Good thing we went out yesterday...
Non-stop rain at SERC,Soggy researchers complain,
Must collect data.
So today was a soggy day with more field work and loads of data entry. There is an enormous spreadsheet containing all of the plants of adequate size in a 16-hectare plot (400 m x 400 m). It turns out that I was pretty good with a spreadsheet, so after an initial foray into the wetness, I was instead shielded from the rain and given pages and pages of numbers and comments to enter. Other people went out to collect more data. From time to time, I'd try to have a videoconference with you guys, but I guess no one ever set up the room for Skype. Amazingly, everything over here seems to be working. Anyway, I'm almost caught up with the rest of the team. Tomorrow I'll try to get completely caught up so I can be sitting around waiting when my team brings in the last few sets of data.
Anyway, because of the copious precipitation here, we will shift gears tomorrow. One group will finish the tree mapping while the other collects data from hundreds of rain gauges all over the forest. I hope I'm in the first group (or assigned to data entry) since there is a controlled deer hunt on the property tomorrow. I know that my orange vest makes me look not so much like a deer, but why take chances?
On a different note, SERC had its annual Christmas party today at lunch, so we got to enjoy some typical Christmas fare, such as turmeric-curried chicken, latkes, and fish chowder. Earthwatch folks cooked and brought an organic pasta salad. About the only thing Christmassy about the event was a game to fill in the blanks on Clement C. Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas." I didn't win because I was obnoxiously trying to put the funniest possible substitutions in the blanks. I think I was moderately successful, but not in winning the prize.
After the yuletide festivities we went back to the trailer to hear about our study from the scientific leader of the group, Jess Parker. It was fascinating. He's such a laid-back kind of guy, but his mind is always working on forest science, ecosystem services, and carbon balances. I think that if you guys were here, you'd be impressed by how much more you already know about many of these topics than researchers in some of the other project areas here.
We've been planning tomorrow's work and tonight's events. Tonight will be the only time we leave SERC during this week. We'll head to Annapolis for a dinner of sustainably harvested seafood. It's also a special night in Annapolis during which there are carolers, etc., and the shops and restaurants are open until midnight. I detest shopping, of course, but the rest of my group is excited to have this chance. Bah. Humbug.
Well, I'll report more tomorrow. Sorry I couldn't have a video conference with you today.
posted by Dr D @ 2:25 PM
17 Comments:
Does what your doing there now closely resemble what we did in class? But to a more accurate extent? And are you only mapping vegetation? Or wildlife too? If the latter wouldn't hunting on the land somewhat skew the data you are collecting?
Hey there Dr. D. I was wondering if we could get a chance to see those spreadsheets. We probably wouldn't have a clue what we were reading but no doubt we could do our best to decode it. Hope all remains well.
-Jake Fallon, Period 3
Hey Dr. D,
First of all sounds like you're having fun! I'm just wondering if you've found that any of the trees have diseases? And also is the weather normally like this or is it a sign of a global climate change?
Kaitlin Markham
Here's hoping that you're in the first group tomorrow - or can otherwise avoid the controlled deer hunting. After reading charliemccloskey's comment, I'm curious too, would the hunting skew your data?
-Robyn Collins, Per. 6
I agree with Jake, it would be really nice to get a chance to look at the spreadsheets you guys are using for the study. Are they being used for calculation of sequestered carbon based upon size and type, or are they simply a way to store the location, size, etc. in an easily accessible format.
-Andrew Milian
It seems like the weather there isn't great in terms of collecting data, but I'm guessing it's suited for the vegetation (trees) that grow there. Is the data going to be manipulated some how later on to represent the entire US, or will it just be demonstrative of this particular forest?
-Mayu Takeda, Period 6
Hey Dr. D. I wish we could have seen you via skype; it would have been fun to see you "in action" and compare how your data collecting differs from the ones we did in the earlier lab. As far as collecting data from the rain gauges tomorrow, how does this factor into the diversity you're calculating?
Lilly N
Period 8
It seems to me that you guys have been collecting an enormous amount of data. My question is do you know if the data collected is being analyzed purely for looking at the current status of the forest in terms of health, biodiversity, etc., or is it meant to aid the researchers in predicting growth and decay. It seems to me that while it would be incredibly tedious (worse than counting grass), marking all of the plants you are ignoring now because they are too small, might actually prove beneficial. When the site is revisited in a year or more, those same plants can be analyzed in terms of their grown from the year previous, based on location and how much nearby competion there is draining nutrients and/or water away from the young plant. This also calls into play the density of the forest and whether or not new plants are even desirable. From the forest video we watched, it seems as if a dense forest isn't all that desirable at all. Well this comment has gotten way too long so I guess I will leave it at that.
-Max Churchfield
When you were taking stock of all the plants in the plot, is that supposed to be an accurate representation of the whole forest? Because if that was the case couldn't different abiotic factors skew your results? For example if the area you were sampling in had a river running through it or a particularly deep gully which wasn't representative of the forest as a whole which would skew the results. Wouldn't randomly selecting smaller plots and recording every plant in those smaller but more numerous plots be a more accurate representation of the forest as a whole? In addition isn't the fact that its raining not to mention the season a variable that could also skew the results of the data? I hope you're enjoying your foray into the wild.
Justin Zhao
Are there other types of vegitation, like bushes, in the area or is it just big trees? I would think that there is some type of plant that the dear can eat, but I'm not sure.
Shannon Pratt Period 6
Hi Dr. D!
I was just wondering...I think you said that your group is the first in your area, so you get to do all the data collection/dirty work for groups that will come later and analyze it (or did I totally make that up?) If so, what is the final purpose of what Earthwatch is doing there, and what environmental problems are they responding to? I know that east of the Mississippi is only about 10% forests, which is much less than they once were. Are the forests still disappearing, or are they being protected/replanted?
Hope your Christmas party was excellent. Have you done any deer hunting yourself--I certainly would like some venison. Just kidding. This may be irrelevant to this specific articles, but what effect does the increased rainfall have on the soil and your surveys? Is data skewed?
Sean Buck, 8
Hey Dr. D.
I think Sophie brings up a good point. I think you said in class before you left that earthwatch will be sending mulitple groups out to continue collecting data after your group heads home. How long are they planning on collecting data, because since the forest is slowly dissappearing they can't plan on doing this project over decades, that is, unless somehow they have made the area you are in protected from logging and developing.
Hey Dr. D!
I was wondering how you know it is accurate data? I know when we did our biodiversity lab, there were many errors. I was wondering what you guys did to minimize the amount of error and collect accurate data? Also, how many people are counting and collecting data? And how many people are doing what you are doing? Lastly, if you find a plant or bug that you cannot identify, do you hold onto it until you can, or do you have to describe or take pictures of it?
Ali Ellickson, per. 3
Is this forest "thinned" and maintained like forests here are to keep them healthy, or are they never tampered with to begin with? And I'm still not sure I completely understand why it is you are doing this. Is it to look at how we've effected the forests in terms of biodiversity or their growth and change, or is it just to document and keep tabs on the forest?
I was wondering if the rain gauges that you were using on Friday will be factored into the data you recorded previously?
Sounds like an eclectic Christmas party.
Hope you had a great time!
See you soon! :)
Sammi C
Period 8
P.S. I apologize for the lateness of my posts, I had a few computer issues plus two papers to write this week, but still, not excusable. Sorry.
What effect would the controlled deer hunt have on your property? Not only including the decrease in population of deer, but also human interaction, firearms waste, and populations of other vegetation. Is the weather typical of other years around this time? If not what effects is the precipitation taking on vegetation, making it more healthy, or flooding it?
Stephen Lurie
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