tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9959061616490879042024-03-18T21:48:19.915-07:00Diane's blog of travel, research, and other musingsDiane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-34005349560095858012016-09-01T18:40:00.000-07:002016-09-01T20:09:38.550-07:00Coral growth history: measuring the pulse of the reef<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measuring the density of a coral from the 1700's</td></tr>
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As per usual, I'm terribly behind on the updates I promised (sorry!). So I'm sure you've been at the edge of your seat, wondering what the heck I was doing all the way over in Queensland, Australia!! ;) </blockquote>
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Well wait no longer-- I've got nothing but time here in the Galapagos thanks to jet lag, missing luggage (stuck somewhere between Houston and here :/) and a terribly unsuccessful adventure around town for remaining gear (summed up by the common response: "es complicado"). SIGH.</blockquote>
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Jokes aside (I know you weren't REALLY at the edge of your seat), I'm really excited to tell you about my time at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). It has been a pipe dream of mine to visit AIMS for many years now and it was pretty surreal to finally make it a reality.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MADE IT!!!</td></tr>
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AIMS is a leading center for marine science, including a jaw-droping <a href="http://www.aims.gov.au/seasim" target="_blank">Sea Simulator (SeaSim)</a> facility, where there are a number of projects investigating the impact of temperature, light, pH, sediment and other types of stress on corals. </div>
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But what brought me here was the world-class coral core archive and facilities run by my collaborator Dr. Janice Lough. Janice is a leading expert in reading the history of coral growth written in their skeletons. These histories provide a window into the impacts of environmental stressors, such as temperature and acidification, on coral health. And because coral growth is tied to climate, these growth histories can also provide insight into past ocean conditions (particularly temperature).<br />
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Over the last few decades, Janice and her collaborators have collected samples from all over the Great Barrier Reef, Western Australia and a number of other key sites to investigate past climate and it's impacts on reefs from these growth histories. Their floor to ceiling cabinets filled with these coral samples are also an incredible archive and resource for the larger community. My first day in the lab left my head spinning with research possibilities (and thinking-- "when I grow up-- I want THIS" ;)).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I died and went to coral archive heaven ;)</td></tr>
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Coral growth is a function of both its extension upwards and the density of its skeleton. So to study coral growth, Janice and Neal Cantin have developed and refined two methods for measuring the density of the coral skeleton using x and gamma radiation. These methods work in similar ways. Like x-rays, gamma rays are high-energy photons produced during radioactive decay. We bombard the coral sample with x or gamma radiation and measure the amount that returns to the collector. The absorption of the radiation depends on the type of material, its thickness and....its density!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">X-ray image showing the seasonal density variations</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of the gamma density setup</td></tr>
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Which brings me to the more laborious, less glorious part of my work over the past ~month: measuring thickness! So what did I<i> really</i> do at AIMS? Many 'o hours turning the crank to drive a digital caliper, measuring thickness at 0.125 cm increments down the coral sample. So exhilarating that my first ever (<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-18/townsville-rocked-by-earthquake-off-the-coast/7763496" target="_blank">5.8 magnitude</a>) earthquake didn't even phase me. ;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measuring thickness of a sample with digital calipers</td></tr>
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But from these meticulous measurements, I will produce robust estimates of coral growth in fossil corals from the Galapagos dated to the late 1700's!! Combined with modern Galapagos corals, these records will allow us to test the impact of ocean temperatures, pH, and other environmental conditions on coral growth at a site where corals experience strong variations in both climate and acidity from year to year. Will these historical fluctuations make corals from the Galapagos more or less susceptible to ocean warming and acidification? I hope to find out!</div>
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-3001640571791179542016-07-27T05:34:00.000-07:002016-07-27T15:48:38.407-07:00Iakwe/Yokwe: "You are a rainbow"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the way you say "Hello", "Love" or "Goodbye" in Marshallese. But directly translated, "Iakwe" (or "Yokwe") means "You are a rainbow".</div>
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And this deeper meaning says so much about their culture. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow over Arno lagoon</td></tr>
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After only a few days of being on the islands, you can quickly see how the rainbow has become a cornerstone of their language. Frequent tropical rain showers give way to beautiful rainbows over the turquoise waters.</div>
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Although somehow I captured so few pictures of these beautiful rainbows, their beauty remains clear in my memory. </div>
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But that's not what has really stuck with me from this trip. It's the people and their incredible generosity.</div>
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I want to say "Kommol tata" ("thank you ve<span style="text-align: center;">ry much") to Tamara, </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">Karl, Cary, Rodney, Tanta, Kalena, Flo, Emma (and the other MIMRA folks!) for making our work possible. An especially big thanks to Tamara, who was instrumental in helping us make local connections and arrangements! </span></div>
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Can't wait to work with you all more next year!!</div>
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-90410892986747946332016-07-04T02:58:00.000-07:002016-07-27T15:52:14.249-07:00"Majuro Corals" off "Mount Majuro"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mount Majuro. The highest point on Majaro Atoll. </div>
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The garbage dump.</div>
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Today we went surveying off of the south side of Majuro, near the airport and the garbage dump, and found (drum roll please): lots of garbage! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slipper lobster? NOPE. That's a used diaper waving in the surge. Gross.</td></tr>
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The scientists at the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority call the pieces of trash "Majuro Corals." There were some incredibly huge Acropora tables holding on, but much of the reef consisted of dead coral framework. </div>
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We talked to the expert "garbologist" (as he <span style="font-family: inherit;">called it), Alice Leney, </span>who helped Tarawa Atoll with their garbag<span style="font-family: inherit;">e control by creating a bottle and can recycling program with monetary incentives called "Kaoki Mange" ("Return the Rubbish"). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He said not only are there not any incentives like that here, but infrastructure and space are an issue. The US sent American-sized garbage trucks to Majuro, which are completely impractical for the much smaller-scale operation needed on the island. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">People are working hard on this issue here on the island to try to solve these problems.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the mean time, rubbish ends up on the top of mount Majuro. A mountain with bounds. A</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">fter mount Majuro can climb no more, they've proposed to dredge up more reef to create more "land" for another land fill.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most places in the world, we can go about our daily lives blissfully unaffected by the magnitude of trash we produce as a society. We throw our rubbish in the garbage, a trash man comes and picks it up, and that's the last we ever see of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But Mount Majuro isn't unique. We're just fortunate to have a place to put it. For now. </span></div>
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But the impacts of our rubbish are here and now.</div>
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Inspired by the movie "American Beauty"</div>
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-71390951130361289322016-07-02T02:24:00.000-07:002016-07-02T02:24:00.019-07:00Fossil hunt/biking adventure on Arno atollPlease pinch me...<br />
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I must have died and gone to heaven. In Arno.<br />
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On Monday and Tuesday I "toodled" around Arno Arno on a fixie beach cruiser with my local guide Tonta is search of fossil corals. Besides a brief moment when I was chased by a scary looking dog, it was one of my favorite bike rides (and for that matter days) of all time. Riding over palm fronds along a faint car track, it was basically mountain biking "island style".<br />
