University of Toronto observations

We hope that you have enjoyed your first week of data collection! Here are today's weather observations from the University of Toronto's Atmospheric Observatory (TAO). Remember that TAO is located at 174 meters above sea level, so it might be a bit cooler than other places in the city.

Temperature: 3.1ᵒC

Wind speed: 5.9 km/h
Wind direction: NW

Solar insolation: 72.0 W/m2

Thank you Orfeo Colebatch for collecting today's weather observations. 

Photo credit: Dan Weaver.

First day of measurements!!

Just a quick reminder that today is our first official day of measurements!! Grab your instruments and your red CANDAC observation logbook, and get outside to record your measurements and observations! Good luck!

Image credit: www.wordle.net.

Last day at Ataguttaaluk Elementary School

Today was our final day at Ataguttaaluk Elementary School and we cannot believe how quickly the week has gone by. We really enjoyed our time with students and teachers, and are confident that everyone understands how to make measurements and record their weather observations.

 

Niall and Mel showed grade 5, 6 and 7 students how to make pyranometer measurements outside. 

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

 

Students make their own thermometers to learn how they work. 

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

Project Launch at Ataguttaaluk Elementary School!!

Niall, Mel and I have been at Attagutaaluk Elementary School launching the Student-Researchers Atmospheric Collaboration since Monday and we've been having an excellent time with the students! The grades 5, 6, and 7 students are using pyranometers to measure solar radiation (insolation), the grades 3 and 4 students are using wind socks and anemometers to measure wind direction and wind speed, and the grades 1 and 2 students are using thermometers to measure temperature.

The older students enjoyed playing the "Sock Name Game," which helped us remember everyone's name. We've met over 150 students this week, so remembering everyone by name is a bit of a challenge!

Most of the grades 5, 6, and 7 classes have had the chance to take their pyranometers outside to practice making measurements. We've learned that the wires the connect the pyranometer and multimeter need to be kept warm for as long as possible until the measurement is taken. Everyone is really getting the hang of it! Leah and Tami's classes have also performed an albedo science lab to determine which type of material reflects and which material absorbs the most heat.

Grade 7 students watch Niall as he demonstrates how a pyranometer and multimeter are used together to detect the amount of radiation. 

Photo credit: Melanie Wright.

Darlene and Meeka's classes have been having a hoot with the wind socks and anemometers. They've practiced with both instruments and caught some wind gusts of about 15km/h. We'll be doing a few more hands-on activities with them over the next two days.

Ataguttaaluk students practice using the wind sock and anemometer to make wind measurements. 

Photo credit: Melanie Wright.

Pat and Jeena's classes have been learning how to read the temperature from a thermometer. They've pretended to be both frozen and hot air particles and determined the temperatures of various water samples. We'll be determining ideal places for their thermometers tomorrow!

Grade 1 students pretend to be air particles as the hot sun (their hands) begins to shine down on them. 

Photo credit: Melanie Wright.

The cloudy sky cleared early this afternoon, so we are hoping to see the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) tonight.

Saint Patrick's Day in Igloolik!

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona ón Igloolik daoibh!! (Happy Saint Patrick's Day from Igloolik!!).

This is definitely the coolest place in which I've spent my country's national holiday! We're having a great time here so far and looking forward to visiting the school tomorrow.

Photos of Igloolik

We had the chance to walk around Igloolik a bit this afternoon and thought that we would share some photos. According to Environment Canada it was -24C and -33 with the windchill, so we bundled up in our parkas and snow pants.

We are staying at the Igloolik Inn, which is only a few minutes walk from Attaguttaaluk Elementary School. 

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour. 

The Igloolik Research Station is owned and operated by the Department of Environment of the Government of Nunavut. Researchers mainly study terrestrial wildlife and their habitats. 

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

The radio station building across the street from our hotel is painted with beautiful and colourful artwork.

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour. 

Arrived in Igloolik!

