 Wind Chill - As If it Wasn't Cold Enough! Wind increases the rate at which a body loses heat. The air on a windy day feels colder than that indicated by a thermometer, and this is known as "wind chill". On a calm day, our bodies help to insulate us by warming up a thin layer of air close to our skin, known as the "boundary layer". The wind takes this protective layer away, and it takes energy for our bodies to warm up a new layer. As each layer keeps getting blown away, our skin temperature drops, and we feel colder. Wind also makes you feel colder by evaporating any moisture on your skin. When your skin is wet, it loses heat much faster than when it is dry. Taking shelter from the wind can reduce or even eliminate the wind chill factor. If you don't take steps to protect yourself in very cold weather, you may end up with frostnip or frostbite. Picture-Top: Building a snow wall.
Click pictures for more information and credits. Library: Cold/Cold Places, Health/Safety Environment, Arctic How to Prevent Frostbite Frostnipped? Here's What to Do Links: Cold Places, Arctic Arctic Maps & Weather Reports |
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DICTIONARY: Just "double-click" any unlinked word on this page for the definition from Merriam-Webster's Student Electronic Dictionary at Word Central. |
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ARCTIC LIBRARY & GLOSSARY: Check this section for an index of the rest of the things you really need to know about the Arctic. |
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ARCTIC MAPS & WEATHER REPORTS: Maps of the Northwest Passage, explorers' routes, iceberg sources, Nunavut, the Arctic by treeline, temperature... |
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ARCTIC LINKS: Even more information! Links to sites related to the Arctic and "Iceberg: the Story of the Throps and the Squallhoots". |
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GUIDE TO ARCTIC SUNRISE & SUNSET: How much sunlight or darkness is there in the Arctic on each day of the year? |
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