Journal Entry
Bad Weather - Good Videos

It is snowing sideways outside today. That alone wouldn't necessarily stop us from flying but this is a large storm that has enveloped the southern half of Greenland. Tomorrow looks a little better but we shall see.

Instead I'd like to post a few videos that have been on the back burner until now. The first is an interview with one of our pilots, Scott Price, who also flies P3's into hurricanes for NOAA. He truly is a "hurricane hunter." I'll bet everyone learns something from this video.

http://youtu.be/xK_huEbry2o

This next video we put together for a Discovery Education piece. I'm not the star nor is my future career in newscasting, as you'll see. John Sonntag, our erstwhile navigator and unofficial team meteorologist, gives a fabulous presentation about the katabatic winds that affect Greenland on regular basis. They also provide for the worst turbulence we experience.

http://youtu.be/pHYb36LzxnI

Finally, some eye candy. Here's a SE (South East) glacier video I took simply holding my camera to the window on a nice day over gorgeous scenery. The landscape makes up for my camera work, I hope.

http://youtu.be/anaMoeQP1CY

The PolarConnect event will be tomorrow at 12 pm noon, Alaska time. I hope everyone can join in! See yesterday's journal for details. Register for PolarConnect HERE!

Comments

Fri, 04/18/2014 - 16:24

Guest

Hello Mr.Hood. My name is Kiyahna B. from Los Coches Creek Middle School. I have a question. Why isn't there any snow in California? Thankyou.

Fri, 04/18/2014 - 17:00

Russell Hood

Kiyahna-California does get snow every year, but almost all of it falls in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  This last winter, however, was very dry and the mountains of California received much less snow than they usually get.  For most of the winter the jet stream, the "river of air" high in the atmosphere that steers storm tracks, ran across the northern portions of our country and then dipped down to the Ohio Valley area once it approached the Great Lakes.  This kept CA very dry as most storms stayed far north of the state.  (This was also responsible for the cold and snowy winter that much of the rest of the country experienced.)  For what it's worth, this pattern also kept my home state, Alaska, very dry as well.  We had temperatures way above normal with much less precipitation than normal.  In other words our winter was like your winter, relatively speaking.  This situation was caused the anomalously strong polar vortex that set up in the arctic regions.  Some scientists believe there is a connection between climate change and this strong vortex, but the jury is still out on that.-Mr. Hood

Fri, 04/18/2014 - 18:41

Guest

Hello Mr. Hood. This is Magnus R. from Los Coches Creek Middle School. I have a question. How do animals change their body temperature to adapt to the cold weather? Thank you.

Sun, 04/20/2014 - 04:15

Russell Hood

Magnus-This is a huge and somewhat complicated subject since different animals adapt to cold weather in different ways.  But there are some similarities between them, nonetheless.  First let's note that for the most part animals that do not create their own body heat - ectotherms (more or less used to be called cold-blooded) - are almost nonexistent in the polar regions.  Come winter, they would simply freeze solid and die.  For the remaining animals - endotherms (those that create their own heat) - there are typically four ways to deal with winter:1. Migrate: Leave the area for a warmer location (ex: most bird species that use the polar regions)2. Hibernate: Go into a type of sleep where the body's metabolic processes dramatically slow down (ex: arctic ground squirrels, most bears)3. Store food for the winter but remain awake (beavers, pikas, squirrels)4. Tough it out (most polar bears, caribou, musk ox, arctic foxes, moose, penguins)You're asking me about category #2.  Note that all of the animals in this category prepare for winter by packing on as much excess fat (energy storage) as they can before winter arrives.  It is these energy reserves which will keep them alive throughout the winter.For these animals, a part of the brain called the hypothalamus helps regulate the body temperature and even here it is done in remarkably different ways for different animals.  Black bears, brown bears, pregnant polar bears, polar bear moms with cubs, all hibernate in a light slumber (all other polar bears tough it out).  The hypothalamus slows down their metabolism greatly: slow heart, slow breathing, no eating, pooping or peeing.  But these guys are not in a deep sleep.  Their body temperatures don't drop too much and should there be a brief warm weather spell it is possible that they wake up and wander around outside the den.  Possibly even search for food though that wouldn't be necessary.The arctic ground squirrel, however, does go into a deep sleep.  Here the body temperature hovers right around freezing, the heart beats a few times per minute, it might breath once a minute.  These guys are out for the duration and will not easily wake up.  Their bodies will respond to the slow warming that comes with spring and eventually wake up.  But this is quite different from what is going on over in a bear's den.The hypothalamus is the part of the body that plays the leading role here.  It is constantly getting feedback about how warm the body is using temperature sensors located in your blood vessels.  Here's an interesting lab I do with my students sometimes:You have temperature sensors in your neck that provide instant feedback to your hypothalamus.  If your can cool down the blood in your neck area your heart rate will quickly and notably diminish (Because your body doesn't want to cool down - it needs to stay warm to run your metabolic processes efficiently.  And circulating cool blood will cool your body down quickly.)  This can be accomplished by holding your breath and plunging your face into a tub of ice water.  Sounds, fun, right?  You'll need to try it a few times before you can suppress your gag reflex but it's not that hard (but it IS cold).  Have a partner feel your pulse before you do this and while your face is in the ice water.  Even if you can only do this for 15 seconds or so you can usually detect the rapid diminishing of your heart rate.  Those sensors work fast!  Try it!!!  Your hibernating, if only temporarily...  I hope this helps.-Mr. Hood

