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
The search for the highest wind speeds usually leads us to the tops of mountains and ridges. Higher topography should result in greater air velocity, right? Intuitively, we expect windiness to increase with height and elevation. Tall buildings, towers, poles,
Semi-arid woodlands are home to generally older vegetation than montane forests and other places that see frequent natural or human disturbances. In fact, the western United States is chock-full of long-lived trees and shrubs. Most of these “fly under the
When studying mountain systems, limiting your focus to a single elevation can also limit the story you can elicit from your observations. Intuitively it may seem that a bristlecone pine stand, a pika community, or a montane snowpack is disconnected