Observe and think project

Scientists want to know why some years there are many salmon returning to Alaska and other years there are few. There are many factors, or variables involved in the life cycle of the salmon. Any number of them could increase or decrease the number of salmon returning.

We wonder if the river is going to flood during break-up. Again there are many factors involved, yet we control none of them.

We wonder why some years there are lots of blueberries and other years there are only a few.

We want to know if, when the loon calls, there will be a strong wind within a day.
How can we study situations like that? We cannot do an experiment. We can only observe and think.

When we do an experiment, we control all the variables. We set up the project and greatly influence its outcome. When we do a project based on observe and think, we try to influence the outcome as little as possible. If we try to observe the nesting habits of ducks and geese by paddling up to the nest every day, we will be observing how they respond to us, not how they nest.

Breakup
Will our village flood when the river breaks up this spring? The first step in finding out whether it will flood or not is to go to the elders and ask them what things influence breakup the most. They will probably identify:

* The amount of snow in the mountains.
* The thickness of the ice.
* The rate the snow melts and runs off before breakup.

While we cannot control the amount of snow, we can measure its depth. We can weigh it or melt it to see how much water is in each foot of packed snow.
While we cannot control the thickness of the ice, we can measure it daily.
While we cannot control the rate the snow melts, we can record the number of days the temperature is over 32 degrees, and the number of hours each day the snow is melting.

As a long term project, do this.
* Measure the thickness of the river ice in several locations. Do this every two weeks for two months before the expected breakup. You might have to auger a hole in a slightly new place each time, as the edge of the previous hole will round off in the current, making measuring difficult.
* Measure the depth of the snow every day or every other day from March 15 until breakup. Do this in several locations: in the shade, in the sun, in a snowdrift etc.
* On a calendar, record the days that the temperature is over 32 degrees. If you want to be very accurate, record the number of hours each day that the temperature is over 32.

Berries
We would like to predict whether or not there will be lots of berries in a given location. There are several things that influence this.
Is there a late frost that kills the spring buds?
Is there enough rain at the right times to nourish the plants during the summer?
Is there enough sunshine during the summer?
We do not control the sunshine, the temperature or the rainfall. We can, however, faithfully record them. We can also record the amount of berries in a measured location.
* Record the weather in the spring. Note any frosts after the blueberry blossoms have started to form.
* Record the number of sunny days and rainy days on a calendar.  Note the stage of development of the berries, bloom, bud, green, turning blue, and blue.
* Stake out an area in your favorite berry patch. Record how many berries you get from that area.
When you compare the information from one year to the next, you should be able to determine what makes a bumper crop of berries in one year, and lean times the next.

Animal Behavior
Science projects that involve animal behavior often are observe and think type projects.
Camprobber. We can do an experiment to test which food a camprobber prefers by putting out several types of food on a piece of plywood, and protecting it from the squirrels. However, we cannot do an experiment to determine where the camprobber will store the food. For that we need binoculars and lots of patience.  Do an “observe and think” project similar to this with birds or animals in your area.
 

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