Experimental channels go online!

Today (May 20th) our experimental channels went online for real! Our little basalt tiles (pictured below) have reached the terminus of their long journey, all the way from my office floor back in Montana (see original post here). Jon Benstead and I lugged these tiles, all 1,650 of them (~100 pounds) to our site in what Jim Hood calls "typical Hengill weather." Equal parts sunshine, rain, sleet, snow and a sprinkling of hail for good measure! Now we keep our fingers crossed for the next 8 weeks while this experiment runs.

Close-up of a single basalt tile. 

Slotting the tiles into our 15 channels (5 temperature treatments with 3 replicates at each temperature).

The tiles snug in their new homes (at least for the next 8 weeks). The channel discharge may not look like much, but over the next 8 weeks we'll pass over 2.5 million liters of water through these channels.