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Tonta and I rode side-by-side in the two single track bike trails created by the few trucks on the island over the years. Every so often, we would have to dismount our bike or ride slowly through/ under a softball or volleyball match between the local boys and girls.<br />
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Then suddenly the thick canopy of palms opened up to a sight of the turquiose lagoon as we rode to the end of Arno Arno, where we spent much of the day in search of coral. I baked under the tropical sun in the guam dress that I wore out of respect for the local culture, but I loved every second of being in this enchanting place. Plus, I've never looked so nice while sweating my buns off working in the field ;)<br />
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I arrived back to our house just as a tropical rainshower started pouring on me. It was admittedly quite refreshing given that I was covered from head to toe in glistening sweat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arrived back to our hut completely stoked and soaked :)</td></tr>
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As I dashed under the tin roof, my colleagues handed me a fresh coconut. An extremely refreshing treat after a long, hot day; the perfect end to a perfect day.<br />
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On Tuesday we biked towards the other end of the island along a thin strip of the atoll-- the turquise lagoon on our one side and ocean on the other-- looking for fossils. <br />
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But the highlight was definitely when Tanta and I rode down the lagoon beach to avoid the angry dog. It was quite a work out and absolutely gorgeous.<br />
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Meanwhile.....my colleagues Simon, Sara and Emma had an exciting day surveying the reef (to say the least!). They caught a ~120 lb yellowfin Tuna, which Emma ended up helping reel into the boat! While they were all laboring as a team to bring in their catch, a pilot whale was breaching nearby. You can read more about their crazy adventures on <a href="https://saraecannon.com/" target="_blank">Sara's blog.</a><br />
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I was bummed to have missed what was quoted as "the most insane 10 minutes of their lives", but my time spent on land was incredibly rewarding in itself. In some strange way, I was thankful for my surgery, because it gave me the chance to take advantage of the opportunities on land that I otherwise wouldn't have had.<br />
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Life is good. And science is awesome.<br />
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I'll have to save the details for another day...<br />
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Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-39065540098613938232016-06-25T04:29:00.005-07:002016-06-25T04:33:15.412-07:00"Iokwe aolep jān Majuro""Hello (love) everyone from Majuro".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First view of Majuro out the plane window</td></tr>
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We arrived safely in the Marshall Islands today after a great week in Hawaii at the International Coral Reef Symposium. As the wheels hit the one lane tarmac, closely straddled by the lagoon on one side and the ocean on the other, I breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was it a bit "exciting" to land on such a narrow piece of land all but being engulfed by the water due to extensive dredging, but I was also so thankful to have arrived despite all odds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGXiUoid0ufnmc1aN_ziV6O6hYTob883RR86APvivr0OMymEtIw1Ytq7JYKbsWoaznVvjymilcz1M3cpAO4eRqohPRUr9TmbB6Cjt3PlBmdfxAbm4TwKWurP_z1ePAKDb1WQzZSw8DZPN/s1600/P6242611.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGXiUoid0ufnmc1aN_ziV6O6hYTob883RR86APvivr0OMymEtIw1Ytq7JYKbsWoaznVvjymilcz1M3cpAO4eRqohPRUr9TmbB6Cjt3PlBmdfxAbm4TwKWurP_z1ePAKDb1WQzZSw8DZPN/s400/P6242611.JPG" width="400" /></a>We've been planning this project/trip for the last 3 years or so, and it hasn't been an easy road. But we fought through all of the hurdles that came our way, and we were finally making it happen. <br />
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Until my appendix decided that it wanted out. A week and a half before our departure date, and less than a week before my trip to Hawaii, I found myself in an emergency appendectomy.<br />
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Maybe we were trying to force the shoe to fit? Or I had pissed off some field work gods? <br />
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One organ less and three incisions later, I found myself on the road to recovery. The seemingly slow road to recovery. 2 weeks has never felt so long.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It may be laproscopic surgery, but these incisions were still quite sore and swollen!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvf_IRrjGRBa7ixzwCXh6Oi9LR_KPLdD4w5cXHfXAy45PNlXIU58WCWLyB10ZH_m1Q_n5Gq-GRPoJd95FecxBpNyIkrIFRzgzScOo62vVxgqh-X2mCTzxGj93vj8Z2zcuhUGsVpcz1fLi/s1600/P6242605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvf_IRrjGRBa7ixzwCXh6Oi9LR_KPLdD4w5cXHfXAy45PNlXIU58WCWLyB10ZH_m1Q_n5Gq-GRPoJd95FecxBpNyIkrIFRzgzScOo62vVxgqh-X2mCTzxGj93vj8Z2zcuhUGsVpcz1fLi/s400/P6242605.JPG" width="400" /></a>Tomorrow we head to Arno, which is an outer island about 1.5 hours away by boat. We'll spend the next four days surveying the reef there. But this time, I'll have to watch from the boat. Scuba diving definitely doesn't fall into the category of not lifting more than 10 lbs or not soaking in standing water. Sigh.<br />
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Hopefully I'll be healed enough to dive by the end of the trip. Continued healing thoughts, please!<br />
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But in the mean time, it's a great learning experience for my new graduate student Emma Reed, who I know will do a great job surveying alongside my extremely experienced colleague.<br />
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I'll write more when we return (must catch some zzzzs!). But in the mean time, enjoy some pictures from our flight in!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLv6qbnI1Q9MvhUrOrYKYn2c9WYgfjVm5QDOZB_5FQjeY0unMZQS_BJ3lnRAg_yWaX6UK1k7fQlnQ_EqvTDZaTPR48RiZcGd4Sqmx8x8mY2M5xqURNCQceHlgpDFIZxjORXTzK1GSJzf0/s1600/P6242624+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLv6qbnI1Q9MvhUrOrYKYn2c9WYgfjVm5QDOZB_5FQjeY0unMZQS_BJ3lnRAg_yWaX6UK1k7fQlnQ_EqvTDZaTPR48RiZcGd4Sqmx8x8mY2M5xqURNCQceHlgpDFIZxjORXTzK1GSJzf0/s400/P6242624+2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View outside our hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-1153150774539571082016-05-12T08:02:00.000-07:002017-01-24T13:53:14.651-08:00If it’s too good to be true…<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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maybe, for once, it isn’t?!?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
_________________________________________________________________________________</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the past 5 trips to the Galapagos, I’ve come to accept
the reality that it is inevitable that something will go wrong (and more likely
many things). Like with weddings, all
you can do is hope the problem is not a show stopper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For instance on our first trip, they refused to let us on
the plane with all of our field gear and we had to send it via a cargo plane
from Quito, delaying our trip by a week and causing us to start the planning
and paperwork from scratch (and cancel our return flights home for an unknown
future date, not knowing when our gear would actually arrive). Fortunately, our bags eventually arrived and
we carried on with our “plan B”. I
navigated the language barrier through the pile of paperwork, logistics and
<a href="http://dianemthompson.blogspot.com.co/2015/01/la-cuarentena-story-of-biodiversity.html" target="_blank">quarantine</a> completely naïve to the many subtleties of the process (signatures,
stamps, formalities). In retrospect, it is nothing short of a miracle that it
all got done. The wonderful people at
the Charles Darwin Research Station were entirely to thank for that.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig17mX-hAnGLBNJMaKk8cftzK8CEl7Xaann7_Xrrt0uzbGBhso5KEUa0YcgTul9RBiaFHzc8p-1m_J_lppmU1EKzQIHeP84KGNXfudgGntirWjUE7cT7RCgNF5kr3rb_gJM3SU8_vfSPzn/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-12+at+8.37.16+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig17mX-hAnGLBNJMaKk8cftzK8CEl7Xaann7_Xrrt0uzbGBhso5KEUa0YcgTul9RBiaFHzc8p-1m_J_lppmU1EKzQIHeP84KGNXfudgGntirWjUE7cT7RCgNF5kr3rb_gJM3SU8_vfSPzn/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-12+at+8.37.16+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our gear in quarantine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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Then there was the second trip, when I naively thought that
things would go smoothly since I knew the process. HAH. After the luggage snafu of the first trip (and
since we would be drilling coral cores using a hydraulic drill) we sent all of
our gear from the states…6 months in advance!! That should be
plenty of time, we thought. Wrong
again. We arrived in the Galapagos
without our gear, and once again had to play the waiting game…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And then there was the trip where we didn’t get our permit
or transuéntes
(which allow us to enter the Galapagos as scientists) in time for our trip. So we had to leave our passports at the
airport…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that other time when the director of the Galapagos
National Park threatened to take away our permit (due to a mistake with the
paperwork)…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You get the point—it’s always something. And usually a show stopper. Someone here summed it up well recently: “They
think that by making things more difficult, they’re being efficient.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It always felt like you were cruising along jumping the known
hurdles, only to find out that they had moved 6 inches from last year, and you
trip and fall on your face.<o:p></o:p></div>
