More and more ice-out reports are arriving as there's less and less ice on this continent! We finally received our first ice-out reports from Minnesota, the "land of 10,000 lakes". Other students in New York, Ontario and Minnesota say they continue to wait...
Over the past weeks, as you've tracked changes in nature during spring, you've heard people mention frost, freezing temperatures, ice and ice-out again and again. Have you ever considered this question?
Challenge Question # 92
"How would life on earth be different if water never froze?"
(Please list as many ways you can imagine!)
To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow the instructions at the end of this report.
Thanks to the students below who responded to Challenge Question #72 and helped their classmates in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin with their ice-out homework.
From MASSACHUSETTS:
1. The reason that the top of the water freezes and the bottom does not
is because when it is winter, the wind and snow blows over the top of the
ice and freezes it. Here is an example of why only the top freezes.
Example: After you fill an ice-tray with water you put it in a freezer. The
wind is in
the freezer. The wind blows all around the ice-tray and freezes all parts
of the water in the ice-tray. The depths of a reservoir or river goes deep
into the underground level. The wind doesn't blow that deep under ground so
the bottom part of the water doesn't get frozen. The air is cold so first
the top of the water turns to ice. Then, the ice forms a layer separating
the air from the rest of the water. This makes the water on the bottom
warmer. Monica
2.The fish survive by staying low in the water. The lower the fish go, the warmer the water becomes. The fish can also adjust their body temperature to the water.
3.Different fish have different life spans. The range is two years to no more than fifty years.
4.They don't die from cold water, because they would swim down to the warm water. Or adjust their body temperature. They could only die if the water changed quickly.
5.Ice pushes down on the water from the weight of the truck, making the ice stronger.
6. Scientists say that the Arctic has no ice in the summer. Only Greenland ice
remains permanently through the summer.
These answers are from Billie
florence poor (fpoor@poorhouse.lexington.ma.us)
From ALASKA:
Hello I'm Christina Indahl from Sand Lake Elementary school in Anchorage,
Alaska. I am responding to challenge question #72.
1. The reason that the top of the water freezes and the bottom does not is because the air is colder than the water.
3. Fish can survive in the winter under the ice because the water is warmer than the air so they are warm.
6. Yes, there is permanent ice in the arctic, because it is cold all
year round so the ice never melts.
W. Mike Sterling (sterling@corcomsv.corcom.com)
ICE-OUT REPORTS
From KANSAS:
March 20, 1996
The Big Blue River finally thawed out! It's starting to get cold again so
it just might freeze one more time. Hopefully not! Jen Alford.
Mrs. Crawford, Valley Heights Jr-Sr High, Blue Rapids, Kansas
DTALBOT@TV19.KCPT.ORG
From MINNESOTA:
April 12, 1996
These lakes and ponds around the Twin Cities have been reported by our
class as icing-out:
Brooklyn Park ...pond... April 15
Cedar Lake......April 15
Minnetonka ...pond...April 14
Medina....pond...April 16
Braemar Park...pond...April 15
Andover...pond...April 8 and April 15...two dates due to a recent cold
spell that ended yesterday (4-15) with 2 inches of snow.
Mound...pond...April 14
Golden Valley...pond...April 12
Watertown...pond...April 15
Mr. Kust,Justins,Sarah,Laura,Tiffany,Scott,Brandon,Gray,
Breck,Minneapolis,MN
dakus@breck.pvt.k12.mn.us
From NEW YORK:
April 15, 1996
We just had a week long vacation and when we returned to school this
morning we noticed that the Rondout Reservoir close to our school had
thawed.
Students in 23FT. Mrs. Tingley and Mrs. Flynn-Brown,Tri-Valley Elementary
School, Grahamsville, NY dflynn@int1.mhrcc.org
From UTAH:
April 15, 1996
Willard Bay where the bald eagles were has thawed. Willard Bay is
not part of the Great Salt Lake. It used to be part of the Great
Salt Lake but it isn't now because they built a dike in the North
Eastern corner of the lake. The construction on the dike started in
1957 and was finished in 1962
The Great Salt Lake does not frees because the water can't freeze on
the lake because the lake has a lot of salt in the lake. If it didn't have
the salt you could ice skate! Patrick East.
