Why they didn't build their houses underground or at least half underground? That will be much easier to keep warm.
They have to keep a bonfire running for days to bury a body. What do you think it takes to dig a hole for a house then?
What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
31–40 of 93 posts
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#32Where is the original story? Is it this http://www.boredpanda.com/coldest-village-oymyakon-amos-chap... or http://www.weather.com/travel/news/breathtaking-photos-colde...
Why there are two different authors on boredpanda and wired.com.
Did wired.com steal this article?
I'm confused..
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#33Interesting video about this town...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTcrIGFUq_c
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
My favourite one for 'getting my bearings' is: 28C is 82F
And -40 is -40.
The most important and useful as it makes C-to-F conversions much easier.
add 40--convert (9/5 or 5/9) -- subtract 40
or, as I tend to use,
add 40--convert (2 or 1/2) -- subtract 40.
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#35I was in Regina SK, Canada this time last year, and for a South African who'd only ever experienced ~-10 degrees C, it was a humbling experience. The coldest day when I was there was below -50C, and on one day I missed my bus and walked to work on -42C. I did adapt after a while, but I don't think I'd be able to live in Oymyakon. About 15 years ago I remember reading an article on a magazine about the coldest town on…
I tried this in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory on a cold winter day -- it doesn't freeze, it vaporizes.
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#36I live in Whitehorse, Yukon. Last week it was -37C for a few days, I rode my bike/walked to work every day. I've been out Caribou hunting in -48C snowshoeing around right near the Arctic Circle. Snag is just down the road, where it was once -63.9C (-83F) - the coldest temp ever recorded in North America.[1] I'm originally from Australia, so this kind of thing is Alien to me, and I think I do a decent job of explainin…
Recommend a brand of winter wear?
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#37Where is the original story? Is it this http://www.boredpanda.com/coldest-village-oymyakon-amos-chap... or http://www.weather.com/travel/news/breathtaking-photos-colde... Why there are two different authors on boredpanda and wired.com. Did wired.com steal this article? I'm confused..
The photographer sold his photos to multiple outlets.
I guess when you spend that much time and effort for pictures you want to recoup that as best as possible.
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#38Why they didn't build their houses underground or at least half underground? That will be much easier to keep warm.
They have to keep a bonfire running for days to bury a body. What do you think it takes to dig a hole for a house then?
You could build a home, live in it for a year, and eventually the heat from that home will act like the bonfire. You then remove the top soil (until you re-hit frozen), and then wait another year and rinse/repeat.
Year upon year you dig down, until eventually you have another floor's worth of space, then the original house becomes the top/second floor, and the new "basement" becomes a new area.
I would add that I wouldn't want soil to be literally the walls of the lower level, as frozen soil conducts away heat from the air extremely effectively. So what you'd likely want to do is set up an insulated layer between the soil and the living space.
It is also worth noting that heat rises, so you'll still lose a lot of heat if the new basement doesn't have a VERY well insulated roof. Then you could just pop out the front of the old house, add doors, and now you have a garage for the car.
It isn't that crazy of an idea. But it would take several years (minimum 3-4) and cost you a few thousand just for insolation (both new roof and new walls), and also for new structural supports if you want to do the house-to-garage thing (to hold the car's weight).
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
Virtually everywhere on Earth gets colder than Mars at times. Parts of Mars reach 70 degrees F in summer at noon.
Actually curious, would 70F on Mars with it's low air pressure feel the same as 70F on Earth (let's assume you somehow have a space helmet but no suit)?
It would feel warmer. Without [much] air there is little conduction to draw heat from the warmer skin.
You would lose heat by radiation, but that happens on earth too.
Conversely something at 50F would warm up slower (i.e. it would "feel" colder to it).
You could think of it as a giant vacuum thermos.
Re: What it’s like living in the coldest town on Earth
#40>ymyakon earned its title as the coldest place on Earth when the mercury plunged to -90.
Mercury doesn't plunge to -90 (C or F) because mercury has a melting point at -37.9 °F or -38.8 °C.
This is a fairly common fallacy from people who aren't thinking through. Thermometers used in cold places usually have coloured alcohol as liquid, not mercury.
I think most Western countries have actually got rid of mercury thermometers altogether, because it's poisonous and also because it's a too nice material to make bomb detonators.