Mel, Niall and I safely arrived in Igloolik this afternoon! We were originally scheduled to arrive in Igloolik yesterday around 4:30PM; however, our connecting flight from Iqaluit to Igloolik was canceled due to inclement weather conditions. We spent the night in Iqaluit and enjoyed a windy walk around the city, stopping at Yummy Shawarma for dinner and browsing the Unikkaarvik Visitor Centre and the Nunatta Sunakkataangit Museum to learn more about the history and culture of Nunavummiut. We will post some photos from Igloolik tomorrow!

This bright yellow building is the Iqaluit Airport. It has one main runway that is 2623 meters long. 

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

Northern bottle-nosed whale skull without the lower jaw bones displayed upstairs at the Nunatta Sunakkataangit Museum in Iqaluit.

Photo credit: Melanie Wright.

Sun setting over the city of Iqaluit on Friday, March 15. 

Photo credit: Melanie Wright.

Packing for Igloolik!

Today we are packing all of our outreach materials for our upcoming trip to Ataguttaaluk Elementary School in Igloolik, Nunavut. Checklists are the best way to ensure we remember everything!

 All of our outreach materials were organized on our office mate Stephanie's desk before checking them off our checklist and packing them. Good thing she's working from home today! Thanks Stephanie. :)

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour. 

Project Launch at Pickering College!

Left to right: Camille Viatte, Patrick Sheese, and Keven Roy at Pickering College in Newmarket, Ontario.

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

Ashley, Camille, Patrick, and Keven visited Pickering College this morning (Friday, March 8th) to launch the Student-Researchers Atmospheric Collaboration with kindergarten, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 students. Students were in good spirits, as it was the last day before March Break! It was lovely to see so many familiar faces and meet a few new ones as well. Students learned more about the Arctic environment and had fun trying on Arctic gear that was WAY too big for them!

Kindergarten and grade 1 students tried on official Canada Goose Arctic gear (parka, snow pants, boot, mitts, scarf, toque, and goggles). 

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

Camille showed kindergarten and grade 1 students how to make their own thermometers using plastic bottles, molding clay, straws, and rubbing alcohol to help them better understand how thermometers work. Everyone seemed to get their thermometers working - well done!  Keven also used a large demonstration thermometer to review steps for reading the temperature.

Keven reviewed the temperature scale in degrees Celsius with students.

 Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

Grade 2 and 3 students helped Patrick perform a science demonstration that showed how temperature and pressure affect air density, resulting in atmospheric circulation and winds. They then practiced using their windsock and compass to determine wind direction, and their anemometer to determine wind speed.

Patrick made a bit of a mess doing this demonstration!

Photo credit: Ashley Kilgour.

This year, students will be partnering with students at Ataguttaaluk Elementary School in Igloolik, Nunavut to share and discuss their findings. CANDAC scientists will be visiting Ataguttaaluk School from March 18-22, so please let us know if you have any questions about Igloolik and/or Nunavut!

Point "A" is Newmarket, Ontario (latitude of 44ᵒN) and point "B" is Igloolik, Nunavut (latitude of 69ᵒN).

Image credit: Google Maps.

Thanks again for inviting us into your classrooms. We are looking forward to hearing from you after March Break!!

CANDAC scientists blogging from Eureka, Nunavut!

Dan Weaver, a PhD student working with Prof. Strong at the University of Toronto, just blogged about the 2013 Canadian Arctic ACE/OSIRIS Validation Campaign from CANDAC's iconic red PEARL lab in Eureka, Nunavut. Read his informative blog at http://createarcticscience.wordpress.com/.

Environment Canada colleagues welcomed back CANDAC scientists for another year of measurements. 

Photo credit: Dan Weaver.

Dan cools detectors in the Bruker spectrometer with liquid nitrogen. The Bruker measures tropospheric and stratospheric gases like ozone, carbon dioxide, methane, and many more. 

Photo credit: Paul Loewen.

