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Tracking Changes in Photoperiod Around the Globe Mystery Class Update: February 27, 1998 Mrs. Berger's 5th Grade Class The sunrise and sunset data for this week's Mystery Class report are here! Thanks to Mrs. Berger's class, for collecting this information from points around the globe. Remember, this information was recorded on Monday, the same day you collected your sunrise/sunset data. As you know, Journey North is about migration. Have you ever wondered why we are also tracking changes in daylight? Over the next months, all the animals you track and all the signs of spring you witness will be related to daylight in one way or another. We hope you'll discover the many connections. This would be a good time to look at the Seeing the Light Lesson from the Teacher's Manual. We also hope you'll answer Challenge Question #1 below! First, try this: Select one of the Journey North migratory species. Find out where this animal fits in the food web. (What does this animal eat, i.e.what is its prey? What is it's prey's prey? What plants does the prey eat?, etc.) Go back through the food web until you reach the sun as the source of food energy for this system. Draw a diagram of the food web. Next, think about ways this food web changes during the seasons. Now, see if you can answer: Challenge Question #1: "How do seasonal changes in photoperiod affect your animal's food web?" (To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.) Did You Know? Speaking of changes in daylight, there was a full solar eclipse in the Caribbean yesterday that stole about 3 minutes of daylight! In case you missed it, check out these great Eclipse Websites, and also see if you can figure out why anyone would bang pots and drums when an eclipse darkened the sky! Exploratorium: Other Ways to Think About an Eclipse Exploratorium Eclipse Eclipse '98 Curacao Eclipse Here Are This Week's Data: Journey North Mystery Class Sunrise/Sunset Data Data For: Monday, February 23, 1998 Mystery Class Sunrise Sunset # 1 6:35* 19:38* # 2 7:12 18:09 # 3 4:06* 23:56* # 4 7:12 18:02 # 5 6:54 20:13 # 6 7:22 17:57 # 7 6:50 18:24 # 8 5:53 18:25 # 9 7:16 19:20 # 10 8:25 17:00 NOTES: * A one hour adjustment has occurred in the times for MC #1 since last week, but remember, this adjustment will NOT change the photoperiod. Due to daylight savings time starting or ending in the coming weeks, you may see one hour changes at other locations. Again, remember that these changes will not affect the photoperiod. The sun stays up the same amount of time regardless of what time we say it is. * Journey North Mystery Class #3: "Well it's finally happened. The sun has set for the first time in 4 months... it was too late to stay up for." How to Respond to Journey North Challenge Question #1: 1. Address an E-mail message to: jn-challenge-mclass@learner.org 2. In the Subject Line of the message write: Challenge Question #1 3. In the body of the message, give your school's name and location and answer this question: "How do seasonal changes in photoperiod affect your animal's food web?" The Next Mystery Class Update Will be Posted: March 6, 1998 Copyright 1998 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.