Human Variation & Race

COLD

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada: My Hometown

Reaching -56 with wind-chill

Now don’t get me wrong! Saskatoon is beautiful in the winter; it’s just unbearable to head outside without your bunny hug, toque and boots on! For those that may not know what a “bunny hug” is, it’s a jacket and a “toque” is like a beanie… except it’s lined with special layers to keep your head excessively warm. Like I said, winter can be beautiful in my hometown…

But the novelty shortly wears off quickly, unless you stay inside most of the winter!

Environmental Stresses of living in the Cold!

Sure it may be fun to have snow for Christmas, it may be fun to make snow angels and snowmen but there are also factors of the cold environment that can harm human beings. Such things include: Hypothermia, trench foot, frostbite, vasoconstriction and an increase in metabolic response to the cold. Lots of these factors given can result in colds (flu’s of the worst kind!), amputation of limbs and even death. There have also been studies that show exposure to cold climate increases blood pressure, which may be a fact contributing to the greater mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease and stroke, observed in winter. Therefore we can say that environmental stress of cold climates, such as Saskatoon, negatively impacts the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis.  

Interesting Fact:

Physically fit persons do better in cold than the inactive or the unfit. Subcutaneous fat is particularly beneficial in cold water. Successful swimmers of the English Channel (or more recently Cuba to Florida) tend to be women with thick fat layers. Central Australian Aborigines can sleep in the nude unperturbed at temperatures close to freezing.

Article Read:

Saskatchewan blizzard of 2007

The Saskatchewan Blizzard of 2007 was a winter storm that struck northeastern British Columbia, central Alberta and central Saskatchewan on Wednesday, January 10, 2007. The storm hit the city of Saskatoon severely and is considered to be one of the worst storms in Saskatchewan's history. It brought motor vehicle traffic to a standstill, stranded people and shut down many public services. There were two fatalities from the storm.

City streets in Saskatoon were also clogged with snow, slowing traffic. Some roads in the city's outer periphery were impassable due to high drifts. 14 major intersections were closed or deemed impassable.

All branches of Saskatoon's public library closed in the afternoon as did city leisure facilities, indoor skating rinks and public schools. Several businesses allowed their employees to go home early, while the University of Saskatchewan shut down along with SIAST Kelsey campus and government agencies. Hotels were filled with stranded travellers and city residents who could not drive home because of the inclement conditions. Some people resorted to taking refuge overnight in businesses such as Costco.

Emergency services spent the day responding to accidents, rescuing stranded motorists from stuck vehicles, and closing roads. SaskTel's cellular telephone network was overloaded with calls, prompting the Saskatoon fire department to urge the public to refrain from using mobile phones all in but emergency situations.

Two people died in the storm. An 18-year-old man and 38-year-old woman, both from the Onion Lake Cree Nation, were caught in the blizzard and died from hypothermia after attempting to walk home from their vehicle.

The single day record snowfall in Saskatoon for the date of January 10 was shattered by this storm. 25 centimeters (9.8 in) of snow fell during the blizzard, far surpassing the old record of 10.2 centimeters (4.0 in) set back in 1938.

Short Term Adaptions:

When the environment is very cold, life can depend on the ability of our bodies to reduce heat loss and to increase internal heat production.  Many people living in freezing climates drink alcohol to warm themselves (Everybody loves a little brandy by the fireplace!). This increases blood flow to the body extremities, thereby providing a feeling of warmth.  However, it results only in a temporary warming and can speed up the loss of heat from the vital internal organs, resulting in more rapid death from hypothermia. Shivering can also cause a short-term warming effect. The increased muscle activity in shivering results in some heat production.

Facultative:

What happens in cold weather is most of your body’s energy is used to keep your internal temperature warm. In other words, your “core”: chest and abdomen. So the blood will begin to shift from your hands, feet, arms and legs and into your core, allowing these extremities of the body to cool rapidly and increase your risk of hypothermia and frostbite. This process of heating your core is known as vasoconstriction. In a more “medical” way to describe the process is: the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, particularly the large arteries and small arterioles. When blood vessels constrict, the flow of blood is restricted or decreased, thus, retaining body heat or increasing vascular resistance. This makes the skin turn paler because less blood reaches the surface, reducing the radiation of heat. And when discussing reduction in the metabolic response to cold, it may be caused by a change in either the threshold for onset of shivering, or in the sensitivity (gain) of the shivering response, or both.

