The first of many weekly trips down to the Klamath is in the books. Kristine crushed the first sample collection for her dissolved oxygen mechanisms study, and her first time driving in the snow.
Leading up to dam removal, concerns were raised about how the sediment release will impact dissolved oxygen (DO) in the river. Kirstine's study aims to examine the biotic and abiotic mechanisms driving the DO during and following the drawdowns. She is measuring DO directly, utilizing data that is being collected by others, and also incubating water and sediment samples back in the lab.
The icepocalypse of 2024 was a major disruption to the start of field work. Between winter weather and unanticipated changes to the drawdown schedule, we had to reschedule field work both in the reservoirs and downstream multiple times. It was stressful, but I suppose one of the silver linings of the Covid pandemic is that we are all a little more skilled at adapting.
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