My Dear Students: Thank You for Your Questions III

How long did it take you to get acclimated to your new environment? How many layers of clothes do you have to wear to keep warm?

I'm still not acclimated, but I am getting better at dressing. I've finally figured out how to wear the right combination of mittens. I find I'm happiest if I can wear enough clothes that I am warm without my parka, and then I throw the parka on top and I'm cozy.

How much ice is measured per day?

We dig two to six pits per day and record density and hardness and temperature of each later of snow. Sometimes the pits have ice in them, and sometimes they don't. Without counting the VERY DEEP pit, we have moved 34,762.5 kilo grams of snow and ice in the last ten days.

Do you get to build an igloo?

I helped. You'll hear more of that story later.

What types of tools and machines are you going to use? What kind of fuel do they use?

Here is a picture of our tool kit. We also use ice corers to measure the density of the snow and instruments called ram penetrometers to measure its hardness.



Our "mass-transit" snowmobiles burn gasoline. We all pile into the boxes and get towed along six people at a time.


Why did you chose to go on this specific trip?

I got the opportunity to go on this trip thanks to a phone call from someone at Earthwatch who had read an article I had written about teaching about global warming. (You can follow the link to the article at the right.) I applied for a fellowship (like a scholarship) and got it. I thought it would be a great opportunity to see a part of the world that few have a chance to see, and way to learn about an issue that many people see as the most urgent one of our time. I'll use my own learning to inspire my students to make a difference in the world.