Scince in the Arctic

Guest

Hi this is the 4th grade students John,Ely,Summer from Port Aransas ,Texas.
How are you doing?We are fine.What is it like out there?
Is it cold?It is very warm here about 92 degees.Our year is almost over.What is the biggest animal and the smallest anamals you have seen?Good bye!

Thanks for yor time,
4th grade

Joined: 20 Apr 2004 Posts: 7

Hi John, Ely and Summer!
I bet you guys are all excited now with school almost over. I hope my
answer gets to you on time.

Quote:

Question:
How are you doing?

Answer:
I am doing fine although I would like to be a littler busier. The ice
is so thick (6-12 feet) and the northeast wind so strong up (35 knots)
that we are moving very slowly between stations.

Quote:

Question:
What is it like out there?

Answer:
When I look down off the ship I see white and turquoise snow all the way
to the horizon in all directions. If I look up I see either a white or
blue sky depending on the day. The past couple days have been sunny,
not very cold (30 degrees F) but very windy. The sun doesn't set and it
never gets dark. The snow makes everything very bright and it is a good
idea to wear sunglasses outside. We occasionally see a bird or a polar
bear. Last night I was working on the back deck of the ship and a polar
bear appeared nearby walking along in the snow. I ran and got my video
camera and filmed the bear for about ten minutes. He even stood up on
his back legs and waved his right hand. I was so excited and the film
came out great.

Quote:

Question:
What are the biggest and smallest animals you have seen?

Answer:
We have seen walrus and polar bears which are both very large animals.
The smallest animals we've looked at are copepods from the phytoplankton
tows. We can only see them with the help of a dissecting microscope.