Typically, most of my time in Hengill is spent running
the side-stream channel experiment, so I rarely get a chance to visit the other
streams that our group studies. However, earlier this month I had the opportunity
to assist with checking the nutrient drippers in the “landscape” streams, which
allowed me venture away from the channel site and see what else Hengill has to
offer.
All I can say is that I’ve been missing out on some
beautiful views-
This year we’re adding nitrogen to our four study streams
using a rather elegant dripper system that is controlled entirely by gravity.
It’s essentially the same setup as the drippers we use for the channel
experiment, but slightly modified to fertilize an entire stream as opposed to a
small plastic channel.
VS.
Although this dripper system maintains a remarkably
consistent drip rate once set up, it does require the occasional check, and an
occasional refill of the reservoir to maintain the nitrogen supply. Here’s Kate
and Bonnie in refill action:
Just add water...
and stir!
It was a nice change of pace to hike around the streams
of Hengill’s “other” valley, and a good reminder of the interconnectedness of
the work done with the channels and the landscape streams. We’re all excited to
see the results of this year’s nitrogen additions, and I’m particularly interested
in how these results might compare (and/or contrast) with our channel data!
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