Permafrost Outreach 2012

The way going to Japan, we flew over beautiful Alaska Range with the morning sunshine!

I think this is Mount Logan (5959m) 2nd highest peak in N. America.

Mount Hayes just above cloud

Seattle Needle

I download pressure transducer at pingo scar ice blister today! ice was collapsing in 25 March-12 April (see video)

Twin micro mud volcanos!

Several mounds are seen in the pond!

water pressure dropped 50 kPa during upper video monitoring period. only 10kPa (1m hight of water pressure) could observed entire this winter, then pressure must be escaped somewhere edge of the blister!

http://www.facebook.com/Kilimanjaro2012

Killimanjaro Expedition mail forum started. if you want to join, e-mail me kyoshikawa@alaska.edu

Park servis made nice video!

Dear Science Teachers and Principals,

Thank you for supporting our program. Hopefully, you are having a great spring!
Here is a recent update of our program:

1. We have about 200 schools in our network in AK now and just finish 6 schools in Siberia more later this summer! I will be in Southeast AK (Prince Welles Is. Ketchkan, Pertersburg, Juneau and Sitka) this week!! And Canadian schools in May.

2.  The time is approaching to deliver our information to the communities. We are working 400 pages full color magazine type (easy reading, but a lot of information in it!) resource book called “Temperature Book (T-book)”. This will cover many topics about permafrost, seasonal frost.  You too can be a permafrost expert after reading this! If you have a nice old village picture for this, let me know.

3. Again!! We need information who interesting about “Kili expedition”!! The Kilimanjaro trip has been a great success over the last several years. YES! We are starting to work on this years’ plan. We’d like to give many Alaskan and African teachers and students an opportunity to learn together, and from each other. The expedition will take place between September 22 and October 1, 2012. I would like to make a Kilimanjaro group (news flyer) mailing list. So, please let me know who is interested, who wants to go or who is just curious and wants to join this group. Please send your email address to kyoshikawa@alaska.edu. So far I have a information from Barrow, Palmer, Valdez.
We still need to figure out the final schedule, but this is a rough idea:
When: September 22 and October 1, 2012.
Where: Nine days at the Kilimanjaro Seasons & Biomes Mountain School including overnight stay on the summit glacier and permafrost drilling.
Who: Kenji Narita (Biology) and Kenji Yoshikawa (Earth Sciences) will lead observations and discussion groups daily.
How much will it cost: about $2000 for mountain fee (transportation to and from airport, permission, food, tent, porter, guide, etc…for the 9 days on the mountain) AND airfare from your home town to Kilimanjaro airport (about $2000-$2500 from Fairbanks)
For more information: http://xpeditiononline.com/home.html
Report from previous expeditions: http://xpeditiononline.com/2011results.pdf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Kilimanjaro2012

4. For frost tube schools, it is nice to last check your frost depth before holiday season starting! If you have a chance to check frost tube, please e-mail me the depth of frost and snow depth. I will update at your school data in our web page. Protocol and worksheet is available from web site.

5. “Tunnel Man Episode 5 (The great Journey)” release within a month! This will be a last episode and going to big filming, sorry to delay a lots!!

South winds 30-50 mph with gusts to 45 mph. spring  Chinook !

http://www.ks-yanao.ru/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3751:школьникам-нашли-занятие-до-выпускного&Itemid=28

http://www.ks-yanao.ru/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3683:поближе-к-небесам&Itemid=10

I left rainy Sitka 6am! Already sunny in Anchorage, then Fairbanks! Tanana River is completely open!

Denali had cloud on the top

Anchorage

Snow covered rock glaciers

Here is some summary from last several days village trip! All of the ground temperature data since May 2011 shows only one cold snap on january 17-19, 2012. Juneau and Petersburg was remaining some snow on ground during winter, but most of the Prince Wales Island and Ketchikan schools were snow free most of the winter! “latitude(?) remaining snow line” is somewhere around Petersburg!

Petersburg is not typical Southeast Alaska! This is town from Norwegian immigrant originally, so it looks like small fjord town in Norway.

Science teacher “Vic”, he is great teacher and best frost monitoring schools!

The road system is wonderful in this island! You can see Wrangell also the mainland.