Winter is back! It’s not so bad for dry, blue sky and cold in Fairbanks instead of wet rainy town… Sundog was there at horizon most all of the day which less than 5 hours of day light today. It goes more than one hour shorter another two weeks! We are approaching mid winter!! But soon turning toward to spring! Great things are we can see frequently atmospheric magics during this time of the year!!

Sundog is common here but sometimes we can see sun pillar (below). Fun part is all I can see from my office window (but window cannot open!).

Sometimes mirages on pingo or Denali!!! (these are NOT from my office!)

It’s finally getting colder and clear sky in Fairbanks. Road is still icy bad shape. But it’s nice to see blue sky. We have very little snow accumulate this after noon. Snow had beautiful dendrite plate shape! and big!! I used to sketch crystals when we had snow in Tokyo during boyhood. Today’s crystal remind me Nakaya Diagram!!  The Japanese scientist Ukichiro Nakaya was the first one to develop methods to grow individual snow crystals under carefully controlled conditions at Hokkaido University. Nakaya’s 1954 published book, Snow Crystals, Natural and Artificial, “…offers a superb look at a scientific investigation which begins with almost nothing, and proceeds through systematic observation toward an accurate description of a fascinating natural phenomenon.” It is very true that snow crystal has a lot of information of atmosphere. the other  famous word we can borrow  from him “A snow crystal is a letter from the sky (heaven).

His Japanese version was published 5 years earlier (March 1949).

Relax mood video(?!) for land slide!! (Pilot: I.Yuguchi, Camera:Tokyo Taro)

Snowmachine trip in Alaska trailer, actual video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvKd8OLsBRg

Mongolia trip trailer (same format as TunnelMan episode 5) actual video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkkAd3YfDnA

TunnelMan Episode2 Trailer-rap version-

For today, I post mainly Lower  Kuskokwim School District (LKSD)!! main location is South western Alaska —> 

Tuntutuliak

Mekoryuk, Nunivak Island!

Kwigillingok

Kongiganak

Kipnuk

Goodnews Bay

Quinhagak

Chefornak

Galena Village, This is interior! Hub community for mid Yukon River villages. (Yukon River is left.)

Galena Base side (former air force base, now boarding school!)

It looks bigger image working better! Let me know which one do you like?? to kyoshikawa@alaska.edu

If you are waiting for your village, I can speed up for you!

Here is Allakakett again!

Beaver

Kotlik (Yukon Delta)

Kiana

Church at Unalakleet

Aniak

??? I try to figure out where…Oh, Atmautluk!!!

Chivak

Hooper Bay

Akiak

Kasigluk

Nunapichuk

I am stacking in my house last two days, mainly because winter storm. I feel start cabin fever…when we are going out to the field, weather forecast is one of the biggest important issues. And blue sky makes me so happy but a storm makes me nervous. But it usually does not affect in the city at all! We do not seriously care about weather and even not to lessen the radio every moment.  BUT It was little different last two days! all schools are closed today and tomorrow… it’s kind to warm to start fire at fire place. I did make some diorama looking aerial photos for “Temperature Book” for next spring! Hopefully we can make over 150 Alaskan villages. Here are some results, Can you see these as real world or more like diorama??

Teller: Northwestern Alaska, school is blue building next of big water tank

Igiugig: Southcentral Alaska, beautiful small community, A lot of fish (rainbow, steal-head in the river!!!)

Kotzebue: hub town in Northwest Alaska

Eagle: near canadian border

Buckland: Near Kotzebue

Galena: Interior Alaska, farmer US air force base!

Goodnews Bay: Southwestern Alaska near Platinum

Dot Lake: Interior along the Alaska Highway

Chenaga Bay: south of  the Prince William Sounds, beautiful Russian Orthodox Church is right (blue roof)

Arctic Village: Interior and south of Brooks Range

Allakaket: Interir along the Koyukuk River

Cordova: South of Prince William Sound

It’s freezing rain today in Fairbanks. Road is getting skate rink, school is closed, no car on the road…

Outside of air temperature is -0.5 dC now with light rain.

it looks continue until tomorrow…

Here are other trailers!

Episode 1 -ice on permafrost-

Episode 2 -monitoring permafrost-

Episode 3 -frost tube-

Episode 4 -geomorphology-

We are still working hard! however, here is EP5 trailer #1!! Enjoy it!

Permafrost program at Mexican mountain video is on YouTube!! We do not have many films in this trip! so, it will be shorter!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJKY-CFep70