The 2013 ACE Validation Team and Dr. Drummond (CANDAC/PEARL Principal Investigator) on route to Eureka, Nunavut!

Left to right: Dr. James Drummond, Paul Loewen, Joseph Mendonca, Xiaoyi Zhao, Volodya Savastiouk, Emily McCullough, Zen Mariani, Dan Weaver, and Debora Griffin on route to Eureka, Nunavut on February 24, 2013. 

Photo Credit: Paul Loewen.

Photo Credit: Dan Weaver.

CANDAC scientists arrived in Eureka, Nunavut on Sunday!

CANDAC scientists Debora, Zen, Joseph, Emily, Volodya, Dan, and Xiaoyi arrived at Eureka, Nunavut on Sunday, February 24 to begin measurements for the 2013 Canadian Arctic ACE Validation Campaign. You can learn more about their campaign by following their blog (http://createarcticscience.wordpress.com/) and checking out their website (http://acebox.uwaterloo.ca/eureka/). Their daily photo journal is always filled with magnificent photos showing Arctic wildlife, the surrounding environment, and their instruments/laboratory. Below are a few photos from the 2012 Campaign.

Left to right: Dan Weaver, Debora Griffin, Joseph Mendonca, Xiaoyi Zhao, Volodya Savastiouk, and Emily McCullough on route to Eureka, Nunavut on February 20, 2012. 

Photo credit: Debora Griffin.

The Polar Environment Arctic Research Laboratory (PEARL) in Eureka, Nunavut is located 80 degrees north of the equator and 86 degrees west of the Prime Meridian. It is 610 meters above sea level. 

Photo credit: Dan Weaver.

The Zero Altitude PEARL Auxiliary Laboratory (0PAL) is about 15 kilometers from PEARL and is located approximately at sea level to allow it to measure the lower part of the atmosphere. 

Photo credit: Emily McCullough.

Dan Weaver is re-positioning the Bruker's sun tracker located on the roof of PEARL. 

Photo credit: Volodya Savastiouk.

Emily McCullough is working on the CLR lidar, located inside 0PAL. 

Photo credit: Emily McCullough.

A scientist out for an Arctic stroll. Parhelion (commonly known as sundogs) can be seen in the sky around the sun. 

Photo credit: Emily McCullough.

Pictographs

 

What a beautiful day to be back at the Nakasuk School:  sunny and +2C!  All this week we will be working with four classes that participated in the Student-Researchers Atmospheric Collaboration: Keith’s grade 1, Nadine’s grade 3,  Ida’s grade 3 and Alison’s grade 3 students.  We were flattered that many students remembered Ashley and Camille – thanks!

At the beginning of each period, students reintroduced themselves and described their experiences with either a word or a short phrase.  We heard a lot of “awesome”, “fun” and even “I like CANDAC” statements.   After that, as scientists often do, we had a discussion about the data collection methods and the encountered difficulties.  Many classes began by taking measurements together as a class, and then recorded the data in groups of 3 or 4 as students gained confidence with their instruments.  In each case, however, there were challenges that young scientists had to face.  They had to battle cold weather and strong winds, properly make thermometer readings, determine the wind direction using a compass and a wind sock and even deal with a missing instrument. 

Everyone agreed that it would be great to share the acquired data.   One way they learned to do this was creating pictographs – graphs made out of pictures.  Students colored the pictures of thermometers and anemometers and then worked together to organize them chronologically.   

There are also other cool ways to share data and we’ll explore them in the days to come!  

- Your outreach team

Excited to be at Iqaluit!

Hello everyone!

My name is Konstantin Baibakov, a CANDAC researcher at the University of Sherbrooke in the province of Québec.  I’m currently studying small particles suspended in the air (called aerosols) at the PEARL High Arctic station.  These particles play an important role in the climate of our planet.    We perform our measurements during the Polar Night by observing the stars.  I can tell you that  starry nights in the Arctic are truly special and beautiful!