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_________________________________________________________________________________</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But not this time!
Maybe the 6<sup>th</sup> time is the charm, but this trip has gone
shockingly smoothly. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The trip started out on the wrong foot, when (as per usual)
they called us to the back of the airport within minutes of our flight’s
departure to check the bags containing our equipment. The extra large duffels full of electronics,
metal rods, and other assorted equipment always draw their attention. It isn’t clear to me why they ALWAYS wait
until the last minute to check, but it never fails. Once again, we find ourselves sprinting back
to the gate behind the gate agent, arriving 5 minutes before our departure…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But our bags were not as fortunate.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJZgox8q8Bs5qVm1vD4TIMdQkRivtNPk76Sob7kUtkSaWra9hrOQ0LKwnzmX68axlll6WhLdd6T1GVVmsNWafgPXx8p7zHFg5cos_A-yWlNkOE7zScZ8vTo807w07IZMiD0TkyrCPOLoF/s1600/13100777_953656153635_6070853680600542001_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJZgox8q8Bs5qVm1vD4TIMdQkRivtNPk76Sob7kUtkSaWra9hrOQ0LKwnzmX68axlll6WhLdd6T1GVVmsNWafgPXx8p7zHFg5cos_A-yWlNkOE7zScZ8vTo807w07IZMiD0TkyrCPOLoF/s320/13100777_953656153635_6070853680600542001_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our pile 'O gear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As our bags were being inspected, they had filled the rest
of the luggage space with cargo for the islands—including someone’s new,
widescreen TV. By the time our bags
arrived, there was no more space, and our bags were left behind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, and only then, they decided our bags were dangerous
(after the opportunity to look again). Fortunately,
after a bit of negotiating by our Ecuadorian student volunteer, I signed off on an
agreement that there was nothing dangerous in our bags and we were told they’d
be on tomorrow’s flight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A day delay? That’s nothing in this game. As long as they come tomorrow, as they had
nearly all of our gear! We wouldn’t get
very far without them!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we finished our paperwork, met with the
director of the GNP (who ALWAYS finds some sort of problem), and did quarantine-- and it all went
swimmingly. There were NO issues. And he even said I could do my talk in English
(thank goodness!). Those of you who know
my fluency in Spanish know how painful that would’ve been for the audience… I can get by in conversational Spanish, but I
certainly can’t give a science talk!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX3kXKIG17_YdLOZ_mq_9H4uVbpP41q1bY8XpTrQUKuLnZsJ9uZ1ZErR9zb1BaluK8CRLeKjtfq5nvHUqIS6uheOtcejPohQyJRtRLS6gsmnicqwJeOzbxCKMOJ6iXOps9eFs62qLNFmP/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-12+at+8.49.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX3kXKIG17_YdLOZ_mq_9H4uVbpP41q1bY8XpTrQUKuLnZsJ9uZ1ZErR9zb1BaluK8CRLeKjtfq5nvHUqIS6uheOtcejPohQyJRtRLS6gsmnicqwJeOzbxCKMOJ6iXOps9eFs62qLNFmP/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-12+at+8.49.45+AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our gear being inspected before quarantine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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_________________________________________________________________________________</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
May be I jinxed it, as I woke up this morning feeling the start of a bad cold.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I'm not breaking our new <a href="http://dianemthompson.blogspot.com.co/2015/01/team-galapagos-2015-science-turns-minds.html" target="_blank">rule of field work</a>: (6) No Zika.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44L_XrQUObBTJnaKRzrW_EVpxZdwo52G1J-Hb22LhbF3Osof84gvhv8uxYnfZ3TXKw97Vb813vp-74akYO72nUdR8vFOA4FxezYhPNtirg0NmoIlJ5mxEDYZ4ZaCH8M7c0tuwHPILPBwZ/s1600/GOPR0063.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj44L_XrQUObBTJnaKRzrW_EVpxZdwo52G1J-Hb22LhbF3Osof84gvhv8uxYnfZ3TXKw97Vb813vp-74akYO72nUdR8vFOA4FxezYhPNtirg0NmoIlJ5mxEDYZ4ZaCH8M7c0tuwHPILPBwZ/s320/GOPR0063.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35EE98rB9_1XFxiWGcsfBoxTfe2VQAtdihNNwMDO73vuZqQ1W0rC5z_LyS_LcwbQbQeAGPw-o1QPukv88k_nIC81UD686Gnmm_T7Bubwh87nl9Y34OXdpzCwOyOkNt_rXP1GAHRdhPOKU/s1600/GOPR0142.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35EE98rB9_1XFxiWGcsfBoxTfe2VQAtdihNNwMDO73vuZqQ1W0rC5z_LyS_LcwbQbQeAGPw-o1QPukv88k_nIC81UD686Gnmm_T7Bubwh87nl9Y34OXdpzCwOyOkNt_rXP1GAHRdhPOKU/s320/GOPR0142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
After our gear finishes in quarantine in this morning, we
head to Genovesa and Bainbridge on the Pirata to collect our samples from the <a href="http://dianemthompson.blogspot.com.co/2015/11/sampling-20152016-el-nino-event.html" target="_blank">2015-2016 El Nino event</a>. The locals have all
given reports of a “weird” El Nino, in which there wasn’t as much rain as
expected. In March, they say that the
water temperatures also rapidly cooled, suggesting that the upwelling has
recommenced in the region.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m anxious to see what we’ll find…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(to be continued) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (NSF AGS-1561121). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-59997152953241718292015-12-02T15:41:00.002-08:002017-01-24T13:53:03.290-08:00Observations of "the Niño": will it be another 82/83 sized event here in the Galapagos??We are back in Puerto Ayora after an exceptionally difficult but successful trip to Genovesa and Bainbridge (more on that soon). And now the fun paperwork Olympics has resumed, in which we run around between the Charles Darwin Research Station, town, and the Galapagos National Park offices over and over to get all of the important papers approved. And stamped of course (they love their stamps!).<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQpwL-pEmHsNG5FQeT7Y2XrIBTomZv8D5s4yooFQFbBxjU-1BdXcaYA9XwXCcOJ7AtxoM9DvRZotN0l3zj9lG7tOPcySG7nNWYftocuVoGtmKU8lOZWeDEUfYOFGR6BJAe0A2_y6JB0l3/s1600/IMAG3413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQpwL-pEmHsNG5FQeT7Y2XrIBTomZv8D5s4yooFQFbBxjU-1BdXcaYA9XwXCcOJ7AtxoM9DvRZotN0l3zj9lG7tOPcySG7nNWYftocuVoGtmKU8lOZWeDEUfYOFGR6BJAe0A2_y6JB0l3/s320/IMAG3413.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our sample export perrmit, signed and stamped by the Galapagos National Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR82Dl_neD0BRNxVvKHh6gO76lr7-YvxaWuGG-h_B7ZSQCvAGeMDLaRc_TgXvZHAPLhIoqj7japNKO1__uK0OiJII7uexstt_3yxiIlqhbD6FX4pQ-HXVBFW3nFSRIlMs9Kfp7MWVGQkBP/s1600/IMAG3415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR82Dl_neD0BRNxVvKHh6gO76lr7-YvxaWuGG-h_B7ZSQCvAGeMDLaRc_TgXvZHAPLhIoqj7japNKO1__uK0OiJII7uexstt_3yxiIlqhbD6FX4pQ-HXVBFW3nFSRIlMs9Kfp7MWVGQkBP/s320/IMAG3415.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our samples, taped shut by the park and ready for export</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But this trip it's a little different. Usually the walk is sweltering hot under powerful sun and high humidity. This time, though, we are thankful for the higher cloud cover, and occasional light rains to keep it a *bit* cooler. Much appreciated, though brief, relief from the heat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And each time the dark clouds roll in, we point and joke, "THE N<span style="font-family: inherit;">I<span style="line-height: 107%;">Ñ</span>O </span>is comming!" After the great <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvmeUStFvz8" target="_blank">Chris Farley skit</a>, of course.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jokes aside, we have found ourselves constantly observing slight differences in the way things are this year, and it's impossible not to wonder whether they are early signs of the El Niño. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And we are not the only ones. All around town, we hear chatter about the El Niño, and locals ask us what we think might happen this year on the islands.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So what have we observed?<br />
<br />
The Bainbridge Flamingo population is down from January. And there are grasshoppers everywhere (I just got attacked in the face by one!).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But most notably, ocean tempearture and pH have risen considerably. Both signs that the upwelling of cold, nutrient rich, low pH waters from below has been tempered by the El Niño.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And these warm waters have fueled storms, which soaked us at Genovesa, and made the sail between islands "exciting" to say the least. Poor Frazer might not ever set foot on a sailboat again. He was a bit green the entire trip....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0fnWg0nFtUaZBNy29J-nlHhG7XP0T-oBF5TfmkrpAVBRA5m-nb4jPAqJe2ThTQcVN4aU6bCjTmuTfJ5QuZcj-D_38MHkS156mZBY01GRTm7V8iOpaqyBYoqffw23ACZbINmyfQqWa5m4/s1600/PB261159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0fnWg0nFtUaZBNy29J-nlHhG7XP0T-oBF5TfmkrpAVBRA5m-nb4jPAqJe2ThTQcVN4aU6bCjTmuTfJ5QuZcj-D_38MHkS156mZBY01GRTm7V8iOpaqyBYoqffw23ACZbINmyfQqWa5m4/s400/PB261159.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clouds building over Genovesa Crater Lake. 11-26-2015</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhcIikSiNb_KKVq5WrtCBnu7IRDAr6bSQ1cPwuduBMxZzdUnIFTb9GGJHaFG7ZsA9v6mkNAoxuAVnIODbBSsM9olbtYwHjR6uyTobVJoyOk-T264gZoU3PoU7EwCnCvh2q4fLjl1t6yOn/s1600/PB251088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhcIikSiNb_KKVq5WrtCBnu7IRDAr6bSQ1cPwuduBMxZzdUnIFTb9GGJHaFG7ZsA9v6mkNAoxuAVnIODbBSsM9olbtYwHjR6uyTobVJoyOk-T264gZoU3PoU7EwCnCvh2q4fLjl1t6yOn/s400/PB251088.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbg2MA7zBl5vlSp2DlRaayQmquWlqNKCmSJipNa-JAoEJ90f1IypxCeyLKiYziB0Wa_qVzu9Le0cZ6pauOv0G9u_dx4ot-v4wXm-5PaAko51NRbmwq3C0vNWljci5KsOAsVrbOpZt_oSuc/s1600/PB291346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbg2MA7zBl5vlSp2DlRaayQmquWlqNKCmSJipNa-JAoEJ90f1IypxCeyLKiYziB0Wa_qVzu9Le0cZ6pauOv0G9u_dx4ot-v4wXm-5PaAko51NRbmwq3C0vNWljci5KsOAsVrbOpZt_oSuc/s400/PB291346.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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But how does this event stack up to the other greats? </div>
