On Sunday March 5th, we had the pleasure of joining Science North on Rabbit Lake for an afternoon of winter fun and science. While Science North provided games and discovery tables set up for understanding animal life and invasive species around the Kenora area and Mosswood Adventures provided hours of fun for all ages on Ice Bikes, LOWDSA set up experiments to show the attendees how measuring snow layers and measuring the temperature of snow can help us predict melting patterns for the spring.
Using a snow sampler, we can extract a small amount of untouched snow and measure its weight for an idea of the melting rate of snow coming in the spring. If the bottom of the snow sample is dense and heavy and there is a higher temperature compared to last year at this time, we can predict that there might be a risk of flooding and damage within the area. Looking at the snow this year, there is a lot less measured and the temperatures indicate that is slowly getting warmer as spring approaches meaning that there is less of a risk for flooding this spring then in spring 2023. This said, winter continues and as we all know in Northwestern Ontario the weather is unpredictable so it is important to be ready for flooding in your local area no matter what the evidence suggest!
We also looked at snowflakes using a magnifying glass and images of various snowflakes to identify the ones that we night be able to see around us. With all of the fresh snow that we have gotten this week, it might be worth trying to identify some more with family or friends this coming weekend! :)
Next week the LOWDSA team will be offering engaging activities at the Kenora Discovery Centre during the March Break. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 11:00 am - 2:00 pm.