Loon Calls## Last week in class, my students were learning about the byproducts of coal burning power plants. We were investigating how mercury can end up accumulating in the tissues of water birds like loons. Since we don’t have a lot of loons in Chicago, I brought in a plush loon from Wild
The past week at the University of Florida Research Site near Healy, AK saw the optimistic continued preparation of the CiPEHR Site(s) for summer data collection despite the reluctance of winter to release it’s grip. At the beginning of the week Elizabeth Webb and I gave a presentation describing
Please take a peek at the before and after packing pictures below. Needless to say, compression stuff sacks rock. Thanks to my 6'4" high school junior son, Thomas, for adding a little size perspective to the first picture. I have taken a test drive/walk and can handle all of the gear without
Have you ever wondered how polar scientists do it? How do they really know if the planet is losing vast quantities of ice anyway? You can use pictures from satellites to monitor the surface from year to year, but the vast majority of ice is hidden from view, buried beneath the surface in some of the most inhospitable and
I am using five different methods to measure winter respiration. This is because we don’t know which method is giving us the most accurate reading of carbon loss over the winter. All methods have pros and cons (more on that later), but the more methods we have to measure winter respiration, the
This one hour webinar is for educatorson the use of video and social media tools to bring polar science into the classroom. PolarTREC teacher Brian DuBay speaks in the context of his expedition to study the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica.
What will I wear in the Arctic? Well, it depends on the weather. I need to be prepared for all types of weather: snow, rain, cold, hot… The PolarTREC folks and CH2M Hill Polar Services are making sure that I will be prepared, no matter what the Arctic throws my way. Watch this video to see what
You may have noticed over the last 16 journal entries John Krapek’s name keeps popping up under the descriptions on photographs. I often mention his job, Field Technician, next to his name. Well, what is a Field Technician? and who is this guy that seems to be all over the place. As Elizabeth Webb
A scientific report describing the results of the CiPEHR Experiment as of 2011. This report attempts to answer these questions:
(1) Does ecosystem warming cause a net release of C from the ecosystem to the atmosphere?,
(2) Does the decomposition of old C that comprises the bulk of the soil C pool influence ecosystem C loss?, and
(3) How do
In addition to Snow Pits and CiPEHR an older research area at the University of Florida research site exists. This area is called the Thaw Gradient. The Thaw Gradient is composed of three zones. These zones are areas of minimal, moderate and extensive permafrost thaw. At each of these areas
