This is Gus Shaver, and he spends a lot of time thinking about plots…plots that could have a BIG impact on your life. No, Gus isn’t a conspiracy theorist. He’s a biologist, and he has been studying a series of experimental plots (of vegetation) around Toolik Lake for more than twenty years.
Gus first arrived at Toolik Lake Field Station in 1976, and since then he has been trying to figure out how fluctuations in temperature, moisture, nutrients, light levels, permafrost depth, and more affect vegetation in various types of arctic habitats. In other words, the he’s looking at the same types of changes that could arise from global warming. And with more than two decades of data, Gus’s research provides valuable insight into what the future may hold for the Arctic if temperatures continue to rise and winters shorten.
During out first few days here at Toolik Lake, Gus put me and the rest of the MBL Science Journalism Fellows to work conducting research in several his plots. Above, you can see MBL’s Chris Neill teaching us how to use a chamber that measures carbon dioxide levels, light levels, and more in a square meter of vegetation. Later, we analyzed the data, prepared charts and graphs, and talked about the implications of our findings.
The wonderful thing about this program is that we’re not just observing scientists, we’re actually learning to think like them, do the work that they do, and live like they do when they’re in the field. It’s eye-opening, to say the least, and it’s keeping us very busy. In the coming days, we’ll be participating in other experiments here, looking at rivers, fish, invertebrates, nutrients, and more. I can’t wait!
Fantastic – I never knew plots were thrilling in more ways than one.
Keep up the good work!