I’m a new addition to the CANDAC outreach team and I’m really excited to be at the Nakasuk School together with Ashley and Camille this week.  I’m looking forward to hear all about the temperature and wind measurements the Nakasuk students have been carefully collecting over the past months!

Clear and hazy sky conditions

Source: Ashley Kilgour
Date: May 10, 2012

Source: Ashley Kilgour
Date: May 3, 2012

Fog in Toronto

At 7:00am this morning, the visibility in Toronto was only 0.2km! The fog was so thick that you could only see objects about 200m away clearly. By 10:00am the fog had cleared away and you could see objects about 19km away clearly.

This photo was taken at the corner of College St. and Spadina Ave. at 1:50pm today. Does it look foggy or hazy to you?

Source: Ashley Kilgour

Windy day in Toronto

Wow, yesterday sure was windy in Toronto! Environment Canada announced a wind warning due to winds of over 60km/hour. Many trees were knocked down. One tree close to West Prep. on Fairleigh Crescent landed on a parked car; below is a photo of the tree branches that fell on the car. The second photo, taken by CityNews Toronto, shows debris being blown around a Toronto street.

Did anyone have trouble walking home from school yesterday? I did!

Source: Ashley Kilgour

Source: http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/weather/article/200883--wind-warning-ended-for-toronto

Can you name this instrument?!

Hello student-researchers!

This in an instrument on the roof of our building (the Physics building at the University of Toronto). What do you think this instrument measures? Can you name this instrument? Do you see anything else interesting in the photo?

Hope to hear from you soon!

Warm weather in Toronto!

We are experiencing an unseasonably warm day here in Toronto. The temperature is +16 degrees Celsius with gusts of wind at about 50 km/h. How is the weather at Pickering College, Nakasuk School and West Prep? Does anyone know why we are experiencing such warm temperatures in Southern Ontario?

Home-made thermometers

Are there any tricks to making the home-made thermometers work?  One of our teachers tried it here at school but cannot get the liquid to move up the straw. 

Project launch at Nakasuk School!

Ashley, Camille, and Zen visited Nakasuk School from Monday, February 20th to Wednesday, February 21st to launch the Student-Researchers Atmospheric Collaboration with students in grades 1, 2, and 3. Nakasuk students were very interested in the hands-on demonstrations and used scientific methodology to explain different concepts. Grade 1 and 2 students learned how to make temperature measurements using a thermometer, and also got to build their own homemade thermometer in the classroom. Grade 3 students learned how wind is formed and will be using an anemometer, windsock, and compass to make wind speed and wind direction measurements. Students will be monitoring the weather in Iqaluit and sharing their observations with CANDAC scientists and students at other participating schools via an online project database. We are looking forward to collaborating with Nakasuk this year!!

Project launch at Pickering College!

Ashley, Felicia, Keven, and Xiaoyi visited Pickering College on Thursday, February 9th to launch the Student-Researchers Atmospheric Collaboration. We were excited to visit Pickering College because we knew that we would see many familiar faces from last year's project. Students demonstrated a great understanding of the science of weather, and shared their thoughts about where to make the best weather observations. This year, students are particularly excited about partnering with students at Nakasuk School in Iqaluit to share and discuss their findings. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Pickering College this year!!

Project launch at West Preparatory Junior Public School!

Ashley, Felicia, Niall, and Camille visited West Prep. on Tuesday, February 7th and Ashley, Ashley J, Rodica, and Kim visited West Prep. on Wednesday, February 8th to launch the Student-Researchers Atmospheric Collaboration. West Prep. students impressed CANDAC scientists with their understanding of Earth's atmosphere, as well as their keen interest in the ozone layer. Kindergarten and grade 2 students learned how to make temperature measurements using a thermometer, while grade 4-6 students learned how to make wind measurements using an anemometer and windsock. Students will be monitoring the weather in their region and sharing their observations with CANDAC scientists and students at other participating schools via an online project database. We are looking forward to collaborating with West Prep. this year!!