Seasons and Biomes Day4

Day 4, Sunday, September 30
Seasonal Changes in Ice

University of Alaska Fairbanks

The van taking us to the University passes a bank thermometer showing the temperature to be 33 deg F. On our last day at the 1st workshop in March this sign said the temperature was -24 deg F!	The early morning sky is beautiful with altostratus clouds over the northern Spruce forest.
The lobby of the UAF is very beautiful with displays of science research information.	Light shines through the 8 stars of the state flag of Alaska.
Kim Morris describes how to take photographs of a river. Students will take 3 pictures of the river every day to record how the river freezes up in the fall, and how the ice breaks up in the spring.	This is our last day, and we are all thinking how we will miss the great view of the distant Alaska Mountain range.
Dr. Jeffries answers questions about establishing reference points for our 3 river pictures.	Mr. Alena and Mr. Moore establish the exact place to stand for the 3 pictures (reference point). We are using the road for a river today, to save the time it would take to drive to the Chena River.

We discovered a small tree trunk that had been cut. It was only about four inches across, but we counted the rings and found that the tree was over 30 years old.

At about 10,000 ft I look out the window of the climbing plane and see a beautiful layer of stratus clouds,
It's even harder to leave Alaska this time, as I doubt I will ever be able to come back here again. The GLOBE Seasons and Biomes has been a very special experience and I know we have all learned many new things about the Earth's polar regions and how the Earth's climate is changing

It was a wonderful experience to be part of this project and to work with such a
terrific group of concerned and dedicated people ! I shall never forget you.
Thanks for everything!

During lunch we took a quick trip to see Musk Ox at a nearby research center. Musk ox are so cool! These Musk Ox are part of the herd at the UAF's Biological Reserve and Large Animal Research Station.	Ms. Ellsworth wants to take one home. Learn more about Musk Ox here.
A group of us wanted to see real tundra, Tundra occurs farther north, OR at higher altitudes. We did not have time to drive north, but we did grab the chance to go UP - we drove up onto a small mountain called a dome.	As we drove higher we soon noticed snow along the road. And the air was considerably colder!
At the top we had an incredible view looking out over the town of Fairbanks.	The top of the Dome did have tundra. The plants here grow smaller due to the cold and frozen ground.
We discovered a small tree trunk that had been cut. It was only about four inches across, but we counted the rings and found that the tree was over 30 years old.	The ground was covered with lichens and small mosses, and other small vascular plants.
All of the plants here grow low and close to the ground. The colors of the plants make beautiful patterns growing together.	Moss stubbornly clings to a flat, exposed rock surface.
These are trees! Birch trees. They cannot grow very tall in the cold tundra environment.	Watcharee Ruairuen, GLOBE Alumni student from Thailand, was happy to see more snow! However Watcharee had a hard time staying warm in Alaska - she is not used to the cold temperatures.
Back in the classroom, we do evaluations, and planning, and other end of workshop activities. Dr. Sparrow handed out certificates.	The teachers gave gifts to the some of the hard-working workshop leaders, Martha Kopplin, Leslie Gordon, and Elena Sparrow.
Soon I am on an airplane, on my way to Anchorage, and then back to DC. I watch people board a smaller plane by walking out to the waiting aircraft.	There were hundreds of small planes parked at this airport, including many pontoon planes (on the water). In Alaska it is common for people to live in places where there are no roads. The only way in and out is by small airplane.
We lift off and see Fairbanks from the air.	On the south side of Fairbanks is the Tanana River, with it's complex braided channels and lazy waters.
At about 10,000 ft I look out the window of the climbing plane and see a beautiful layer of stratus clouds, It's even harder to leave Alaska this time, as I doubt I will ever be able to come back here again. The GLOBE Seasons and Biomes has been a very special experience and I know we have all learned many new things about the Earth's polar regions and how the Earth's climate is changing It was a wonderful experience to be part of this project and to work with such a terrific group of concerned and dedicated people ! I shall never forget you. Thanks for everything!


Teachers go through the steps of recording what's happening on a river. We imagined that the road is a river (we named it the Tarmac River) For the first picture Mr. Alena faces up-river. Then we took a picture across the river (showing Mr. Alena getting a compass direction.) Last, a view down-river (showing taking a GPS reading.) We practiced describing reference points so that we could take the same exact pictures again. Then we gave our notes to another group to see if they could follow our instructions and get the same pictures!


These pictures are from our March 2007 workshop and show how to document an actual river (the Chena River). To record autumn freeze up and spring ice break up, scientists take pictures up-river, across the river, and down-river to record a complete view. At the time of icing and break up the exact same view needs to be photographed every day. (On the left there is the beginning of a cross country skiing competition, on the frozen river.)