Nature in the Winter

Aarna Patel — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 01:20:09 +0000

Winter, the dull cooling pause gripping the world at the end of every year, has a similar effect on nature, but the intricacies of the processes that take place during the season are anything but dull. Looking up at the sky, one can see birds flocking to warmer areas near the equator, as frosty temperatures approach, in the classic V-formation. These birds travel thousands of miles to reach their wintering sites using their innate biological sense–electromagnetic tools– and experience. The reason for the specific V-formation is based on aerodynamics: by flying slightly above each previous bird in the V, wind resistance is decreased, and less energy is needed to be expended by the birds as they proceed on their perilous journey. Looking over to the side, one can see the tree branches are all bare, but why? Trees drop their leaves to decrease their surface area in order to sustain water in the plant since winter generally lacks rain. The lack of leaves makes the air dryer (cellular respiration occurs in the leaves as well as the rest of the plant; however, the leaves make up a significant amount of the entire plant) but allows for these plants to survive the winter. These kinds of spectacular phenomena that occur during the winter make it vastly more interesting, than the dullness associated with the season.

Aarna Patel – STEAM NHS

Nature in the Winter