favorite measurements

Guest

Hi Mrs Nikula! how are you? i was wondering if you had any sort of favorite measurement to take or read. if so, what is it? i was also wondering if being out there where the sun never sets has any effect on the amount of sleep a person would get, making them sleep more or less, and if people get used to it after a while.
have a nice time!
Hana

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 74 Location: Barrow, AK

Hello, Hana!
Well, so far I have only done one of the field measurements that we do, which is the thaw depth that measures how deep the soil has thawed down into the permafrost. Tomorrow I will learn how to do soil moisture, which measures the how much the soil is saturated with water. The last field measurement is called UNISPEC, which is a machine that measures the reflectivity of the tundra and I will learn how to do that next week at Atqasuk. Each of the field measurements are done only once per week, since they take several hours (even with us all working together) and the readings don't change that quickly, so in the time I have been here, we have only done one set in Barrow and two sets in Atqasuk, and I haven't been there yet.
The other measurements that are taken are all automated and the data is measured VERY frequently, like once per second. This data is stored in computer files and when we go to the field and we copy them from the computers. Then we pre-analyze the data to remove any of the readings that are erroneous before sending it on to the other scientists in San Diego via email. I am planning to learn more about that process this weekend from Kirstin.

In regards to your second question, yes, the 24 hour sun definitely affects you. We tend to stay up pretty late, partly because we can get more done and partly because unless you look at the clock, you are fooled to think that it is not as late as it really is. I have typically been staying up until 11 or 12 without really thinking about it. Of course, I usually get up around 7 am to get busy. This is less sleep than I get at home and already once this past week, this lack of sleep has caught up with me and I slept in until 11 am. It has helped that I have put an extra blanket over my window at "night" because then my room is dark enough for it to FEEL like nighttime and I can sleep better. I'm not sure if anyone ever gets used to it, I haven't yet. Smile

Hope you are having a nice summer with real dark times and stars! Keep in touch!