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We are fortunate to have one of the best sources of the local history at our fingertips: the captain of the Pirata, Lenin Cruz. Lenin grew up in Floreana, and has lived in the Galapagos all of his life. At 65 years old, he still sails scientists all around the archipelago on the Pirata. He is quite a local legend.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jfGby9yj56eTi5mX5Ex217XUDftrh_UoBIQUmQQfIRWThBlDhbXJgFb7LbwV8R-vRLJ9q9ZI73Sun7Jm0h-ElVSwhn4we18SPdDtDjOpmZNTBIyIcz3cM-WIdalK0AlPNYvoRGQBvHG_/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jfGby9yj56eTi5mX5Ex217XUDftrh_UoBIQUmQQfIRWThBlDhbXJgFb7LbwV8R-vRLJ9q9ZI73Sun7Jm0h-ElVSwhn4we18SPdDtDjOpmZNTBIyIcz3cM-WIdalK0AlPNYvoRGQBvHG_/s400/IMG_2331.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pirata Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4m5skm4PuUMyE11us-qTFoIDeCBIY8wFXkPCdqesQcWBaF5nhZecYpuIOzLVijBgqh5VOKNAvb0DoxB68n5ciCXr8yFYdYJ7Vk28PEzpany8E_aRQWlw-3JnhP7Y7MlGH9Ws20p2PJayg/s1600/PB271264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4m5skm4PuUMyE11us-qTFoIDeCBIY8wFXkPCdqesQcWBaF5nhZecYpuIOzLVijBgqh5VOKNAvb0DoxB68n5ciCXr8yFYdYJ7Vk28PEzpany8E_aRQWlw-3JnhP7Y7MlGH9Ws20p2PJayg/s400/PB271264.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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While sailing to Bainbridge, Lenin told us how in 1982/83, he could see lightning hitting the islands on the horizon as he sailed. He recalls that by mid-late December, it was raining hard all throughout the Galapagos. </div>
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Waterfalls had formed over cliffs of dry, barren lava rock. Lenin's front and back yards had become lakes. And the road between Baltra and Puerto Ayora had washed out in multiple places. </div>
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To get around these obstacles, incoming tourists and locals were transported a few at a time in a construction loader!! Transporting bus loads of people a few at a time, obviously took a lot of time. So local parties would go well into the night as they waited for all of their guests to arrive! And I bet this was not exactly what the tourists thought they had signed up for....</div>
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When we returned, Lenin dug up an old letter from his mother in Floreana, dated December 12, 1982</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Floreana, a 12 de Diciembre de 1982<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Sr. Lenin E. Cruz 03</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Puerto Ayora</i></span> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Mi hijito querido</i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS27JyCivV7IEknKXH5S7VuY7Ur91mw4MhMxLQg91KR1xyoTTSQKREBxdSvlRX6CCucQOYB9kt_XJVqIbZLnHlOoW4MTxsItuVSAcev2M8S0616nRYpHsGse3G0PUdEVBDdo_l2zUJLuC/s1600/IMAG3416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS27JyCivV7IEknKXH5S7VuY7Ur91mw4MhMxLQg91KR1xyoTTSQKREBxdSvlRX6CCucQOYB9kt_XJVqIbZLnHlOoW4MTxsItuVSAcev2M8S0616nRYpHsGse3G0PUdEVBDdo_l2zUJLuC/s400/IMAG3416.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
In the letter, she describes the strong rains that they had been having, noting that the rains had come earlier than normal (although the wet season starts in December, most of the rain typically falls later in the season). Prior to all of this rain, her well was very low from a long drought, so she also commented on this fragility. Roughly translated, she said: <br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>"The rains are strong. I heard on the radio that they are
strong on the other islands and all over the world. The rains are ahead of schedule. The rains are unpredictable, some years it
rains, others nothing."</i></span></blockquote>
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So are these rains we've been having a sign of what is to come? Only time will tell...<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (NSF AGS-1561121). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.</span></div>
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Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-87232922003980010422015-11-24T15:45:00.002-08:002017-01-24T13:52:44.171-08:00Sampling the 2015/2016 El Niño eventTonight, we boarded the Pirata and sailed to Isla Genovesa, where we will begin our sampling expedition to capture the 2015/2016 El Niño event. Hopefully, if you're reading this tomorrow morning, we are packing up our gear and beginning the arduous hike up to the island's crater and down its walls to Genovesa crater lake.<br />
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<span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Team <span style="text-align: start;">Niño on the Pirata: Lenin<span class="apple-converted-space"> (el marinero), Stephan Hlohowskyj, Dr. Frazer Matthews-Bird, Dr. Diane Thompson (el hefe), Lenin (el capitan). Not pictured: my many other great collaborators on this project-- Dr. Jessica Conroy, Dr. Jonathan Overpeck, Dr. Julia Cole, Dr. Mark Bush, Dr. Melanie Riedinger-Whitmore, Dr. Miriam Kannan, Dr. Aaron Collins</span></span></span></div>
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My colleagues and I have been monitoring the local climate and lake conditions of both Genovesa and Bainbridge crater lakes for the past 6 years. These lakes are unique among the Galapagos islands, as connections to the sea have maintained vibrant lake ecosystems among a very hostile and dry volcanic landscape. These lakes cook under the hot tropical sun and low rainfall, concentrating the lake to about 5 times that of the local seawater and creating a warm, very productive ecosystem. These local oases support a vibrant population of marine birds, including boobies, frigates and flamingos. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Great Frigate bird male at Genovesa crater lake. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo cr</span></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">edit: </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: black;">Red Footed Booby, Genovesa crater lake. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo credit: </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">Stephan </span></span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great frigate male displays his stuff at Genovesa. Photo credit: Diane Thompson</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Flamingoes at Bainbridge crater lake. Photo credit: <span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">Stephan </span></span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Hlohowsky</span></span></td></tr>
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But we are more interested in what lies beneath the surface: the sediments accumulating at the bottom of these lakes. As the local climate changes, now and in the past, so does the type of sediments accumulating on the lake bottom. Cores of sediment have been collected from these lakes, and these cores show a rich history of climate changes that have been captured in their layers. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrV3an6lcyYKns2fF-3-r1ocjw9M4onXP8BoQxi4A_aAUCPwL4K6jaB0C8oDUUyTyrh4AYHhWa-ZbFVWF8IpyEwtIQdKmB2N4kNcFYGUQnv0T6wUTHVCJPnSRqtqZM0bj9KDZE1XhPWRK/s1600/PA040243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrV3an6lcyYKns2fF-3-r1ocjw9M4onXP8BoQxi4A_aAUCPwL4K6jaB0C8oDUUyTyrh4AYHhWa-ZbFVWF8IpyEwtIQdKmB2N4kNcFYGUQnv0T6wUTHVCJPnSRqtqZM0bj9KDZE1XhPWRK/s320/PA040243.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessica Conroy samples a sediment core in October 2012. Photo credit: Diane Thompson</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of a sediment core from Genovesa crater lake, showing the distinct layers of sediment. Photo credit: Diane Thompson</td></tr>
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But what do these layers tell us? Because these very saline lakes are very sensitive to changes in rainfall, they have captured past El Niño events (and their dry, cold water counterparts La Niñas). </div>
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For example, the sediment record from Bainbridge has been used to study the frequency of El Niño events over the past 6000 years. The sediments accumulating at the bottom of this lake may therefore be key to understanding how the frequency of El Niño events has changed in the past and what may have driven these changes in El Niño frequency. In turn, this will improve our understanding of how the frequency of these events may change in the future as our global climate continues to warm.</div>
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Despite the importance of these Galapagos lake sediment archives to our understanding of El Niño variability, there is a lot we still have to learn about these lakes to properly interpret the story told within their layers. </div>
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To improve our ability to interpret climate story from these lakes, we have been monitoring the local climate and lake conditions while simultaneously collecting all of the sediments falling in the lake in simple sediment traps. This allows us to better understand how changes in climate affect the physical and chemical characteristics of the lake, and how that in turn changes the type of sediments falling to the lake bottom.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMedXoJwDQcbGzPTq-CjaqU6BYolckKIhZhxQFydfoXvTtcKi7UjjAERBIkgeII5vaIhipnqOfAfsSNC8SklHkT10o6yB3cSvUDJnJYtSbsIKDxMeAPBEl8Niuvk4sUSg49wtt0x5m4pf/s1600/PA030211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMedXoJwDQcbGzPTq-CjaqU6BYolckKIhZhxQFydfoXvTtcKi7UjjAERBIkgeII5vaIhipnqOfAfsSNC8SklHkT10o6yB3cSvUDJnJYtSbsIKDxMeAPBEl8Niuvk4sUSg49wtt0x5m4pf/s320/PA030211.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collecting the Bainbridge sediment trap samples in 2012. Productive lake. mmmm productive! Photo credit: Diane Thompson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have been monitoring these lakes since December of 2009, <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">a period that covers more than 5 full seasonal
