- Xpedition Journal -
2010 Xpedition Members
2010 Itinerary
Last Updated
10/04/10 4:00 PM est
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Last Updated - 23 September, 2010 10:00 AM est
( Xpedition Team Members meet with Students from Iriboru High School in Arusha)
NOTES FROM BASECAMPXpedition Team Members met with students from Iriboru High School in Arusha yesterday to conduct a student GLOBE protocol training in preparation for the upcoming Student Research Xpedition. The training was led by Dr. Kenji Yoshikawa, University of Alaska, Fairbanks and Sylivester Chaisamba, Head of the Climatology and Climate Change Department, Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA). After a review of the GLOBE protocols that will be used on the mountain the group traveled to Mt. Meru in Arush National Park to put their re-polished skills to use. The Xpedition Team was also accompanied by Mark Brettenny, Director, GLOBE Africa, Mary Kivaria, GLOBE Tanzania Country Coordinator and Robert Lwikolela, Tanzania Ministry of Education.
( Xpedition Team Members & Iriboru High School Students collecting data using GLOBE Protocols near a water fall on Mt. Meru in Arusha National Park)
KILI DAY 1
- Park Gate to Forest Camp -
@ 914 to 2,438 meters
Cultivated Land to Rain Forest
Click on Image above for a larger map
( Approaching Mt. Kilimanjaro )The Xpedition is off to a good start. Most of the day was spent getting our gear together, loading it onto the bus. Then we had a long bus ride to the park gate. After our guides registered each of us in with the Park Guides, we were finally cleared to enter the Kilimanjaro National Park.
One thing that is hard to get across in pictures is how big the mountain actually is. Mt. Kilimanjaro gets its name from the Swahili name, Kilima "hill or little mountain" and Njaro for "white or shining". It lies on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, just south of the Equator. Kilimanjaro with its three volcanic cones, Shira, Kibo and Mawensi is an inactive volcano, part of the Great African Rift Valley which extends to the west. As seen in the picture below, Kilimanjaro is almost 100 km wide.
( The road to the drop off point near the Forest Camp )
Question
From - University of Alaska Fairbanks / Globe Alumni Watcharee Ruairuen
Why did the team choose to study Mt. Kilimanjaro? What are the factors for consideration? Mt. Kilimanjaro have become a "calling card" for the consequences of the global climate change phenomenon. Yet, beyond its melting glaciers, many wonder if there are other significant changes taking place on Kilimanjaro.As global temperatures rise, the glaciers on mid and high latitude mountains have been melting. However the disappearing glaciers of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a tropical mountain, is more due to reduced or lack of precipitation and cloudiness rather than rising temperatures. Yet, beyond its disappearing glaciers, many wonder if there are other significant changes taking place onKilimanjaro.
Specifically, we are interested in assessing the effects of climate change on Mt. Kilimanjaro's distinct biomes.There are six distinct altitudinal biomes on Mt. Kilimanjaro: cultivated areas; rain forest; heath; moorland; alpine desertand the summit.
Xpedition Video - Introduction
( The guides unload the gear and prepare for the start of the Climb )
( Unofficial Welcome Guide to Mt. Kilimanjaro )Spirits are high and excitement is building. We weren't alone, this little baboon, our "unofficial" welcome guide, was checking out all of the excitement. We are many miles from the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We cannot see the peak yet. We all wonder what the mountain will look like, how much snow will be on its peak.
( Before heading off into the rainforest, Xpedition members listen to Mary Kivaria, Tanzania's GLOBE Coordinator, talk about her first memories of Kilimanjaro, a local at age 7 )
Questions
From: Flurina - Sekundarschule Schöntalstrasse School, Uzwil, Switzerland: What's the most extraordinary piece of equipment in your bag? For me it is the drill and data logger equipment. We will use this equipment for continued measurement of sub ground temperatures on the mountain. Dr. Kenji / Xpedition Faculty Member
From: Livia - Sekundarschule Schöntalstrasse School, Uzwil, Switzerland:
You are close to the equator. What change in temperature is there over a year at different altitudes? The closer you are to the equator the smaller the change in temperature is over the course of a year. Kilimanjaro’s climate is directly linked to the elevation of the mountain. As we climb up the mountain, the air gets thinner, and the temperature drops. At the top of the mountain, what little precipitation it receives is in the form of snow. Many years ago more snow was added each year, than melted, causing the glaciers to grow. More recently, there has been less snow, and the melting is causing the glaciers (packed ice and snow), to shrink. Parker – Xpedition Student Member
From: Marina - Sekundarschule Schöntalstrasse School, Uzwil, Switzerland:
Are you bound to a certain route or are you free to choose your path? There are many routes to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. People who take the route we are using experience the highest success rate because it is more gradual and it allows the human body to acclimate to the altitude better. All hikers are required to register, use guides, and use established routes. Searching the internet, we found one web-site which describes the various routes up the mountain. We are using the "Machame Route". See the routes at: Kilmanjaro Routes
Mike – Xpediton leader
( One of our many porters starts up the trail towards Forest Camp )
Click on Orbie to check out
the weather forcast for
Mt.Kilimanjaro at 3,000 meters
We are starting our journey by walking in the rain forest. Its not really raining, but everything is damp and cool. There is a mist around us, like being in the clouds... fog. This weather is typical of a rain forest. The ground is wet. We are spending our first night in an area dense with trees and shrubs. This area is named "Forest Camp". Below are a couple pictures of the vegetation along the trail.