Developmental:

Body size and shape are significant factors in how efficiently an individual responds physiologically to cold climates. 

In 1877, the American biologist Joel Allen went further than Bergmann in observing that the “length of arms, legs, and other appendages also has an effect on the amount of heat lost to the surrounding environment. He noted that among warm-blooded animals, individuals in populations of the same species living in warm climates near the equator tend to have longer limbs than do populations living further away from the equator in colder environments.  This is due to the fact that a body with relatively long appendages is less compact and subsequently has more surface area.  The greater the surface area, the faster body heat will be lost to the environment”.  This same idea can be observed among humans.  Members of the Masai tribe of East Africa are normally tall and have slender bodies with long limbs that assist in the loss of body heat.  This is an optimal body shape in the hot tropical parts of the world but it would be a disadvantage in subarctic regions.  In such extremely cold environments, a stocky body with short appendages would be more efficient at maintaining body heat because it would have relatively less surface area compared to body mass.

People, who are regularly exposed to cold in their natural habitat, have been reported to exhibit less pronounced shivering, a greater fall in body temperature creating a hypometabolic and hypothermic type of adaption.

Cultural:

This by far has to be the most exciting adaptions us Canadians have! I figured I would expand on the Saskatechwanians, since I’ve experienced 18 years of their winters! I mean it’s neat to read about how human bodies adapt, but it’s much more fun to think about how creative cultures gets when staying warm! Here are just a few things as Saskatoonians consider in the cold months:

Diet:

Warm foods consisting of soups, anything oven roasted, and poutines. Poutines you ask? It’s a Canadian specialty that consists of gravy, curds of cheese and thick wedge potatoes (also know as fries).

Every time I go up to Canada for a visit, I enjoy one of these heart attacks on a plate.

Clothing:

1. Long-Johns

2. Mukluks

3. Snow Shoes

4. Ski-pants

5. Ski-Goggles

6. Parkas

7. 3 pairs of socks on (at the same time)

8. Bunnyhug’s

9. Toque

10. Mittens with heating packs sew in

Activities:

When enjoying activities in extremely cold climates, one usually does activities that will benefit themselves in the long run. Take for example: cross-country skiing! Now here is a great work out and a sport, plus you get to travel through all of the snow to get to your destination! This also applies for snowshoes J We also enjoy games of Bridge, Old Maid and Bingo indoors with the availability of a fireplace, stone heater or at least brandy to warm up our bodies!     

In all fairness, us Canadians are no different then Americans. We shop, go out for dinners, watch movies and enjoy each other’s company. The only true difference is the climate we experience during the winter seasons. And as much fun as I had writing the “cultural adaptions” for the Canadians, we truly do not eat poutines everyday; but I insist on trying one whenever a visit to Canada comes along!

Learning from Human Variations:

When approaching a change in climate, whether that is for relocation, or perhaps just a trip, it is vital to understand the stresses the environment will have on you. When I was researching on the topic of the effects cold has on the human body, I was shocked to find I was never taught any of this in Canada. I mean I was taught about hypothermia and frostbite, and to take precautions; but I was unaware of the effects the cold has on your body as a whole (blood rate, stroke etc.). I guess it is accustom to just learn from experience when you actually live in a dreadfully cold climate.

In the article previously mentioned, Saskatchewan Blizzard of 2010, I was in my 3^rd period class when I looked outside to see I could not locate my car. Not because it had been stolen, but because of the blizzard limiting visibility and the fact that a snow drift had buried it. That morning we were informed on the raido there may be a storm, and to dress appropriately. Well normally we wear jeans and a big parka to school anyways, so I never changed my usual attire. That day I wish I did. After a panic rushed throughout school, we were free to go home, stay safe and keep warm. Normally a drive to my high school was about 15 minutes. My father came and picked my sister and I up (in a big work truck) and it took us 7 and half hours to get home. The entire time I was thinking, if we broke down, I don’t know how long we’d last. It is very important to dress accordingly to the weather, and even when you think you’ll be warm enough for the day, remember the weather can change in the blink of an eye!

Understanding Variations of Adaptions:

Race should not be discussed when we are evaluating variations of adaption. Especially the ones I have listed in regards to “cold”. The environment is the essential concept that needs to be understood, and studied when we look at why us humans are so varied from one another, and how we adapt to our environment. Take for example the Developmental category I wrote on, the tribe in East Africa that have developed to have slender long arms and legs to keep cool. And how Canadians are rather short (well its true!) and this idea is believed to maintain body heat.