Journey North Mystery Class Spring 2003

Mystery Class Update: February 21, 2003

Today's Report Includes:

Data Despite the Snow!
More Than Daylength is Changing: Video Clip Now Playing
Try This!
This Week's Sunrise/Sunset Times
Note to Teachers: Plan Ahead and Mark Your Calendars

Data Despite the Snow!
Many schools in the northeastern United States were closed on Monday under record snowfalls that buried Baltimore, Boston, New York City, and Washington DC. And most other U.S. schools also were closed that day because of the Presidents' Day holiday. But that wasn't enough to stop us from gathering the third set of sunrise/sunset data from the Mystery Classes around the globe. We've got Monday's sunrise/sunset times for you below, which "neither rain, nor snow" could stop.

Will your graph this week tell you any more about the locations of the Mystery Classes?

More Than Daylength is Changing
As you plot the changing daylength on your graphs, remember that sunlight affects all living systems. The sun is at the base of the food chain. Sunlight makes plants grow, animals eat these plants, predators prey on these animals, and so forth.

As daylength changes at the Mystery Classes around the planet, stop to think about how the food chain is changing too. For example, during spring in the Northern Hemisphere, sunlight and photosynthesis increase, temperatures rise, and food production increases. The animal movements you track and the signs of spring you witness will be related to daylight in one way or another.

To help you discover these connections, here's what you can do:

A) Watch the Video Clip from Journey North's founder and Director, Elizabeth Howard summarizing the Sun's central connection to all life:

The Sun's Connection
Video Clip
Tips

B) Then, Try This!

1. Select one of the Journey North migratory species.

2. Find out where this animal fits in the food web. (What does this animal eat, i.e. what is its prey? What is its 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.

3. . Draw a diagram of your animal's food web. Use the "Seeing the Light Lesson" Lesson for guidance and an example of a food web diagram.

4. Next, think about ways this food web changes during the seasons.

5. Then, discuss this question: "How do seasonal changes in photoperiod affect my animal's food web?"

This Week's Sunrise/Sunset Times
Remember, the secret Mystery sites recorded their times last Monday, the same day you collected your own local sunrise/sunset data.

Journey North Mystery Class

Sunrise/Sunset Data

Data For: Monday, February 17, 2003

MYSTERY CLASS

SUNRISE

SUNSET

#1

06:47

17:19

#2

07:01

18:30

#3

05:43

18:24

#4

06:16

17:51

#5

07:49

17:48

#6

07:29

19:13

#7

00:00*

00:00*

#8

06:33

18:39

#9

07:57

18:09

#10

05:52

17:44

* Journey North Mystery Class #7 reported 00:00 for their times and said "To sleep at night we have to block the sunlight coming in our windows."

(Note: Military time is usually expressed without any punctuation. We have used a ":" between the hours and minutes for clarity.)

Note to Teachers: Plan Ahead and Mark Your Calendars
Here's the 2003 Mystery Class Schedule so you know what to expect from Journey North. Please be sure to plan ahead.

Mystery Class Calendar 2003

February 7- April 18:	Each Friday, Sunrise/Sunset Times are posted for the ten Mystery Sites.
March 14:	The "Longitude Clue" is posted.
March 21, 28, April 4, 11 & 18:	Interdisciplinary clues from the Mystery Sites are posted each week. (Please Note--out of fairness to all participants, we will only post the clues on their scheduled dates.)
April 25: Deadline for Your Answers!	No late entries will be accepted (out of fairness to all participants, no exceptions.)
May 2:	Mystery Sites Revealed!
May 9:	Meet Your Mystery Friends!

The Next Mystery Class Update Will Be Posted on February 28, 2003