cycles and includes a weak El Niño, a moderate El Niño and sustained La Niña conditions. However, we have yet to capture the effect of a strong El Ni</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;">ño on these lakes, which is key to studying El Ni</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;">ño events in the past.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the next 4 days, we will collect and redeploy our instruments at these two lakes so that we can measure the fingerprint of the 2015/2016 El Ni<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;">ño in Genovesa and Bainbridge crater lakes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 16.8667px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (NSF AGS-1561121). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.</span></span></span></div>
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Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-16931915709281310922015-11-23T14:58:00.002-08:002017-01-24T13:50:56.550-08:00First Glimpse of the 2015 El Niño from in the trenches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If anyone asked me prior to this trip what I expected to
find in the Galapagos during this strong El Niño event-- an event that may be on
par with the strongest events in the historical record (in 1982-83 and 1997-98)-- I likely would have given a textbook answer of what happens in the Galapagos during a
“classic” strong El Niño event.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> It would have</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> sounded a bit like this: rain, lots of rain; warn waters; dead sea
life; dry, barren landscapes transformed to lush green wonderlands full
of fat, happy finches.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This picture I had painted in my head came not just from
research on El Niño, but also from personal accounts of colleagues who were in
the Galapagos during the huge 1982-83 El Niño, which hit the Galapagos very hard.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I heard stories of sea lions
dying on the beaches while land birds thrived off of the unusually lush
landscape.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Local divers and reef
experts also paint a stark picture of the coral reefs, which succumbed to coral
bleaching and death as a result of the high ocean temperatures.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Even 30 years after this event, its devastating impact was impossible to ignore while collecting coral samples on
our last 2 expeditions.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We were hard
pressed to find any large coral heads that survived that event, and all of the
corals we sampled had a distinct death band in 82/83.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">During these large, classic El Niño events, marine
ecosystems crash around the Galapagos and throughout the eastern Pacific Ocean
as a result of above average temperatures and a reduced influx of key nutrients
from deeper waters.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the same time,
terrestrial ecosystems thrive under above normal rainfall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The day before we departed for our trip, the Ecuadorian
Government declared a “state of emergency due to the phenomenon of El
Niño.”</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The announcement said that the
Ecuadorian Government was forecasting a stronger than normal event with
unusually high volume of rainfall, and encouraged residents and visitors to
visit their new </span><a href="http://www.enosecuador.com/"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "calibri";">website</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> to learn about El Niño and
its effects on Ecuador. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As an early career scientist who has focused her research
largely on the phenomenon of El Niño—aiming to improve our understanding of how
the strength and frequency of these events has changed in the past and may
change in the future—I was extremely excited to get on the ground to see and
measure these impacts in real time.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So you can imagine my disappointment when I got here to find
that the El Niño picture I had painted in my mind was, well only a fairy
tale?!</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Well, no, but where
was all of the rain?? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The clouds had definitely rolled in, with ominous clouds
above us as we quickly devoured the coveted “encocado de pescado” at Williams,
our favorite restaurant on the island.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GCeiAQ3SlLM/VlNfpAID41I/AAAAAAAARXY/AkKJahqxNXw/s1600/IMAG3381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GCeiAQ3SlLM/VlNfpAID41I/AAAAAAAARXY/AkKJahqxNXw/s320/IMAG3381.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">And the view out of the back
porch of our dorms at the Charles Darwin Research Station is no doubt more
cloudy every day </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yRX_e0S6jSA/VlNfzLdm0nI/AAAAAAAARXs/m9EUjCkguPM/s1600/IMAG3393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yRX_e0S6jSA/VlNfzLdm0nI/AAAAAAAARXs/m9EUjCkguPM/s320/IMAG3393.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DsllA6MWIaU/VlNft-CtUZI/AAAAAAAARXg/fB0ewZY-J6M/s1600/IMAG3397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DsllA6MWIaU/VlNft-CtUZI/AAAAAAAARXg/fB0ewZY-J6M/s320/IMAG3397.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">than it was during our last trip in January of 2015 (around the peak of last year’s warm/wet season)</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_iTYFdtGCTdoyuzkFXMZkPSNw8jE-vHXNaKY-JubZFW0PwXCYyKj4W27-EBihom-imTDknsVeB2rhnJW8fqgHr_2GHTEFk0TTU66MeqVuB7vJ11VNx2XbpRmQOdaso5GA_Po-kQlcaZH/s1600/IMG_0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_iTYFdtGCTdoyuzkFXMZkPSNw8jE-vHXNaKY-JubZFW0PwXCYyKj4W27-EBihom-imTDknsVeB2rhnJW8fqgHr_2GHTEFk0TTU66MeqVuB7vJ11VNx2XbpRmQOdaso5GA_Po-kQlcaZH/s320/IMG_0155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But despite the ominous clouds, it has not rained.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Our boat captain Lenin tells us it rained a
few days ago, but made a point of saying that he is skeptical of this El
Niño.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">He doesn’t believe the hype, and
thinks the government’s state of emergency is just a control tactic.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">BUT, on the other hand he notes that the guides have told
him that Darwin and Wolf (the most northern Galapagos Islands) are very lush
and have been receiving a lot of rain.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So a</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">re the northern islands being impacted more by this event so far, despite warm ocean temperatures throughout the islands?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> This surprising observation has my head reeling through open questions and implications. </span></span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">How patchy are the El Niño rains among the
islands?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">And as a result of this
patchiness, could such a large event be missed if only sampled from one island?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">What are the implications of this for the interpretation of the frequency of El Niño events in the past from natural
archives of past climate (e.g. sediments accumulating at the bottom of
Galapagos lakes)?</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I anxiously await our field expedition to Genovesa and
Bainbridge crater lakes to try to address these open questions.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We have been monitoring the local climate and
lake conditions at these sites to determine how such El Niño events are
recorded in these lakes; for example, how much rain falls during El Niño
events, and how does this change the conditions of the lake and the sediments
deposited on the lake bottom? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Based on the occurrence of these signature El Ni</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">ño</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> layers
in sediment cores extracted from these lakes, we can then produce improved
records of the frequency of El Niño events over the past 6,000+ years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And now as I finish writing this, it just started raining!!!
Stay tuned…to be continued…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsly8WLh2LkATOAmncJyqPvlfVBGl8ZVabR5en-wH6DskoRsIVBDV6Z_AnSzdr2wzayBTky3HA_adTtVlgC_b9q6C22wFQMOrCUyZnZK-OHK-YswOL_iUr1WQ4B0j4E4H2Mj7jDDdHxxy_/s1600/IMAG3400%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsly8WLh2LkATOAmncJyqPvlfVBGl8ZVabR5en-wH6DskoRsIVBDV6Z_AnSzdr2wzayBTky3HA_adTtVlgC_b9q6C22wFQMOrCUyZnZK-OHK-YswOL_iUr1WQ4B0j4E4H2Mj7jDDdHxxy_/s400/IMAG3400%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number (NSF AGS-1561121). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.</div>
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Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-14711149386223333382015-02-03T20:59:00.000-08:002015-02-03T21:04:00.395-08:00Galapagos shark video!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's going to take me a lonnnng time to process all of the footage I captured on our trip. In the mean time, here's a little tease.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyZe-hV-8IPAtjyarMcuyxC8IlCYsXz4ODrGMv86-q0CGa_XS2bUtOHHldPaRlYMnnPY9SQ22G_Gjt6EG3eBQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-12991989662136420002015-02-03T20:51:00.001-08:002015-02-03T20:51:40.686-08:00Coral drilling video!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once we got started drilling, we were all business and my camera got left behind. But I was able to get one short video of Julie drilling "Rosie" the Rosetta coral. The drill was seizing up at this point, so progress was slow and frustrating, but you get the idea. When I took over drilling after this video, a new drill was sent from above for me to save the day!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz-toSMA9uT2iqSRWsrtJcAZWUTLLGB9HN3GpQahL6auQXJFot_U0La6V9fRAK6fuwaB14T3ZoF7edydJ6lYA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-59686653557982686992015-01-31T19:51:00.000-08:002015-01-31T21:39:03.064-08:00Genovesa and Bainbridge Crater Lakes: a data logger's death sentence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After a quick 24 hour turn around, Stephan and I headed back out to sea, traveling to Genovesa and Bainbridge crater lakes on my absolutely favorite ship. The Pirata. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKHyC8LtdrZJJsjyEDBe13F15EYUKeQn4WOooZn5uDXb9OTa7dYx1nhgMdjny_xL7Z6FhizxO73XdYFTrriCWZyfnexmVsWpJM3YNypYQMTsuqfw6td4Qwg5u22Q-7T3I9mWHUAX9OLRL/s1600/IMG_1921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKHyC8LtdrZJJsjyEDBe13F15EYUKeQn4WOooZn5uDXb9OTa7dYx1nhgMdjny_xL7Z6FhizxO73XdYFTrriCWZyfnexmVsWpJM3YNypYQMTsuqfw6td4Qwg5u22Q-7T3I9mWHUAX9OLRL/s1600/IMG_1921.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