From, Tommy and Patrick East
Kathy East, Eastwood Elementary, Salt Lake City, Utah
keast@ibm.net
From MINNESOTA:
April 16, 1996
The ice has finally melted on Eagle Pond, our adopted body of water. Ice
out occurred on April 16, 1996.
Eagle Pond is in the northern part of Apple Valley, and Apple Valley is
located about twenty miles south of Minneapolis, in Minnesota.
Mr. Sheridan's Third Grade Class, Greenleaf Elementary School
0196gel@InforMNs.k12.MN.US
From MINNESOTA:
April 17, 1996
On April 17, 1996 all the ice on Moore Lake was out at about 3:35 in
the afternoon. When the ice melted it was dark blue and very gross too.
We have watched the ice gradually go out on Moore Lake since the end of
March. It got really dark looking before it was completely gone.
Sincerely, Ashley Zimmer and Kristin Huber
Mrs. Stitt, 4th Grade, Valley View School, Columbia Heights, MN
0013vvel@voyager.informns.k12.mn.us
STILL WAITING FOR ICE-OUT.....
From NEW YORK:
April 8, 1996
The ice on Cazenovia Lake just south-east of Syracuse, NY is receeding.
Cazenovia Lake is a shallow lake about 11/2 to 2 miles long. Hamilton,
where we live, is about 17 miles south-east of the lake. Our students
are noticing lots of robins, red wing black birds, wild geese and ducks.
Last night and today however, we see the snow back on the ground. We
hope to report that the ice is all gone before the next ice out up date.
Hamitlon Central School, Hamilton, NY, PMCGILL@colgate.edu
From MINNESOTA:
April 15, 1996
Today, April 15, is the exact day that the ice was expected to come
off the lakes in Forest Lake Minnesota. Because of the unexpected cold
winter we have had, the date has been delayed ten to twelve days. Now
there are parts of the lakes that are starting to pull away from the edge.
Unfortunately there is still over two feet of ice in the middle of Forest
Lake and surrounding lakes.
On April 10, 1996 we reached a high temperature of 67 degrees. Big
deal huh, not for native Minnesotans. We had to wait 175 days
before such a temperature was reached. The last day this task was
accomplished was on October 13, 1995. Many eager fishermen are
waiting for June 1. The bass fishing opener. The walleye opener is
May 11.
WILL GERTEN and STEVE RADTKE
Forest Lake Senior High,6101 Scandia Tr. North, Forest Lake, MN. 55025
flsh@power-house.ties.k12.mn.us
From MINNESOTA:
April 10,1996
Boy, do we still have ice! However, we are starting to see many
migratory birds. Here is a list of what we have seen. Great Blue
Herons, Goldeneye ducks, Bufflehead ducks, Ringneck ducks, Lesser
Scaup ducks, Hooded mergansers ducks, Killdeer, and seagulls. The
ducks can be found in the open water between Rush Lake and Cross
Lake, both are part of the Whitefish chain. This water is open most
of the winter and this time of the year attracts large numbers of
mostly diving ducks.
Mr. Minerich's fourth grade class
Pequot Lakes School
Pequot Lakes, MN
jmineric@informns.k12.mn.us
From ONTARIO:
April 5-6, 1996
Journey North:
On April 5-6 my family and I were at our cottage on Kapikog Lake.
The lake is located about 20 miles south of Parry Sound, Ontario
near the east shore of Georgian Bay. On Friday April 5 we saw a
robin. Its breast was quite bright red in colour. The ground is
still about 50% snow covered, so I hope he was able to find food.
The weather was cool (about 38 F) and sunny with a light north wind.
The lake was almost entirely ice covered, and snowmobiles were still
travelling across it. The spring thaw is unusually late this year
and the ice was still almost two feet thick near the south shore of
the lake. There would be much thinner ice along the north shore.
The lack of open water meant that there were no loons yet.
We are following the Journey North reports and can hardly wait for
more signs of spring to arrive!
Stuart Ferrie sferrie@arf.org
How to Respond to Challenge Question # 92:
1. Send an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line write: Challenge Question # 92
3. In the Body of your message, answer this question:
"How would life on earth be different if water never froze?"
(Please list as many ways you can imagine!)
The Next Ice-Out Update Will be Posted on May 3, 1996.
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