Since it's winter and we're getting some real winter weather this year, we set out to check out the snow in Mud Lake this morning. The challenge was for each group to measure the snow depth in an open area and under tree cover, and then check out the layers of snow in one of the spaces. Before heading out, each group made a prediction about where the snow would be deeper and they all believed that the snow would be deeper in the open than it would beneath trees.
Despite visiting different locations in Mud Lake, the groups discovered that their observations had much in common. Snow depth was greatest in the open (up to 45 cm deep), and was lowest under trees (less than 2 cm in one location). Also, we found that the layers of snow (snow strata) were similar. There were two distinct layers of ice and the students remembered that we had experienced two different sessions of freezing rain. We also found that the lowest layer was made up of snow that resembled granulated sugar.
After doing a little research in our "Below Zero" guide, we learned that this type of snow was really called sugar snow in English, pukak in Inuit, and muskowkoonawum in Cree. There also happen to be lots of different kinds of snow that we can search for during the next couple of months. We'll be on the look out for slush, packing snow, "snirt", and as spring gets a little closer - corn snow.
Despite visiting different locations in Mud Lake, the groups discovered that their observations had much in common. Snow depth was greatest in the open (up to 45 cm deep), and was lowest under trees (less than 2 cm in one location). Also, we found that the layers of snow (snow strata) were similar. There were two distinct layers of ice and the students remembered that we had experienced two different sessions of freezing rain. We also found that the lowest layer was made up of snow that resembled granulated sugar.
After doing a little research in our "Below Zero" guide, we learned that this type of snow was really called sugar snow in English, pukak in Inuit, and muskowkoonawum in Cree. There also happen to be lots of different kinds of snow that we can search for during the next couple of months. We'll be on the look out for slush, packing snow, "snirt", and as spring gets a little closer - corn snow.