Field Notes

Gilbert Tract: 2022-03-15 15:05:00 (DOY 74)
Author: Daphne Szutu
Others: Robert

Summary: Regular data collection/cleaning, rained last night, breezy, cleared Side-Looker memory, brought one Ottercam in to replace batteries, recorded native plant names

2022-03-15
Gilbert Tract

Robert and I arrived at 15:05 PDT at the channel to download the Side-Looker data. There are new plants in the ground on the slope between the gravel road and the channel bank—so far they just look like sticks pushed into the ground and protected by a milk carton. Only a few of the sticks have tiny leaves on top. They must have propagated a plant through cuttings and planted it after the cuttings rooted.

The water surface had ripples from a steady west wind, but it was hard to see if the water was actually flowing in one direction. The live data said the average water velocity was around 0.15 m/s, so it must have been close to slack tide. I downloaded the data and then opened it in the data viewer. The data seemed reasonable so I stopped data collection, re-formatted (aka deleted all the data), and then restarted data collection.

It had rained <0.5cm last night and early this morning. It was breezy and partly cloudy with cumulus clouds near the horizon. 0.5-1cm more rain is forecast for Saturday.

We arrived at the tower around 15:25 PDT. The water level was middling, neither high nor low. Robert cleaned flux and rad sensors and topped off the wash reservoir. I downloaded met, camera, and USB GHG.

I went to put 6 gently used batteries in Ottercam North but then realized the game cams need 8 batteries so I couldn't power it up today. I pulled this camera and stake to bring back to the lab to replace the batteries. There were 3 files with size 0 on the card. I want to check it in the lab to make sure it’s working properly with better batteries. I downloaded the files from Ottercam South and trimmed some of the grass in front of the camera. There were 150+ videos, almost all of the grass plus a few videos of Koong or me. I think this camera needs a taller post for a higher POV. More aggressive grass trimming would also help.

LI-7500 readings:
CO2 427ppm
H2O 540ppm
T 22.4C
P 102.2kPa
SS 99 --> 100 after cleaning
LI7700 readings:
CH4 2.0ppm
RSSI 28 --> 76 after cleaning

We left at 15:45 PDT. On the way out, we stopped at the abandoned barn where the plant people have stashed their native plant seedlings. We noted their names to help us identify them in the wild. All California native plants and most support pollinators.

-Acer negundo (Box Elder)
-Artemisa (Sagebrush)
-Asclepias (milkweed)
-Baccharis glutinosa (Saltmarsh Baccharis)
-Baccharis pilularis (Coyote Bush)
-Baccharis salicifolia (Mulefat)
-Bidens Laevis (Bur-Marigold)
-Carex Barbarae (Valley Sedge)
-Euthamia occidentalis (Western Goldentop)
-Grindelia Camporum (Great Valley Gumweed)
-Helenium Puberolum (Sneezeweed)
- Juncus effusus (Soft rush)
-Juncus xiphiodes (Irishleaf Rush)
-Salt grass (no scientific name label – probably Distichlis spicata)
-Sambucus nigra (Black Elderberry)
-Schrophularia californica (Bee Plant)
-Symphyotrichum Chilensis (California aster)

0 photos found

8 sets found

Can't check MBWPEESWGT_mixed
Can't check MBEEWPSWEPGT_cam
16 GT_met graphs found