23 May 2013 Skills Required

To continue the conversation from the last journal entry, another of the key skills required for research is more of an attribute. You need to be patient and detail-oriented. Each measurement taken has a "high risk" associated with it. You only have one chance in the moment to take each measurement – the sample collected is your one chance at that time to gain good data, you can't replace it.

No matter what else is going on out at the field site (for example, great weather or difficult weather, high excitement or low mental stimulation), each sample must be taken the same way, as accurately and precisely as possible, at the proper time. The procedure Kim uses to collect the gas samples is not complex, but it must be done exactly the same way each time, as carefully as possible, with the proper timing.

http://youtu.be/5sSm2JE4vFQ

When the laser arrives, the procedure will change. Kim says we will be collecting more data at an increased pace, and the gas analysis will happen immediately. Sounds like another video to me!