Hello
everyone!
We have
had several “boat days” as we call them since we’ve
been working in Myvatn.
We LOVE boat days, but the conditions have to be just right to be able to get out onto the lake and do our work. Most importantly, the wind speed needs to be between 0 and 5 m/s. Any higher and the waves become too dangerous to navigate. So on those days, which there are a fair number of, we stay safe and warm in the lab processing
samples that we have already collected in the field, running chemical analyses, analyzing data, and organizing (and drying out!) our field
gear.
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| All of our field gear on the boat |
A typical
boat day begins early in the morning because we are often trying to get all of
our work done before the wind picks up or it starts to get too dark. Since we are working into late August, we have been able to watch the days get shorter and we no longer experience the midnight sun from mid-summer in Iceland. It is getting really dark!But mornings are still bright very early. So first thing, we head to the research
station to pick up all of our boxes and buckets and bottles and head out to the
boat.
When we reach boat launch, we place the boat in the water and then load our gear in. The water at boat launch often tells us how far we are going to have to go to find planktonic Anabaena that is dense enough for our experiments. If the water at boat launch is clear, then we will have to go further out into the lake to find the bloom, than if the water is green and full of Anabaena.
 |
| Boat Launch |
When we reach boat launch, we place the boat in the water and then load our gear in. The water at boat launch often tells us how far we are going to have to go to find planktonic Anabaena that is dense enough for our experiments. If the water at boat launch is clear, then we will have to go further out into the lake to find the bloom, than if the water is green and full of Anabaena.
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| Sarah collecting water using a Schindler Trap |
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| An incubation rack holding tubes used for measuring metabolism |
Once out on the lake, we collect water for our nitrogen fixation and metabolism incubations at a depth of 0.5-1.5 meters below the surface. Then if needed, we navigate to a clear spot in the lake, where light can penetrate the water to incubate our experiments. In our experiments, we vary the density of Anabaena, as well as light availability and the source of Anabaena within the lake.
Boat days are long (and often cold) but they are always fun!
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| Sarah, Gabby and Jill on the boat! |
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