21 June 2018 Happy Solstice!!

Throwing Shade

That's what all the cool kids say, right? Anyway, this morning we counted flowers and measured wavelengths of shade plots. What are shade plots? They are roughly 15 cm square plots with varying levels of shade. The plots that are covered with screen simulate the growing conditions for plants if the shrubs are tall enough to shade some or most of the sunlight. There are control plots that are left uncovered. There are shade plots in both dry heath ecosystems and wet acidic tundra ecosystems. The idea is to see what might happen to different ecosystems if the trend of shrub dominance continues. While some plant species may thrive in a more shaded environment, others will struggle.

Berry Relaxing Afternoon

Berry surveys are random samplings of dry and wet ecosystems and their current berry counts. You begin by tossing a grid onto the ground. Then you sit down and count and collect the berries in each grid. This data is recorded and the berries are weighed, dried, and then weighed again. This information is used to determine the nutrition of food sources available to animals in the tundra. Surveys are completed at Toolik and Imnavait Creek, or undisturbed tundra, and Slope Mountain, or disturbed tundra (due to is proximity to the Dalton Highway and the Alaskan Pipeline). Honestly, I rather enjoyed this work. Once you select your official Berry Survey Playlist and you get into a rhythm, it's not a bad way to spend a lovely afternoon in the arctic! (Playlist is available upon request.)

The Adventures Of Flat Cat

Today Flat Cat helped with the shade plot measurements and collecting berries.