Summer kick-off at Hubbard Brook

Nathaniel and Jenny running the Shaw Drill

We’ve had a busy couple of weeks at Hubbard Brook.  Last week was the beginning of the REU program.  We have two excellent students, Nathaniel Rasnake and Delaney Peterson, from Virginia Tech who are both working on our lateral weathering project.  This week was the LTER site mid-term review of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study.  It was amazing to hear all of the PIs describe how the long term studies fit together and contribute to addressing complex questions related to ecosystem change.  Lastly, our weathering project team has been progressing along with their individual and group related activities.  There are three graduate students from VT and one from UVM  on our team spending the summer at Hubbard Brook and working closely with our REU students.  This is fantastic group of people who are so dedicated to team science and they’re having a blast at the Pleasant View Farm house.  I had the pleasure of spending lots of time with them this week.  They were even kind enough to host me for dinner one night!  The group is installing resin samplers, passive flux samplers, new wells, and characterizing soils and glacial materials in watershed 3 all while combating the black flies.  Don Ross (UVM), Jenny (UVM; @jennyspatial), Nathaniel, and I spent yesterday drilling bedrock cores to examine weathering of bedrock along flow path gradients (see photo).  It was a big success.  Amanda (@Amandisols) and Delaney were able to sample groundwater and streams just after a 0.75” event and Josh completed slug tests in all is wells.  Such a productive week!  Next up, is the installation of the resin and flux samplers. 

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