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Piggy backing off the coral trip, we only had 3 days to get a lot done. At each site, we set out to obtain data from the data loggers we had deployed at each lake that have been measuring local climate (temp, wind, rain, sunlight) and lake conditions (temp, salinity, lake level, etc) since 2009. We also needed to collect sediment and water samples from throughout the water column of each lake. </div>
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And of those 3 days, over 30 hours would be spent at sea. </div>
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Good luck wasn't in our fortune, and we fought a current the whole way to Genovesa and lost our early morning jump on the day. The hike to Genovesa was always brutal, long and hard and we'd need a full 12 hour day.</div>
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The "path" (very loosely speaking) is marked by rocks stuck up in Bursera trees. With heavy, cumbersome packs, moving is slow. Stephan used the machete to clear a path large enough for his tall pack frame piled with gear. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-42hsYxKHgjaXyP26WDJzUDRzo0fsYNFOmOUiMVXfpPDn1goYgeKwYzQLDBP8KtD2ghRdRx0tJ9WjspI0inSg7gf10wWAc-84spX84CvcoYUQh2Kge6-E49I-8fxQ8i2Xg1qr3ORYN6/s1600/IMG_1531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNl-42hsYxKHgjaXyP26WDJzUDRzo0fsYNFOmOUiMVXfpPDn1goYgeKwYzQLDBP8KtD2ghRdRx0tJ9WjspI0inSg7gf10wWAc-84spX84CvcoYUQh2Kge6-E49I-8fxQ8i2Xg1qr3ORYN6/s1600/IMG_1531.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlos makes his way through the Bursera. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by StephHlohowskyj </span></td></tr>
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Red footed boobies and chicks squawk at us as we awkwardly bushwack past.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GRT1Xg-3XU4BZcHmvTXOspk82QVVh0A69d2b3XSefVFi2dKJu8u-Fi-ScjGFuzorZxGywB5k5zYUrWdEGhOju1pfBt0olAL8Rq4_EUC1cFb1SN7y5WvGQhMAyHfl8pX9vJeU_hzXOBSl/s1600/IMG_1526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GRT1Xg-3XU4BZcHmvTXOspk82QVVh0A69d2b3XSefVFi2dKJu8u-Fi-ScjGFuzorZxGywB5k5zYUrWdEGhOju1pfBt0olAL8Rq4_EUC1cFb1SN7y5WvGQhMAyHfl8pX9vJeU_hzXOBSl/s1600/IMG_1526.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Fortunately, I couldn't have asked for a better team to help me, and we arrived in record time to the weather station at the crater rim.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1OLvpmg4Hs8taH5-D-RA4rcdhey2THUH9PUn5RbcPV4Ti0Hi4ZV52IPhXpOAWa5REDII8iolvmjUao6eRg11t_GfoFMvwCdkDKBO3WOXmdqMafGTgiebBQarjesVSXDQ8XadOhNIo_K2/s1600/IMG_1421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1OLvpmg4Hs8taH5-D-RA4rcdhey2THUH9PUn5RbcPV4Ti0Hi4ZV52IPhXpOAWa5REDII8iolvmjUao6eRg11t_GfoFMvwCdkDKBO3WOXmdqMafGTgiebBQarjesVSXDQ8XadOhNIo_K2/s1600/IMG_1421.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
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We dropped some of the tools for the station, and then real fun began: climbing down the couple hundred foot cliff to the lake. A cliff made of unstable scree and boulders, my favorite kind. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS28M2I6pothhqGCheqjJeX39X0KP0GKsVPCwN34FSIXaripYeHIW3hyphenhyphen1uRGuGRQIyC5BE4cYPaxnXSxUwZzeQRFwncvvu68hJEHUlsAAeiD3Ey6Uy6SkHQZfVMcCynT4GnTvlaxB8WRzt/s1600/IMG_1523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS28M2I6pothhqGCheqjJeX39X0KP0GKsVPCwN34FSIXaripYeHIW3hyphenhyphen1uRGuGRQIyC5BE4cYPaxnXSxUwZzeQRFwncvvu68hJEHUlsAAeiD3Ey6Uy6SkHQZfVMcCynT4GnTvlaxB8WRzt/s1600/IMG_1523.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
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Moving is slow and calculated. The true masochist in me enjoys it *a little* ;)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45Ppjzfm_uV7nQJzyfJlC-IiJGMw7eGSflztHXLZWzkeBApPmzyZME4nJyX1vXxvBywB8Ff3SfK_keIVXGppdcZqCABj0vOwILC0rmOCi5zQv4_cag9X13gQWVpSxKJ7OqFrsaasBqiBc/s1600/IMG_1427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45Ppjzfm_uV7nQJzyfJlC-IiJGMw7eGSflztHXLZWzkeBApPmzyZME4nJyX1vXxvBywB8Ff3SfK_keIVXGppdcZqCABj0vOwILC0rmOCi5zQv4_cag9X13gQWVpSxKJ7OqFrsaasBqiBc/s1600/IMG_1427.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
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And face to face interactions with Magnificent and Great Frigates and Boobies nesting provide much needed photo op rests.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCDsuC9Xet5tLNaNaiFRWdNRNweyaurKOPz4xd6IZz_1URZ0zv1GRDB3nVsBCtunml8CSDYyrf91MavS0IVgcNefQ7_j_0VNJ8zBXbwusXEoUU0G_1l33qWOMt_Q-Ba0LkeHV2jpwjZ5z/s1600/IMG_1437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCDsuC9Xet5tLNaNaiFRWdNRNweyaurKOPz4xd6IZz_1URZ0zv1GRDB3nVsBCtunml8CSDYyrf91MavS0IVgcNefQ7_j_0VNJ8zBXbwusXEoUU0G_1l33qWOMt_Q-Ba0LkeHV2jpwjZ5z/s1600/IMG_1437.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtl3CxiLNcdbCo4MAuOlBb9fu78uZ_2Le4X386AfqhBOBuj9YY2ulx285VOf7DP4Qamg9cwoCmZndqL7dj7sQ0JGOvj0Z_TdWUVGhqj0mK7J9T-dqKkO5U3ijBYUcBHQuvsQcWxGaAFkn7/s1600/IMG_1443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtl3CxiLNcdbCo4MAuOlBb9fu78uZ_2Le4X386AfqhBOBuj9YY2ulx285VOf7DP4Qamg9cwoCmZndqL7dj7sQ0JGOvj0Z_TdWUVGhqj0mK7J9T-dqKkO5U3ijBYUcBHQuvsQcWxGaAFkn7/s1600/IMG_1443.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEueioFzlBG3jGh6cVW0gBZpzXXZ7IX5UJP1FrOHY1yfPLItqLtq1hXIbVocsYGgoKD6C4KOseSN3l16qabK5X10qJLtkwkA2srAqO2Gu4JgCOkScPvFkvnyM8yfOCalk8h5ALAlpcgk9E/s1600/IMG_1441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEueioFzlBG3jGh6cVW0gBZpzXXZ7IX5UJP1FrOHY1yfPLItqLtq1hXIbVocsYGgoKD6C4KOseSN3l16qabK5X10qJLtkwkA2srAqO2Gu4JgCOkScPvFkvnyM8yfOCalk8h5ALAlpcgk9E/s1600/IMG_1441.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But admittedly, arriving at the lake always brings relief and puts the upcoming ascent in a daunting perspective!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPT8ThBt8c8EROlzylulGUr9PcpU3WwOQJmGGs7o4-CWTrIt9Z6GgHLh_LcjC91-5ACPU1dHrWExPSdE0xonC52X67hYn3uGu4yt7dTniOBQEZm1BLT_q_xnXDnpV8J94KsKz8X1Cjgwuo/s1600/IMG_1509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPT8ThBt8c8EROlzylulGUr9PcpU3WwOQJmGGs7o4-CWTrIt9Z6GgHLh_LcjC91-5ACPU1dHrWExPSdE0xonC52X67hYn3uGu4yt7dTniOBQEZm1BLT_q_xnXDnpV8J94KsKz8X1Cjgwuo/s1600/IMG_1509.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Despite our poor coordination with the rowing (with an added 360 turn for every few meters rowed), we successfully gathered the samples!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPfFAbGITV7vPSdnnXi0hyQUqNAJ7tOWrmykc0_G5yYQ2Xuz7BNxPtIB50Dk7AIkeIHrwu7YPp5POjIbFAwWj_bR5zoE4OxLksqRyyRYV3HmIBwwYDHPlxPxDNMKnR-VhVeFPqGcPllF0/s1600/IMG_1469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPfFAbGITV7vPSdnnXi0hyQUqNAJ7tOWrmykc0_G5yYQ2Xuz7BNxPtIB50Dk7AIkeIHrwu7YPp5POjIbFAwWj_bR5zoE4OxLksqRyyRYV3HmIBwwYDHPlxPxDNMKnR-VhVeFPqGcPllF0/s1600/IMG_1469.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That was however, where our good fortune ended. We could not read out data from any of the loggers. None. Nunca. SIGH. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQFOGmmsLZwOroHOnZOT9nnleAbO1hXBU0D29Zy6GxOrPrFnriMyEp3ta-3ww-ax7_sHR92kYaIPeTyTt2CwHOm6VeTpC9i75jg7oX2b3YVMIAQ0AonY40VTwCO7Sn8MSEo5w0B6TV34x/s1600/IMG_1643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQFOGmmsLZwOroHOnZOT9nnleAbO1hXBU0D29Zy6GxOrPrFnriMyEp3ta-3ww-ax7_sHR92kYaIPeTyTt2CwHOm6VeTpC9i75jg7oX2b3YVMIAQ0AonY40VTwCO7Sn8MSEo5w0B6TV34x/s1600/IMG_1643.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Exhausted, overheated, and running out of water and time, this pretty much sums up how we felt:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBIKOg8phMKPM_7yjv3h3RIY4Tn5k6IVWY6GLe9CZjzLhUFWrkfimlaGI3dWdX5uJYh5BBYRxT1hpd6qPKWmzgkt-dnA5zgLP7Gi3Ab4B7d6NAJb54HEqzjL-hnxfa5cQ_nVsftoTvizb/s1600/IMG_1566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBIKOg8phMKPM_7yjv3h3RIY4Tn5k6IVWY6GLe9CZjzLhUFWrkfimlaGI3dWdX5uJYh5BBYRxT1hpd6qPKWmzgkt-dnA5zgLP7Gi3Ab4B7d6NAJb54HEqzjL-hnxfa5cQ_nVsftoTvizb/s1600/IMG_1566.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="text-align: left;">So somewhat defeated, we had </span><span style="text-align: left;">to resort to bringing them all back to the states in hopes that the company can extract the data for us.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
We sailed to Bainbridge in hopes of better fortune.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuyhlLt5VjW6I1XV_ie-Lyv-km-9urlcZCBqovEvHBcICzB4HApkY1HTVeH5MyjjrCgwwasXs0tgJBBy2KbxNs9Z7oA12mjoyveuKo9D-AwgY98J-Ezpfp2hwbJSP02mnNaaru16RkQNA/s1600/IMG_1674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuyhlLt5VjW6I1XV_ie-Lyv-km-9urlcZCBqovEvHBcICzB4HApkY1HTVeH5MyjjrCgwwasXs0tgJBBy2KbxNs9Z7oA12mjoyveuKo9D-AwgY98J-Ezpfp2hwbJSP02mnNaaru16RkQNA/s1600/IMG_1674.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Now I might be biased (because this is my main study site), but Bainbridge is always a site for sore eyes after Genovesa. The "hike" if you can even call it that involves an (admittedly) awkward boat landing, but then you walk 50 feet to this view:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79SfXr4GIcnYmofAnFm921LK-yZM6uegyT-XG6MtRvP7hoytaAcGHPAvkJcJ5D25EVLVcNDVGPMlKOFx_pc8dEmBP3rTyFMEWSlE1u37OcoPSFaNlHtkSNhF5MvdGZLyshubtfmWoUEal/s1600/IMG_1818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79SfXr4GIcnYmofAnFm921LK-yZM6uegyT-XG6MtRvP7hoytaAcGHPAvkJcJ5D25EVLVcNDVGPMlKOFx_pc8dEmBP3rTyFMEWSlE1u37OcoPSFaNlHtkSNhF5MvdGZLyshubtfmWoUEal/s1600/IMG_1818.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
