Once I got my field methods all up and running, I was in the field getting samples almost every day. Of all of the days that I was there, I think there were 2 out of the 10 or so sampling excursions during which it did not, at some point, rain. The weather was definitely not fantastic while I was there, but, when I was wearing 2 pairs of long underwear, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of wool socks, 4 shirts, and 3 jackets, I found that I could handle the cold somewhat.
Field work features some super fashionable gear. Thankfully, there weren't very many mirrors in camp, so most of the time I had no idea what I looked like. Sometimes I'd get all kitted out for the field and just start giggling because I looked so ridiculous. The gear really does have a purpose, though, and I was SO thankful for my rain pants and muck boots!
I did a bunch of sampling at a site called Imnavait Creek over there 3 weeks that I was in Alaska.
Trip #1:
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| Sampling with George. |
Trip #2:
Trip #3:
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| Imnavait after a lot of rain, and the attack of the flag monster. |
Trip #4:
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| I love this beaded stream! |
Another site that I sampled multiple times was the Tussock Watershed, which featured all of the major vegetation covers of the Arctic where we were: wet sedge, birch/willow, heath, and tussock (clearly!).
Trip #1:
Trip #2:
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| Wet Sedge. |
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| Birch/Willow. |
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| Tussocks! |
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| Sucking soil water with giant needles. |
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| Heath. |
Trip #3:
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| View over Toolik Lake. |
An interesting thing about working with these water samples is that the water itself was so cold! Because it's running over permafrost, the water can be about 35-40 F when you first get it out of the soil! (This definitely does not help me to stay warm in the field...)
Overall, I think I really like field work. It's nice to get out of the lab, and I really enjoyed learning to think a different way, and to approach chemistry from a different perspective and with a different style. I had to be more creative and fly by the seat of my pants a little more, but I liked it!
