Observing the natural world, with 21st-century tools and 19th-century curiosity
Time once again for American Geophysical Union 2015, in San Francisco! It it shaping up to be a great time of re-connecting with colleagues and friends, hearing about some of the latest science, and planning future work. Download my AGU
In the last post, I introduced lightning as a significant hazard to field science gear. In case you were thinking that my concern is hypothetical, I’m going to provide some real examples of what happens when waaaay too much static
Besides wildfire, one of the most significant natural hazards risks for sensory installations in mountain environments is lightning. Direct hits are not necessarily required to incur electrical damage, especially if the design of the equipment is such that the circuitry
In this final segment of my mini-series on drones and mountain science, I’ll address a couple of ways in which I would personally use the technology right now. Snow stake surveys This is different from the remote-sensing application addressed previously,
Last time, I rattled off some initial thoughts about how this recent dronemania may positively impact mountain science. We stopped at the idea of a small-scale remote-sensing platform, but I think there are a few other ways that drones are
Drones. Literally the buzzword for many scientists in recent years looking to add flash to their C.V. or impress their administrative colleagues. Advances in battery technology, onboard software stability control, and inexpensive high-speed telemetry have created an exploding market for
When you travel afield often, you get a pretty good idea for where to eat out when you come back to town. Nothing tastes better than real cooked food after a few days out beating the bush. In fact, those
Air travel for many professionals has become boringly routine. Hopping on a jet aircraft and flying across the country at 400+ knots loses novelty if it is repeated on a regular basis. However, air travel is still a fantastic opportunity
Another effective science presentation tool is time-lapse photography. Displaying a series of images taken over a long period can provide a dimension of visualization that your audience will appreciate. You can include them in presentations, blog posts, website media, and
Moving along with our series on field photography, the next topic that I personally have found very useful is the production of panorama images. Advanced compositions: large panoramas Another highly-relevant technique for producing interesting field photographs is the large panorama.