compared
to the instruement that we use.   Iíll bet you have seen people surveying
in your own home town.   Some use a level while others use bigger
instruements.   Next time you are out and see someone looking through an
instrument and trying to see someone holding a stick, you may want to ask
them if they are not busy to let you look through it or to explain what
they are doing.

Surveying is really fun.   You can survey your own yard or room by just
measuring the sides of it and then drawing it on a piece of paper.  Try it.
You can add flowers and trees to your yard by measuring them in the yard
and then figure out where they would be on your drawing.    I know that my
yard is too big to make a picture of so I think I will use something called
a scale.   A scale lets me draw my yard and everything in it in their exact
place and to size.   I like to use 1centimeter is equal to 1 meter.   You
may choose any scale you want.  Have fun doing surveying in your home!