1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:07,073 ? [music] ? 2 00:00:11,045 --> 00:00:14,913 KIDS: Our World! 3 00:00:14,915 --> 00:00:18,283 EVAN: Well Globey I think I’m properly prepared 4 00:00:18,285 --> 00:00:21,086 for what lies ahead. I guess you can say this coat is my 5 00:00:21,088 --> 00:00:24,123 adaptation for cold weather. 6 00:00:24,125 --> 00:00:27,826 Ah, what is an adaptation asks my trusty companion. 7 00:00:27,828 --> 00:00:32,465 An adaptation is a structure maybe a part of the body; 8 00:00:32,466 --> 00:00:35,768 or a behavior, like putting on a coat that helps a 9 00:00:35,770 --> 00:00:38,303 living thing survive in its environment. 10 00:00:38,305 --> 00:00:41,875 Some adaptations help living things meet their needs. 11 00:00:41,876 --> 00:00:45,478 Others keep them safe. Still others help living things 12 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:48,871 live in different climates. And believe me, I’m going to 13 00:00:48,873 --> 00:00:51,138 need this adaptation where we’re headed. We’re going to 14 00:00:51,140 --> 00:00:55,055 study winter, the history of winter. 15 00:00:55,056 --> 00:01:00,760 Once a year since 2001, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 16 00:01:00,761 --> 00:01:03,161 helps host the History of Winter Program 17 00:01:03,163 --> 00:01:06,298 in Lake Placid, New York. Lake placid is in the 18 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:08,768 Adriondack Mountains in New York. 19 00:01:08,770 --> 00:01:11,705 This area gets the more snowfall than any other region 20 00:01:11,706 --> 00:01:14,106 in the state. That makes it a 21 00:01:14,108 --> 00:01:16,608 really good place to study winter. 22 00:01:16,610 --> 00:01:19,311 Well, you might be wondering why would NASA want 23 00:01:19,313 --> 00:01:21,413 to study winter? 24 00:01:21,415 --> 00:01:24,383 Well, because learning about what lies beneath the snow and 25 00:01:24,385 --> 00:01:27,686 ice helps us learn about what’s occurring in our world. 26 00:01:27,688 --> 00:01:31,523 An important part of NASA’s involves studying Earth. 27 00:01:31,525 --> 00:01:34,893 NASA’s very interested in what’s happening both on 28 00:01:34,895 --> 00:01:38,398 and around our home planet. 29 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:43,101 Looking into a snow and ice biome allows scientist to study 30 00:01:43,103 --> 00:01:45,505 plants and animals that live there. 31 00:01:45,506 --> 00:01:49,808 A Biome is an area where plants and animals live. 32 00:01:49,810 --> 00:01:53,720 Winter biomes can be very harsh, so the plants and 33 00:01:53,721 --> 00:01:55,848 animals that live there may need some special 34 00:01:55,850 --> 00:02:00,120 adaptations to survive. Let’s hear more from an expert: 35 00:02:00,121 --> 00:02:02,455 MARY HINDELANG: Well it’s a different challenge during 36 00:02:02,456 --> 00:02:05,930 winter for all species to live 37 00:02:05,931 --> 00:02:08,935 and survive and find their way of making a living. 38 00:02:08,936 --> 00:02:13,400 So in the snow biomes, it gives us a different perspective on 39 00:02:13,401 --> 00:02:19,671 now difficult and how important those critical adaptations are. 40 00:02:19,673 --> 00:02:24,076 Where they have to deal in a big way in their lives in areas 41 00:02:24,078 --> 00:02:26,618 where there’s snow and ice and cold a good 42 00:02:26,620 --> 00:02:28,948 portion of the year. 43 00:02:28,950 --> 00:02:31,851 EVAN: So what kind of life can you find in the snow? 44 00:02:31,853 --> 00:02:35,155 MARY: Some of the animals that live above the snow on a 45 00:02:35,156 --> 00:02:38,358 regular basis are caribou, arctic hare. 46 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,728 And then some of the animals that take advantage of living 47 00:02:41,730 --> 00:02:45,531 under the snow are things like arctic ground squirrels, 48 00:02:45,533 --> 00:02:49,668 all the little invertebrates; meto-voles are perfect at 49 00:02:49,670 --> 00:02:52,005 living under the snow. 50 00:02:52,006 --> 00:02:55,848 Some birds like Ptarmigan and Grouse, they’ll nestle 51 00:02:55,850 --> 00:02:59,378 themselves in the top of snow pack and actually stay in there 52 00:02:59,380 --> 00:03:02,181 for many days and ride out a blizzard. 