#6: The Breakfast of Science Champions (2-20-08)

Annually public and private schools have "The Breakfast of Science Champions" at different OSU branches, including at Byrd Polar Research Center. Forty-eight 8th graders attended BPRC to have breakfast, a tour and lectures by various scientists. Throughout these activities I took notes on statistics, history, questions asked by kids and general information on the groups that compose Byrd. Data will be collected through my note taking and used by Dr. Carol Landis ( my main mentor).
Some of My Notes

• Largest *permanent* (aquatic animals are not completely terrestrial) antarctic creature is antarctic midge, an insect.
• Deep sea marine animals are more susceptible to gigantism due to oxygen content in water
• Antarctica has an average of 1 mile of ice over land
• An increase of 1,000 feet means a decrease of 5 degrees Fahrenheit
  
• Antarctica is the windiest, highest, coldest and driest continent
  
• Annual precipitation is is less than 10 inches defining it as a desert
• Katabatic winds (very strong winds) are prevalent in Antarctica
• Windiest place on Earth is Cape Denison
  
• Coldest temperature ever recorded was -129 degrees at the Russian Vostok Station
• Antarctica is called a "Canary in a Coal Mine"
• Extremophiles are organisms of macro and micro size that are physically designed to live in extreme terrains and climates
• Psychrotolerant means optimal growth at higher temperatures
  
• Polar Summer is from December to March
  
• One-half of the worlds population lives 60 miles from the coastline

There are 4 more pages of notes.
Oceans and coastlines are going to be the first impacted by global warming. Already entire villages near the coastline in Alaska had to relocated due to severe erosion.
Pictures of my Walkabout are not appearing for inexplainable reasons. Tomorrow I am going to get a new computer and it is in my hopes that will faithfully correct my problems.