Mrs. Roberts - It has been a great week of science on the Alaskan tundra and an even better week since I got to share my experiences with your students. My thanks to everyone!
I leave Barrow tonight, but wanted to send just a few more pictures. I took these as I drove around town this morning.
Here is a picture of the elementary school. Remember the Arctic Foxes? One of their teachers told me there are 600 students enrolled this year. There is a series of basketball games this weekend where the students in each grade play each other. Too bad I can't stay to watch that! Last year I watched kids play at the community center and a few of them could shoot some hoops. I also took a few pictures that show how the community combines art and humor, while at the same time trying to convey a useful message to residents of Barrow. I like the one about "Kids are our future". Another sign read "What would happen if we all gave 100%?" I also like the signs that you see around town showing how many miles the various planets in our solar system are from the Sun. Do you know how many planets there are in our solar system?
One sign in particular was funny. It was just down the street from the elementary school. It showed how far several locations are from Barrow. Hard to believe that the North Pole is still over 1,300 miles away! Although not on the sign, Knoxville is almost 4,100 miles from Barrow. I have a long flight, but I am looking forward to being home in east Tennessee.
Have a great week!
Characterized by vast amounts of carbon stored in permafrost and a rapidly evolving landscape, the Arctic is an important focal point for the study of climate change. These are sensitive systems, yet the mechanisms responsible for those sensitivities remain poorly understood and inadequately represented in Earth System Models. The NGEE Arctic project seeks to reduce uncertainty in climate prediction by better understanding critical land-atmosphere feedbacks in terrestrial ecosystems of Alaska.