53 00:03:02,183 --> 00:03:06,853 So there are a lot of animals on a regular basis do very well 54 00:03:06,855 --> 00:03:09,721 living through the winter in snow pack. 55 00:03:09,723 --> 00:03:12,591 EVAN: So some of the adaptation these animals use 56 00:03:12,593 --> 00:03:15,728 help them find shelter. What other adaptations might 57 00:03:15,730 --> 00:03:18,765 you see in a winter biome? Do these animals have to do what I 58 00:03:18,766 --> 00:03:21,100 did and pull out their winter coats? 59 00:03:21,101 --> 00:03:25,171 MARY: Some of the animals like canids, the dog species, 60 00:03:25,173 --> 00:03:29,708 wolves and fox; they put on an extra coats. 61 00:03:29,710 --> 00:03:33,515 They have an insulating long hair and they’re very 62 00:03:33,516 --> 00:03:35,781 well adapted to the winter. 63 00:03:35,783 --> 00:03:40,020 Little invertebrates and frogs create a chemical 64 00:03:40,021 --> 00:03:43,356 and can withstand from freezing solid. 65 00:03:43,358 --> 00:03:46,291 And they won’t rupture their cells because they have kind 66 00:03:46,293 --> 00:03:48,795 of like an antifreeze that we use in our cars 67 00:03:48,796 --> 00:03:51,463 to keep the cells from rupturing. 68 00:03:51,465 --> 00:03:54,833 EVAN: Frogs have a type of internal antifreeze. How ‘bout 69 00:03:54,835 --> 00:03:58,003 that! What are some other adaptive wonders of nature? 70 00:03:58,005 --> 00:04:01,173 MARY: Some important adaptations for example in 71 00:04:01,175 --> 00:04:04,476 snowshoe hare is they have very large feet. 72 00:04:04,478 --> 00:04:06,780 It’s almost like they have snow shoes on. 73 00:04:06,781 --> 00:04:09,170 It gives them a little bit extra the ability 74 00:04:09,171 --> 00:04:11,321 to be on top of the snow. EVAN: So now that we know how 75 00:04:11,323 --> 00:04:14,053 animals adapt to the cold. But I bet with a little more 76 00:04:14,055 --> 00:04:17,156 research, you could find more cool adaptations. 77 00:04:17,158 --> 00:04:19,925 But how do scientists go about studying all this? 78 00:04:19,926 --> 00:04:22,695 They build a snowpit. 79 00:04:22,696 --> 00:04:26,565 MARY: In order to study some of the different properties 80 00:04:26,566 --> 00:04:31,671 of snow, we can dig a nice smooth surface straight down 81 00:04:31,673 --> 00:04:35,508 so can actually see that it’s a record of the entire winter 82 00:04:35,510 --> 00:04:37,843 from top to bottom. 83 00:04:37,845 --> 00:04:41,246 And the top would be the most recent snow falls, and the 84 00:04:41,248 --> 00:04:43,950 bottom would be the very start of winter when the first 85 00:04:43,951 --> 00:04:47,620 snowfall fell. You might be able to see everyday, 86 00:04:47,621 --> 00:04:50,323 but it gives you a week by week, or event 87 00:04:50,325 --> 00:04:53,125 by event record of the entire winter. 88 00:04:53,126 --> 00:04:56,428 EVAN: So what can we learn from studying these snowpits? 89 00:04:56,430 --> 00:04:59,166 MARY: If you look at a snow pit, you have a whole record 90 00:04:59,168 --> 00:05:02,468 of what happened through the winter. And that gives you 91 00:05:02,470 --> 00:05:07,173 some idea of how the animals that live at the bottom can 92 00:05:07,175 --> 00:05:10,776 take advantage of that structure of snow. 93 00:05:10,778 --> 00:05:15,881 Snow pits are good not only to understand how snow falls and 94 00:05:15,883 --> 00:05:19,185 what the record is, but also to see how animals that live 95 00:05:19,186 --> 00:05:22,621 within that snow pack can make it through the winter. 96 00:05:22,623 --> 00:05:25,791 EVAN: Wow Globey. NASA’s History of Winter program 97 00:05:25,793 --> 00:05:28,226 is awesome. And anyone can get involved. 98 00:05:28,228 --> 00:05:30,963 Just got to the history of winter website. 99 00:05:30,965 --> 00:05:35,136 Just one more question. Next year, Can I come? 100 00:05:37,338 --> 00:05:40,973 ? [music] ? 101 00:05:45,126 --> 00:05:48,683 KIDS: Our World! 102 00:05:48,685 --> 00:05:55,021 .