And did I say flamingoes?! THERE ARE FLAMINGOES :) And this time they were courting. Absolutely hilarious to watch them prance back and forth (GoPro video to follow).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKIyQe92SleHhxdCrWAfHTVJ-jBqAQoMOpBVd5EhGRkaDfXRLs0-Fkv49-n3G7NAET65yFEFAN5rtNo3K4XmgPy25G0AexvZgBA4DXZ04fslo906JJgkWzrL8O__ZD4lo_cfGBYtSzkKX/s1600/IMG_1830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKIyQe92SleHhxdCrWAfHTVJ-jBqAQoMOpBVd5EhGRkaDfXRLs0-Fkv49-n3G7NAET65yFEFAN5rtNo3K4XmgPy25G0AexvZgBA4DXZ04fslo906JJgkWzrL8O__ZD4lo_cfGBYtSzkKX/s1600/IMG_1830.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But why Flamingoes?? Well because this lake is SALTY. And I mean salty! Over 3 times that of seawater. Combine that with the fact that it's shallow and mixed and you get one productive lake!!! Mmmmmmmm....</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44kt75SpDHESEB_SncAuQeN_xXi9r6NOKeuIAKVpKMAqjH0LaK1HTSINZzigKGENzoG7Nm8M4HIs7nZN9nsrOFWorRUR2slzfDTMMO3eMzRBx-CTQMvgISzi8g4YFoSwgugg50cJJ85w0/s1600/IMG_1797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44kt75SpDHESEB_SncAuQeN_xXi9r6NOKeuIAKVpKMAqjH0LaK1HTSINZzigKGENzoG7Nm8M4HIs7nZN9nsrOFWorRUR2slzfDTMMO3eMzRBx-CTQMvgISzi8g4YFoSwgugg50cJJ85w0/s1600/IMG_1797.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
When do I get to be aired on "Dirty Jobs"?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweDg-CdI9KEMX6tEa8CkEwUCUIrWqJcRPZWGnLMM-hstZTBY_EFjMMuza20DHHpg-anY5mrZL840ea4TJdNCpW6FpwGiknNvQx94_Xa8cbS7JH4zS2ifjInkVynw6YisDBVYVwtfYh0c1/s1600/IMG_1857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweDg-CdI9KEMX6tEa8CkEwUCUIrWqJcRPZWGnLMM-hstZTBY_EFjMMuza20DHHpg-anY5mrZL840ea4TJdNCpW6FpwGiknNvQx94_Xa8cbS7JH4zS2ifjInkVynw6YisDBVYVwtfYh0c1/s1600/IMG_1857.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And where there is salt, there is rust! So much rust that our weather station snapped in half:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDNvzLxnvGwvkNl1_6Db6Ar4RzOqjaKhgtZrSOUZOB4pMd94XS9Pibh1MKT9tzV4ToNu4Q6WPp-Yd9i0DrveQpPuhvnFHhBS0XiXt7jQwjGoiqPqcoDvPfoP6uEN-S4aH9PI734sSIOUl/s1600/IMG_1753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDNvzLxnvGwvkNl1_6Db6Ar4RzOqjaKhgtZrSOUZOB4pMd94XS9Pibh1MKT9tzV4ToNu4Q6WPp-Yd9i0DrveQpPuhvnFHhBS0XiXt7jQwjGoiqPqcoDvPfoP6uEN-S4aH9PI734sSIOUl/s1600/IMG_1753.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdirLfnx_RIIZMmDEwFJfCj4eH0caYhv4stY8ruAjVhmr-AkQic7hQw25wBu_DgejbC8pAFDlygKz2DVPCLNxfRaC0rA9FnPUPJyf_KwHGb2jWcDmTbxoUM_Q2r1YChitDE0kh6cSn7LgT/s1600/IMG_1755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdirLfnx_RIIZMmDEwFJfCj4eH0caYhv4stY8ruAjVhmr-AkQic7hQw25wBu_DgejbC8pAFDlygKz2DVPCLNxfRaC0rA9FnPUPJyf_KwHGb2jWcDmTbxoUM_Q2r1YChitDE0kh6cSn7LgT/s1600/IMG_1755.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBIx-LttuDPVjUsWq14jYKIWOtINM2ERSA6PeuOw6HNfyu2pxEubMt9Ctou7F_4vfpnO4iy1XtZ63LRinYSQCJyX_F3eFBlVZV4jqMwtZr7dpnX51-vqrjeKouafmWl5e4MGHHEBNrVMA/s1600/IMG_1759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEBIx-LttuDPVjUsWq14jYKIWOtINM2ERSA6PeuOw6HNfyu2pxEubMt9Ctou7F_4vfpnO4iy1XtZ63LRinYSQCJyX_F3eFBlVZV4jqMwtZr7dpnX51-vqrjeKouafmWl5e4MGHHEBNrVMA/s1600/IMG_1759.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thankfully, I was expecting this given its condition on our last trip, and brought all new parts for the station! But we had to chisel the instruments off the old one....so lets just say it took a while and not everything is working as well as it should. But it's a beaute!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpY2Grk027V5j4RbFwByF3mqgcn6cRWFo1WEYBHFyB7N78cWzJsOTiYOTNRTnrHnI2rbrVg71kSnSYUuYCSz-F_YGKrd-Lw4l_l_1P7waE_0SZPGSb7YrQM-tP5SylCZPIbo6ZSjQsX-g/s1600/IMG_1843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpY2Grk027V5j4RbFwByF3mqgcn6cRWFo1WEYBHFyB7N78cWzJsOTiYOTNRTnrHnI2rbrVg71kSnSYUuYCSz-F_YGKrd-Lw4l_l_1P7waE_0SZPGSb7YrQM-tP5SylCZPIbo6ZSjQsX-g/s1600/IMG_1843.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 15.2296295166016px;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</span></td></tr>
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So what I've learned is like most vehicles, loggers have very specific lifetimes after which time, everything simultaneously breaks. Oh and hypersaline lakes make a particularly good instrument graveyard. </div>
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Fortunately, our lab’s mascot “Coral” traveled all the way from Tucson to cheer us on.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Gloria Jimenez</td></tr>
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We cruised to Wolf first to get our feet wet where the conditions are typically more calm and better for diving. We returned to the reef where we took samples back in 2010, and broke out Julie’s brand new pneumatic drill system to give it a good ole test drive and make sure everything was working properly and efficiently. <br />
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Because if we were going to reach our goal with 5 days of diving, efficiency would be key.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Stephan Hlohowskyj</td></tr>
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The drill runs off of compressed air, which can be a major logistical challenge with the strong currents and deep reefs at Darwin and Wolf. To power this type of drill, there are only two options: power it from scuba tanks or an air compressor from the surface, or bring extra scuba tanks down to the bottom to power it. <br />
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With many tanks of air needed to take a 1-2 meter coral sample, bringing tanks down isn’t ideal, especially when they begin to float away as you use the air in them! But the other option, though seemingly ideal, requires the boat, or a zodiac or panga, to be anchored right above you, with enough compressor hose to make it down to the depth of the coral without tension. And if there is current or swell, that possibility goes right out the window…as the hose and boat gets tossed and yanked around like a rag doll. <br />
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And rough conditions is something these islands do well. When we arrived, the Queen Mabel tried to anchor at the site, and before the anchor could even be set, the boat heaved and the huge steel anchor chain snapped in 2. And the anchor was lost. The first casualty of the trip….<br />
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On top of the rough conditions, the large corals at these islands that we want to sample are unfortunately also deep. Typically corals that we sample are in shallow water, but here the big ones are found around 50 feet. This not only means lots of compression hosing, but it also means that lots of nitrogen buildup in our bodies. With 3 to 4 hour long dives per day (dawn pre-breakfast dive, after breakfast dive, and 1-2 afternoon dives), we’re all pushing our decompression limits every day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drill. Photo by Julia Cole</td></tr>
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So we brought a tank of air down with us on the dive to test the drill, hopeful that the drill would be strong and efficient. We were all a bit relieved when we found that with this tank the drill cut through….a few inches of volcanic rock! The rock is much denser and tougher to drill than corals, so we ended the dive hopeful that we’d be able to collect samples without needing too many tanks of air. Fingers crossed…</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drilling some rock like it ain't no thing. Photo by Jennifer Suarez</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Jennifer Suarez</td></tr>
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For the remainder of the day, while the captain and crew searched for the lost anchor, we went on a search of our own to find the corals we drilled in 2010. We wanted to photograph the health of these corals to show their recovery following the drilling. As a marine ecologist turned paleoclimatologist who went from monitoring health of reefs to poking holes in them to study climate, I was particularly keen on seeing their recovery. <br />
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After coring, we fill the holes we create with cement plugs that prevent other organisms from coming in and killing the corals from the inside. These plugs also provide a surface for the coral to re-grow, and many have documented the recovery of corals cored in this way. But I was excited to see this for myself. You know, to sleep at night…<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of a plugged sample from this trip. Photo by Julia Cole</td></tr>
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But we looked and looked and looked all around the GPS coordinates of the corals sites, and could not find them. Knowing that we that we likely swam by the corals a few times and couldn’t find any evidence of drilling, I’m happy to know that the corals must have recovered and grown over the holes.<br />
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In the wee hours of the morning we cruised the remaining 4 hours to Darwin. I watched the sunrise as we became closer and closer to the picturesque arch off the southeast side of the island.<br />
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We cruised around the island to start in the somewhat calmer Arrecife Escondito ("Hidden Reef") to start to search for large corals to sample. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepping for the dive. Photo by Julia Cole</td></tr>
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On our first pre-breakfast dawn dive we found a coral that was around 2 meters tall and started drilling. We were off to a great start, but would soon come across a number of hurdles with the drill, slowing the coring process. Although a frustratingly slow progress, we continued moving forward (rule number 3!!), and 5 dives and far too many tanks in, we finally got 2 cores out of this coral. Sadly, a big part of our slow progress from this coral is that it turns out it was only an ~half meter coral head growing on top of a large rock. :(<br />
