Quick Rap Up of Three Days

For being at the Teton Science School for just over two days, I have had amazing experiences.  On the first day we just cross country skied for about an hour but it was still fun.  The second day we cross country skied for about six and a quarter hours while doing other things.  Those other things were snow science, observing the different plant communities (Alpine, Sagebrush, Conifer, Aspen, and Riparian), and a game.  You can remember the water consumption by A.S.C.A.R. an acronym for the brackets above.  We also learned about the snow layers how with the different layers can raise the thermal index and with the burrowing creatures that they like a thermal index of about 200.  One last thing we learned about was the relations between abiotic and biotic factors.  Abiotic are nonliving and biotic is living.  Abiotic factors effect biotic the same amount as biotic and biotic.  On the third day (the day this was posted) we learned about how plants and animals adapt to the winter conditions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Animals have to cope with C(old), H(eat loss), E(vaporation or energy loss) W(inds), S(now), or C.H.E.W.S.  The possible ways an animal or plant to get through the winter in the GYE is M(igrate), A(dapt) or, D(ie).  This is known as MAD.  They ways some conifers adapt to the winter is, increase the sugar in their cells so the freezing temperature for the water is lower.  Overall it has been a very educational trip up to Wednesday March 6th, 2013.