The outdoor air temperature in the month of January saw frequent and considerable variations superimposed over a general increase. The coop, by virtue of its insulation and thermal mass responded only slightly to the rapid variations, but certainly followed the general warming trend. In the first half of the month, the major forces were in […]
January 2026 Experimental Results Read More »
In November, I wrote of the pools of water that have collected on top of the biomeiler. They continued to freeze over and melt open as the weather conditions fluctuated. Their presence hinges on how the weather alters the rate at which heat arrives from below and the rate at which it is removed from
Today, it warmed up to 14F. This temperature, although not objectively warm, is so much in contrast to the temperatures of recent weeks that I felt no need for my hat and gloves while running errands around town. The record cold spell that persisted through December and into January now seems to be over. There
Compare and Contrast Read More »
Recently, I had noticed a great many cars and trucks with burned-out headlights and taillights. Soon after, while on an evening errand, I noticed that the illumination from my headlights was asymmetrical. When I parked, I found it was not merely an inconvenient accumulation of ice and snow, but that the driver-side headlight had burned
Arctic Auto Repair Read More »
Until recently, I had been feeding the hens two scoops of pellets and two scoops of fermented grain, twice per day. That amount was determined over time. I began with the amount recommended by theory and modified it after patient experimentation. I watched them eat and added or reduced the amount until they did not
The chart accompanying today’s post shows the temperatures measured in the biomeiler at a height of 4’ above the ground. This height marks the boundary between the existing biomeiler and the recent extension. The data were collected by a thermocouple buried in the pile at that height at the very center of the inner core,
December 2025 Experimental Results, part 2 Read More »
As the month commenced, the outdoor temperature rapidly dropped. The coop temperature initially followed suit, but then became remarkably stable. Although changes in the outdoor air temperature are clearly represented in the coop temperature, the chickens have enjoyed a range of 35-45F. Though hardly luxurious, such a temperature range is easily tolerable by the
December 2025 Experimental Results Read More »
My suspicions were confirmed by the radio, this morning: it is unusually cold here, this month. According to the weather service, this has been the coldest month since 2005 and is the coldest December since 1980. When I moved to Fairbanks, in 1990, the winters were much colder than they have been for the last
Record Cold December Read More »
It is an annual tradition of mine to take a picture of the Sun at noon on the day of winter solstice. As a consequence of the weather conditions often present in the deep winter, this tradition is “more honored in the breach than in the observance.” I don’t consider it worth the risk of
In our current season, we often have days that are sufficiently overcast to diffuse the Sun’s light to the point that there are no strong shadows or glare from any direction. When the world appears lit without preference for direction, even ordinary sights can be abstracted into novelties. In my video production class I used