( Vegetation along the trail to Forest Camp )
One of our scientist, Dr. Kenji Narita, is studying the vegetation on the mountain.
Click Here to view his photo collection of plants on Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Questions
From - Saul Velasquez, I.S. 123 in the Bronx, NY:
What time is it over there? Tanzania is on the other side of the prime meridian and 6 hours ahead of you in New York. For instance, we should reach the Summit @9:00 in the morning on October, 1st, that will be 2:00 in the morning on the east coast of the U.S. (Don’t worry, we will make sure not to call you from the summit) Mike / Xpedition Leader
From: Ylliass Lawani GLOBE Alumni, Benin
What are the different types of soils you expect to find on the mountain? Kilimanjaro is a volcano and is made up of rock of erupted igneous origin very rich in minerals that make it ideal for plant growth. The look of the soil is the same however the process in which it was created is different due to altitude. There are two major components that create any soil, physical weathering, the breaking apart of rock and chemical weathering changes, in composition due to biological activity and the presence of water. On Kilimanjaro we have a wide variation of temperature at higher altitudes, the breakdown of material is caused primarily by physical weathering and on the lower altitudes of the mountain the soil is affected by more of a chemical weathering process. Think about the soil that is found in your part of the world, what processes played a major role in its composition? Dr .Kenji Yoshikawa, Xpedition Faculty Member
From: Anteneh Habtesilassie - Lucy Academy KG-Prep School Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
How is it possible to have six different biomes on one mountain? Biomes are determined by named according to types of plants that can grow depending on the geography, topography, latitude and elevation that results in certain climatic conditions. In terms of plant growing season, every 300 meter increase in elevation is roughly equivalent to moving poleward by 400-500 kilometers (about four to five degrees latitude). Hence as one moves through different elevations on Mt Kilimanjaro, it is not surprising that different biomes have developed. Dr. Sparrows / Xpedition Base Camp Member
From Daniel, in Maria De Ruiz's 2nd grade class, NOTRE DAME SCHOOL OF SANTO DOMINGO, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
How is the weather on Kilimanjaro mountain? The weather varies greatly. As you will read in our journal entries. Typically September and October are warmer than other months and it is a good time to climb the mountain. In April, May, November and early December it rains often and sometimes snows. Francis / Student Xpedition MemberWe will see a difference between this part of the rainforest and the rainforest that we will experience on our way down, off the mountain. This is due to a small rain shadow effect on the western slopes of the mountain.
A rain shadow is when air is cooled when winds blow over a body of water and are pushed upward over a mountain range, resulting in the release of moisture in the form of precipitation. This precipitation falls in the form of rain and snow on the windward side of the mountain, the side of the mountain facing the wind. On Kilimanjaro, the south eastern slopes of the mountain receive more precipitation than the north western slopes do. Mike / Xpedition Leader
( rain shadow effect )
After the precipitation is released, winds become warmer and drier as they descend on the opposite or leeward side of the mountain. The hot dry air produces less precipitation. On some mountains, this rain shadow effect often causes dry areas and even deserts to develop on the leeward sides of mountain ranges.
( View of the trail through the Rainforest )
Follow the Xpediton on Google Earth
Use the Google Earth feature below to
View a 3D tour of Mt. Kilimanjaro
View the route of each day's hike
View all collected GLOBE Protocol Data
( Topographic Profile of Todays Hike )
Below is a picture of Students gathering around and asking questions as Dr. Kenji downloads data from the ground temperature sensor positioned just outside of the rainforest camp. These sensors were left by last year's GLOBE Xpedition Team.
( Dr. Kenji collects data from sensors near Forest Camp )
Sensors were placed in each of Kilimanjaro’s unique biomes by last year's GLOBE Xpedition Team and have been taking several readings a day for the last year.
Dr. Kenji will use this data to help with his permafrost research.Kili 4 Kids
The Xpedition is proud to team up with some new friends from South Africa… Kili 4 Kids is an organization that has set its goal of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money to support 100 Aids Orphans a year. There message is one of love for Africa, the belief that all children of Africa deserve a bright future and that each of us can make a difference.
The Kili for Kids Team, seen in the image below, is climbing the same time as the Xpediton Team but on another route on the mountain. Last year’s Xpedition team had two members representing the Rongo Orphanage in Kenya, a member taking part in a seminar at Base Camp as well as Student Xpedition Member Emily.
Good Luck to Kili for Kids !!!!
For more information check out Kili 4 Kids or search for Kili 4 Kids 2010 on Facebook.
(Xpedition Members Mike O’Toole, far left, & Mark Brettenny, far right, with Kili 4 Kids Team, Steve Elderton, Paula Ellens, Lauren Carroll, Siobhan Brophy, Tracey Carroll, Paula Evans, Andrew Hean, Graham Bishop and friends in Moshi, Tanzania)
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