challenge qstion#1

abhishek (apaul@sun.iwu.edu)
Wed, 26 Feb 1997 15:54:54 -0800

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answer challenge qstion#1
if my body weight is 170 pounds then 2 percent of it would be
170*2/100=3.4 pounds
preety light i guess. maybe about the weight of a pen.

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title>Journey North: Bald Eagle Updates</title>
Journey North 1997: Bald Eagle Peter Nye

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A/CPB

Bald Eagle Migration Update: February 10, 1997
We begin the season with exciting news from scientist Peter Nye of New York's Department of Environmental Conservation. But first, we welcome "Eagle Eye" Nye back! He's tracking eagles for the 4th season with Journey North and we're happy to be along for the ride. Here's his first report:
February 2, 1997
"Dear Students,

"We caught a beautiful, full adult, female bald eagle yesterday along the St. Lawrence River. We 'outfitted' her with our first satellite unit of the winter, and she is now transmitting her location.We discovered she was already banded with a standard federal band, meaning she was probably banded as a nestling. I would bet in Canada somewhere; we'll see. We now have the opportunity to see where an eagle was born, where it winters, and where it nests in relation to its birthplace - kind of neat. BTW, this eagle is known as N98.
"N98 was captured in northern New York, by two of my eagle trappers, Blanche Town and Matt Barbalich. They got to the trap site a bit late that day--we are usually all set up and in the blind before dawn. When they arrived they found and spooked an adult eagle off the deer carcass bait. She must have been hungry though, because she came back later that afternoon to feed again. This time, however, two other immature eagles were there also. One was quite aggressive, continuously knocking the adult off the carcass. Much jostling and repositioning was going on. The trappers just couldn't get a clear, safe shot with the net before the adult flew off.
"Blanche called me on her cell phone from the trap site late that afternoon to tell me how close they had come to getting a perfect adult, kicking herself that she couldn't fire the net. She said they were going to tear down the set soon, since they hadn't see any birds back in a couple of hours. She suddenly screamed into the phone that the adult had just flown back in and landed in a tree! It then quickly swooped low down toward the carcass and Blanche said, "I'll call you back"! Well, it was only about 30 minutes later that I got the return call, "Large adult boxed up and ready for handling". Within a short time we had our first satellite radioed eagle of the season, transmitting data on its every move unbeknownst to her!
"I have a total of 6 satellite radios we hope to deploy this season, so things will be busy. We've been geared up and ready to go since late January; just been waiting for some cold weather/ice. It has been incredibly mild here so far, until the last week in January. This winter we'll be trapping along the St. Lawrence River in northern New York, along the lower Hudson River in 2 places in eastern New York, and possibly at our usual area in southeastern New York near Monticello. (Click here for map showing wintering sites of eagles in New York.) In conjunction with the tracking work, we're very involved in blood sampling of captured birds for contaminant analyses. Still trapping. I'll let you know as soon as I have news."
Regards,
EAGLEYE NYE

Bald Eagle Locations

Courtesy of Peter Nye, New York Department of Environmental Conservation

Eagle #N 98 (Adult Female)

DATE Time Latitude Longitude

2/02/97 19:04 h 44.342 N 75.951 W

2/02/97 21:39 h 44.327 N 76.052 W

2/04/97 22.53 h 44.409 N 76.062 W

2/05/97 00:30 h 44.340 N 76.063 W

Exactly Where is the Eagle?
Click here for step-by-step instructions which will help you plot satellite data on a map.
As you can see from the picture above, the transmitter is worn on the eagle's back--almost like a backpack. These backpacks are known as "PTTs", or "platform transmitter terminals". Each PTT package weighs approximately 100 grams (3 1/2 oz.), which is less than 2 percent of the body weight of an average bald eagle. How would it feel to carry such a backpack?

Challenge Question #1
If you wore a backpack that weighed 2% of your body weight, how heavy would your backpack be?

To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.
Peter Nye Explains How Satellite Telemetry Works
"Each of two NOAA TIROS-N satellites are carrying a computer system which picks up the eagle's signals. The satellites complete a revolution around the earth every 101 minutes. This assures approximately 14 passes over the eagle by each satellite each day. The satellites orbit 8 degrees off the polar axis and travel in simultaneous, circum-polar, low-earth orbits.
"The satellite receives signals from the eagle's PTT whenever the PTT is 'visible' to the satellite. All transmissions from the eagle are received and tape recorded, and then downloaded to one of three ground stations when the satellite passes over. Messages for our eagles are received, compiled, and stored at the ARGOS office in Landover, Maryland.
"The units deployed in New York this winter will activate every 56 hours for an 8-hour period. This is the about the minimum amount of 'on-time' required to obtain a sufficient number of fixes for proper location identification. We hope such a duty-cycle will give us one year of overall operational time, long enough to track the eagles from the wintering area to their summer ground and back again."

Challenge Question #2
If the satellite goes around the earth every 101 minutes, how fast is it moving?

To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.
By the way, ARGOS is the first company to provide satellite tracking services to scientists. This technology is a powerful tool for wildlife research and management. It is the same equipment that's used for tracking manatees, caribou, sea turtles, peregrine falcons and dozens of other species. The first eagle was tracked by satellite back in 1984.
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:
IMPORTANT:
Please do NOT answer both Challenge Questions in one message!
How to respond to Challenge Question #1:
Address an E-mail message to: jn-challenge-eagle@learner.org
In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #1
In the body of the message, answer Challenge Question #1:

Challenge Question #1
If you wore a backpack that weighed 2% of your body weight, how heavy would your backpack be?

How to Respond to Challenge Question #2
Address an E-mail message to: jn-challenge-eagle@learner.org
In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #2
In the body of the message, answer Challenge Question #2:
Challenge Question #2
If the satellite goes around the earth every 101 minutes, how fast is it moving?

Don't forget to tell us how you calculated your answers for each of today's Challenge Questions!
The Next Bald Eagle Migration Update Will be Posted on February 24, 1997.

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