Geophysical Christmas Carols 5

Where Have All the #Glaciers Gone

(to the tune of “Where have all the flowers gone”)

Where have all the glaciers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the glaciers gone?
Long, long time ago,
Where have all the glaciers gone?
Gone to water, ev’ry one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

Where has all the water gone?
Long time passing
Where has all the water gone?
Long, long time ago,
Where has all the water gone?
Gone to rivers ev’ry drop.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

Where have all the rivers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the rivers gone?
Long, long time ago,
Where have all the rivers gone?
Flowed to oceans, ev’ry one.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

Where have all the oceans gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the oceans gone?
Long, long time ago,
Where have all the oceans gone?
Flooded all the lower lands.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

Where have all the shallows gone
Long time passing,
Where have all the shallows gone?
Long, long time ago,
Where have all the shallows gone?
Giving water to the skies.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

Where has all the vapor gone?
Long time passing
Where has all the vapor gone?
Long, long time ago,
Where has all the vapor gone?
Gone to snowflakes in the air
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

Where have all the snowflakes gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the snowflakes gone?
Long, long time ago,
Where have all the snowflakes gone?
Gone to glaciers, ev’ry one.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

Another Geophysical Christmas Carol, this one describing the water cycle. The shallows aren’t evaporating fast enough to balance the glacier melt, though.

Interior Alaska Weather

I decided my Amur Maple was big enough to defend itself against moose this winter. Not so sure about the weight of snow, though.

Sunrise today 10:33 am, sunset 2:50 pm and we’re losing about 4 minutes a day. Only a bit over two weeks to the shortest day. The photo was taken shortly before sunset.

Fairbanks and North Pole are demonstrating the role of clouds in surface temperature today. Clouds radiate back to the surface, which otherwise radiates energy right out to space. Fairbanks is relatively clear, with a temperatures of -20 F (29 C); North Pole (24 miles away and somewhat cloudier) is at -6 F (-21C). Usually North Pole is several degrees colder than Fairbanks.

The photo is an excellent example of the ability of our eyes to see just about any wide-spectrum light source as white, as I discussed in Planet Building. When I look at this scene directly, I see the snow as white or gray-white.