Week 3
This week in FYRES my class did not go to the dunes. Instead we took the 5 hour lab period to learn several different surveying techniques for our trip to the dunes next week.
Electronic total station
This device is used in field research to take 3D surveys of the area being studied. It can measure the angle and distance of the ground's slope by using the stadia pole that is used with it. In order for this device to work properly it must be able to locate the northern direction, this is done by first having the stadia pole placed directly North as a starting point. Then the Electronic Total Station can have a reference point to measure the distances and angles along the ground.
Erosion pins and sand traps
Erosion pins are used to measure the height change of the ground surface by placing the pin in the ground and then coming back some time later (days or weeks) to measure the amount of sand covering over the last measurement of the amount of sand missing from the last measurement.
Sand Traps are devices used to collect the sand that is blown over the surface of the dune. This can tell us which direction the wind is blowing and how much sand is moving along with the wind to give an idea about how active the dune is or not.
Sand Traps are devices used to collect the sand that is blown over the surface of the dune. This can tell us which direction the wind is blowing and how much sand is moving along with the wind to give an idea about how active the dune is or not.
ANEMOMETER and Wind vein
The Anemometer measures the wind speed along the coastal dunes. While the Wind Vein records the direction of the wind. This information goes to the data logger which is recorded to compare to the sand traps and erosion pins.
Vegetation survey
Vegetation is very important to the stabilization of the coastal dunes. In order to keep track of the vegetation we conduct these surveys on the dunes. A general vegetation survey would consist of recording the different species of vegetation on the dune and recording the height and density of the plants within the quadrat (1/2 square meters). Then we would calculate the plants per square meter as a generalization for the other parts that are closer to the location of the quadrat.
gps unit
The GPS units are used to record the locations of data collected during the lab. All of the vegetation and surrounding notes can be added to the unit. Then we can produce a map of the area we were studying.
For the next lab
After we learned about all of these different techniques to survey the dunes, we were placed into one of the several categories and are responsible for completing the task for the lab next week.
My responsibility for the next lab is to conduct the vegetation survey. I have to stake out the areas that we will use for the observations and alert the GPS guy about any important information to record the location of, such as the location of a pitcher's thistle or any other threatened or exotic species.
My responsibility for the next lab is to conduct the vegetation survey. I have to stake out the areas that we will use for the observations and alert the GPS guy about any important information to record the location of, such as the location of a pitcher's thistle or any other threatened or exotic species.