Snow

Did you know that there are many different kinds of snow with many different names? I didn't, but I do now, thanks to Matthew Sturm. Matthew is married to my friend, Betsy, who lives in Fairbanks and is one of my high school friends. Matthew is a glaciologist whose expertise is ancient snow.

Matthew has written a children's book called Apun, the Arctic Snow. He details the many kinds of snow, providing the Inupiaq names along the way, and he explains why Apun is so important not only to the Arctic people but to the world in general. It is a fascinating look at a world many of us take for granted.

We were taken for a tour into the permafrost cave in Fairbanks, where Matthew explained more to us about snow and permafrost. At the entrance to the cave, we were introduced to snow crystals that had grown beyond the size of most. It was easy to see them, and then when reading the book, it made a lot of sense.

Matthew has included a teaching guide with his book. Youngsters will get a kick out of studying snow, and who knows? Maybe they, too, would become glaciologists like Matthew did.