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Tulip Garden Update: February 23, 2001
Today's Report Includes:
- Gardens in the News
- Keeping Warm With Cold Blankets? Challenge Questions #5
- Scientists Study Snow Cover and the Freeze/Thaw Cycle
- Challenge Question #6
- Try This! Learn More About the Science of Snow and Ice
- Spring's Journey NORTH? Challenge Question #7
- The Green Wave of Spring
- Microclimates Around Your School or Home: Discussion of CQ #1
- Comparing Spring's Journey: Discussion of CQ #2 and #3
Gardens in the News
Link
to This Week's Data
During the past week, some snowy blankets have melted away and, much to the surprise of Journey North gardeners:
"We found that our tulips had emerged," say Ms. Temple's 6th grade students in Hudson, MA. "Since our reading in January, the soil's temperature increased from 36 degrees to 46 degrees. We feel that all the snow helped to keep the ground warm which allowed the tulips to grow."
"Do we need to be concerned about our tulips?" ask Mrs. Min's 7th graders in Crystal Lake, IL. "Are our tulips coming up so early because we had a very heavy snow blanket early in December that is just melting now, so the ground never really froze?"
Maybe you can help answer these students' challenging question:
Challenge Question #5:
"How can a cold blanket of snow keep the earth warm? Explain the underlying science. (To think this through, draw a profile view of your garden. In your answer, describe how and why you think the temperatures could be different at each level--under the ground, on the surface below the snow, in the snow layer, and in the air above your garden.)
(To respond to
this question, please follow the instructions below.)
Scientists Study Snow Cover and the Freeze/Thaw Cycle
You've just observed an important phenomenon of nature! There are scientists who study snow cover and its affect on the freeze/thaw cycle because it has such a significant impact on the climate and ecology of the earth. They say 55 percent to 60 percent of the exposed land surface in the Northern Hemisphere typically freezes and thaws each winter. Over the past 20 years, the area covered by snow in the Northern Hemisphere has decreased, according to scientists of the NOAA Climate and Global Change Program. This leaves more ground exposed to the cooling effects of winter air.
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Study this map of the Northern Hemisphere and find your home town. Look closely at the map and consider this:
Challenge Question #6
"Where you live, how have this winter's snow cover and frozen soil compared to a normal year?"
(To respond to these questions, please follow the instructions below.)
Try This! Learn More About the Science of Snow and Ice
- Read about the NOAA Climate and Global Change scientists' work, and the questions their research is now trying to answer.
- Also see: NASA Freeze/Thaw Project
- To further explore what's happening underground in your own garden, revisit this lesson: Tulips and Temperatures Underground
Spring's Journey NORTH?
According to students at 43 gardens where tulips are now growing, spring is well on its way. But which way is spring going? Maybe we should change our name! As you look where tulips have begun to grow, you may be surprised. How would you answer this question?
Challenge Question #7
"Does spring truly move northward? Using today's data, describe the pattern you see. In which direction(s) is spring moving, and why you think this is so?"
(To respond to
this question, please follow the instructions below.)
The Green Wave of Spring
After mapping today's data, how far would you say the wave of spring has advanced? Imagine drawing this wave at different stages over the next months as spring moves across the continent. At the end of the season, you could measure the distances between the waves and determine out how you would complete this sentence:
"Spring advances at the average rate of ___ miles per day."
- See Lesson: Mapping the Green Wave of Spring
Microclimates Around Your School or Home
Discussion of Challenge Question #1
Did you go outside and find the unique microclimates in your school yard? Bradly F. had some very well thought-out predictions. He wrote to say that sun, wind and shelter play important roles in affecting the microclimate around his school. Good job!
Comparing Spring's Journey
Discussion of Challenge Questions #2 and #3
In our last update, we asked you to compare maps of emerging tulips from Springs 1999, 2000 and 2001. Challenge Questions #2 and #3 asked, "What are some striking differences you see between the three years? As scientific researchers, what kinds of questions would you like to pursue and where would you look to find the answers?
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2001 Map |
2000 Map |
1999 Map |
Mrs. Dempsey's Second Grade Class from Dunning School, Framingham, MA, put their heads together and came up with these questions:
l. Why are there more tulip gardens that emerged in 1999?
2. Why did they bloom so close to the north in 1999?
3. How come there were fewer flowers in 2001 and 2000?
4. How come the UK tulip bloomed before the USA tulips?
To find the answer, they suggested looking:
- in newspapers on the weather page,
- on the computer searching with the word "weather,"
- turning on the television or radio for weather reports,
- checking the control tower at the airport (someone must know a traffic controller!) and
- checking with NASA!
Take a Look at US Temperature Maps for November 2000 through January 2001:
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Visit the NOAA's Climate Prediction Center for maps showing average temperatures and departure from average normal temperatures.
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question
IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-tulip@learner.org
2. IMPORTANT: In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #5 (#6
or #7)
3. In the body of each message, answer ONE of the questions above.
The Next Tulip Garden Update Will be Posted on March 9, 2001.
Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form
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