Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/07/2009 - 11:33

Hi Heidi, We were happy to see that you arrived safely where you will be working. The students loved the Turkey Trot video and were especially warmed by your greeting to James Monroe! I wish I could have joined you for that wonderful dinner...I would have needed to run afterwards for sure. As we read the last journal entry we noticed that you mentioned cores were stored over the winter because they were too "brittle" to move. Can you explain to the students what that means?
It is up to 27 F here today (at noon) so the students are feeling a real kinship with you...especially since our postcards started arriving on Friday! The kids and I love them. The penguin postmark put us right in the mood to use the "Penguin Science" website and watch the eggs hatch. Keep up the good work. Hugs, Barney

Heidi Roop

For more info you can see the response to Claire Brown. You can also learn about warm ice there too!  Here is the a bit about brittle ice:
Brittle ice has the tendency to crack once it is removed from the borehole. This happens because the pressure in the bubbles in the ice is greater than the pressure at the surface due to the weight the ice sheet, which compresses the bubbles. So, when the ice is removed and re-enters a low-pressure environment as we take it out of the borehole, it breaks or pops.
Thanks for following along James Monroe! I hope to see you when I return to the United States! Stay warm, it sounds chilly in Washington.
Cheers,
Heidi