Sun, 04/20/2014 - 21:01

Guest

Hello Mr. Hood, This is Trevor B. how many hours have you flown during your expedition.

Sun, 04/20/2014 - 21:29

Guest

Hello Mr. Hood. This is Antonio O. I have a question. What resources are you trying to find during your expedition? What would the resource be used for? Thank You.

Mon, 04/21/2014 - 14:15

Russell Hood

Antonio-I am not here in Greenland to look for resources but rather to join a NASA team to gather data about the glaciers of Greenland.  The data we collect has been and will continue to be used for all kinds of climate research.  Greenland's glaciers have shown an increasing amount of loss due to melting and this may have profound consequences for the world as a whole.  By studying how the ice is reacting to a warming climate researchers hope to get information that will allow for more accurate predictions of future climate.  -Mr. Hood

Mon, 04/21/2014 - 14:15

Russell Hood

Trevor-Every day we fly we usually fly for 8 hours.  So I've flown 12 times which gives me 96 hours of flying time.  Also interesting is how far I've flown.  Each day we fly about 2000 miles.  Multiplied by 12 this gives a total distance of 24,000 miles or one trip around Earth!  Not bad.  -Mr. Hood

Tue, 04/22/2014 - 13:57

Guest

Mr.Hood, in order for more opportunities like the one you are participating in now to open up, what would need to be done in terms of outreach and funding?

Tue, 04/22/2014 - 13:58

Guest

Mr.Hood, in order for more opportunities like the one you are participating in now to open up, what would need to be done in terms of outreach and funding?

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 10:56

Russell Hood

Both outreach and funding are critical for these types of opportunities.  NASA spends a lot (and I cannot overstate that enough) of money on outreach, which I think is fantastic.  To give you an example, during my time here in Greenland the following has occurred:-3 teachers have joined the program for at least a week.  Besides myself, there was one from Denmark and one from Greenland.-They have a full time photographer/videographer documenting the team and the science we're doing here.  I've linked to several of     his video in my journals.-They have a PR person, full time, who is putting out press releases and helping to make contact with the media and other educational institutions.-We've been interviewed by a four person Al Jazeera in America crew who spent most of week up here documenting the program.-We've put together a short weather video for a Discovery Education piece (online).-NASA also keeps a full time education outreach person back at the Goddard Space Flight Center who coordinates all kinds of outreach activities.-We've connected with classrooms by way of a chat format while in flight.  This is really cool and I'd like to this when I get back home.And so it goes.  The more young people who connect with NASA and the science they do the better.  It really is awesome.  The funding for these programs is obviously expensive (my way here is ultimately paid for by NASA).  Besides funding for a substitute teacher back home, there is my travel expenses, lodging, and food.  Even with all of that added together I'd guess the total comes to something notably under $10,000, possibly closer to $5,000 but I'm not entirely sure.  I feel that that is a small price to pay to connect both a teacher, and by extension, quite a few students to some amazing and important science.  Plus, I'll be using what I've learned here in the classroom for some time.  In other words the dividends will keep paying well into the future.  The payoff is well worth it!