26 May 2004 - Day/Night Comparisons

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 84

Let’s Compare Day /Night, Dark/Light Data

I am learning how to adjust to days that are really long here in the Russian Arctic. The thing that I find the most difficult is that I will wake up in the middle of the night and think that it is almost time to get up because it looks like dawn outside, but then when I check my watch, it is only 1:30 in the morning. It is also hard to go to bed because it isn’t dark. For the rest of the time that I am in the Arctic, I am going to observe and record the number of daylight hours, the daily temperature, and the daily precipitation in Zhigansk, and I would like you to do the same where ever you live. At the end of my time in Zhigansk we will compare my data to your data to see what we can find out. Before we start, I’d like to hear what you have to say about how you think changes in light, temperature, and precipitation might influence your daily routine? Is your schedule different in the summer than it is in the winter? Here is a table that you can print and use to help you collect your data; I will use the same one.

City/Town:

Latitude:

Date:

Sunrise:

Sunset:

# of daylight hours:

High Temp: °C °F

Low Temp °C °F

Average Temp °C °F

Precipitation: Yes No

Form:

How Much: cm in.

So you will need to record for the next two weeks, when the sun rises and sets, what the highest and lowest temperature is, whether there is precipitation, and if there is, how much and what kind. You will need to discuss ways in which you might collect this data. Are there tools you can use, such as an outside thermometer or pans to capture precipitation? Are there other sources for this information?

If you are interested you can look at the webpage www.worldclimate.com <http://www.worldclimate.com/> to find out the average temperatures and rainfall for cities around the world.

We leave Zhigansk on June 9, so you can attach your data by posting a reply to this log and we will see what everyone has!!

Amy

This lesson was modified from the Jason XIII Frozen Worlds Curriculum