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We named this coral "heart of stone" and continued on in search of the Rosetta Coral.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMoNxIzQigAkHiF7Icw_RdBVCFKphHbJjtCpqhTneTuV6DMhJO0wFCZU3vz5_nEC1oJyqqBRa2R1ybXeiFHDmdC6PoGBWsM7Z15PGnFYY8e2nxu3C2UPpcHR4iWlGz6YVkmlF0ZuHgXC2/s1600/P1180066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMoNxIzQigAkHiF7Icw_RdBVCFKphHbJjtCpqhTneTuV6DMhJO0wFCZU3vz5_nEC1oJyqqBRa2R1ybXeiFHDmdC6PoGBWsM7Z15PGnFYY8e2nxu3C2UPpcHR4iWlGz6YVkmlF0ZuHgXC2/s1600/P1180066.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Heart of Stone" coral with the 2 coral samples plugged. Photo by Gloria Jimenez</td></tr>
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We got one more half meter core from another core at this site, but unfortunately this core was riddled with boring clam holes. So we aptly named this sample the $50k pencil holder.<br />
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While Julie and I did one last sweep of the reef in search of large colonies, we ended up in a scene straight from Blue Planet (or Finding Nemo!). Suddenly, the ocean went nearly black as we were surrounded by a school of thousands of fish. As they'd move back and forth, the sides of their bodies would temporarily glisten in the sunlight, making shapes in front of us. No directions to the Sydney Opera house, but they were clearly being chased by something. Something big. My excitement quickly faded as I waited for whatever it was chasing them to come out of the darkness. Fortunately, what appeared were HUGE mackerel. It was feeding time! An incredible experience!!!<br />
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Meanwhile Stephan and Gloria went to set a temperature logger by the first coral, and in doing so, Gloria got bit by an angry eel :( Fortunately, she didn't lose her thumb and it didn't hit a major artery, but she is left with a bad wound and will likely need surgery to fix a tendon. But let me tell you, she is one tough chick!!<br />
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After a satellite phone call to the islands for advice on Gloria's thumb, we decided to move on to try to find the rosetta coral on the other side of the island at Arrecife Antigua ("Ancient Reef"). On our first dive, I found two nice, large corals...the second was easily 2 meters or more. I was so excited when I found it that chasing Julie down to show her against the current suddenly didn't feel so hard (thank, you adrenaline!). I felt a little little like a little kid at Christmas! "Mommy, mommy, look what I got"!!! jaja :)</div>
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We marked the corals with diving safety sausages so we could return and start drilling them after breakfast.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tagging the first drilling target at Aricife Antigua: a ~1.5 meter, but solid head</td></tr>
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After breakfast we set out to anchor the panga and start drilling the largest coral. But our excitement quickly turned to doubt as it became unclear whether we'd even be able to drill. The current had picked up dramatically, and conditions were now dangerous and bordering on impossible with all of the drilling equipment. </div>
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Once the panga was anchored, Julie and Stephan rolled out of the zodiac upcurrent of the anchored panga, and were quickly swept down current to the panga. Grabbing on, the idea was that Roby would pass them the drilling gear and they would safely descend down the anchor line to the coral. But with the drilling tools, which easily weigh around 50 lbs, they could not even fight the current to the anchor line. Stephan was being dangerously pulled in two directions, tools in one hand and anchor line in the other. Impossible. </div>
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Admitting that he's never felt so close to drowning, we clearly had to rethink the logistics for this site and decide whether we would even be able to drill. The next dive, we decided to forget the tools for now, and just go to the bottom with the drill and one tank to see if it would even be possible to drill. </div>
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We went up-current of the coral and tried again. This time with Stephan hugging the tank and regulator for the drill and Julie holding the drill and tubing. Rolling off, they tried to swim straight to the bottom and to the coral to avoid getting swept away to sea by the strong surface current. Fortunately, they made it, and found relatively calm conditions (comparatively) at the bottom and were able to start drilling.</div>
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But unable to get the tools down safely by the dive team, we had to drop them from the surface, guiding them as much as possible by rope. Talk about unideal conditions, but it worked!</div>
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So from here we started a new rotating drilling team. Each new person in the water would craddle a scuba tank, roll in, and plummet to the bottom as quickly as they could, replenishing the air for drill and relieving the drill team (who were also running out of air). </div>
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And we'd bring the empty tanks with us up as we surfaced. Well, that is until one dive when I went to change the regulator to a new tank, and the empty tank slipped out from the reef and floated to the surface. Fortunately, the zodiac saw it and grabbed it. It worked so well in fact, that we started doing that for the other tanks. Well, that is, until one went missing... :/</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading the scuba tanks for our dawn dive. Photo by Gloria Jimenez</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephan and Roby break a piece of sample out of the coral head. Photo by Julia Cole</td></tr>
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This system worked very well and we fell into a groove, repeating this strategy dive after dive for the next 2.5 days. We fought an endless battle with the drills seizing (despite our endless efforts to oil them after every dive). Seawater and drills don't play well together. Fortunately, we had an extra drill and at one point while I was fighting the drill, a new, powerful drill was quite literally sent to me from above. A gift from...well the drilling gods I suppose.</div>
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On the last dive, Jennifer and I wrapped up the drilling and packed up the gear. We had decided as a group on the surface that it would be best just to fill the haul bag with air and let it ascend to the surface. After 20 minutes, they'd be on the lookout for it at the surface. </div>
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But getting the tools together took the last remaining energy we had, and by the time they were finally ready to go, I was running out of air. I headed to the surface with the last tank in my hand and watched as the haul bag, carrying all of the tools, plummeted to the surface, breached, leaked, and came plummeting back down. I had to dodge the 50+ lb bag from my safety stop. Take 2. This time the zodiac was on it. As soon as the yellow bag hit the surface, I hear the zodiac speed above me and see a hand reach down and grab it. Phew. </div>
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It was absolutely exhausting, but we got 3 cores out of this head...one of which was 2.5 meters long!! We did it!!! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 meters here we come! Photo by: Gloria Jimenez</td></tr>
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And we named this coral "Rosie", short for Rosetta of course.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Rosie" Photo by Gloria Jimenez</td></tr>
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We did two last dives to look for more potential corals (for future trips). On the last dive, we headed to "deep" water to collect a sample of the cold water coming up from the deep around this site. And at only 80 feet, for the second time in my life I felt nitrogen narcosis. Suddenly the world started moving a bit slower and I felt drunk. I immediately looked at Stephan and signaled that I was going to move shallower. The repeated dives had finally caught up with my body and I was DUN. Until next time, Darwin!</div>
Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-60387074579965446592015-01-26T16:34:00.000-08:002015-01-26T16:34:00.347-08:00los animales<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMPnqbI9Q_ucW4kxpLLXyci6gRVJyNtSRuVU4me7Xo6vVxd-FuSQ9Gcn7eTyaKT2Rivir8rJp1L5t_kNsKYzJuey56VQ3v884rXZpU1zbS_gWyUhRAdTTaR0uy2IoV0bSPvu6v2tmkw4W/s1600/P1160380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMPnqbI9Q_ucW4kxpLLXyci6gRVJyNtSRuVU4me7Xo6vVxd-FuSQ9Gcn7eTyaKT2Rivir8rJp1L5t_kNsKYzJuey56VQ3v884rXZpU1zbS_gWyUhRAdTTaR0uy2IoV0bSPvu6v2tmkw4W/s1600/P1160380.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-82958700135029456382015-01-25T15:17:00.000-08:002015-02-03T20:38:44.913-08:00Boobies, boobies, boobies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Stephan and I leave here shortly to embark on the Pirata for a 3-day cruise to Genovesa and Bainbridge. I've run out of time to finish updates on our Darwin and Wolf trip, so I'll update more when we return. But, in the mean time, I want to share my favorite wildlife interactions thus far.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbw5U1bvtYjTekCO8a4DBd8K4dobkReAwGI_MMeGM75cBX_jIf8fQbgouuZHUGWBZb1QN6gq0cFsqFyMUg_jkxg3yhizTCr5MpR8B8RTM4uLhZzDX09FxJud1DCumAfjKXrwfu5wTWwyO6/s1600/IMG_0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbw5U1bvtYjTekCO8a4DBd8K4dobkReAwGI_MMeGM75cBX_jIf8fQbgouuZHUGWBZb1QN6gq0cFsqFyMUg_jkxg3yhizTCr5MpR8B8RTM4uLhZzDX09FxJud1DCumAfjKXrwfu5wTWwyO6/s1600/IMG_0765.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>And of course, here in the Galapagos, boobies provide endless entertainment. Darwin and Wolf are no exception, with easily thousands of Nazca and Red Footed Boobies taking residence on their near vertical cliffs and circling overhead.</div>
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This trip, we had the added entertainment of watching the young juvenile boobies do what preteens do best. </div>
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Hours of endless entertainment watching them wrestle for the primo resting spots on the boat. Landing on each other's backs and falling over themselves trying to push another off. </div>
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They also were very confused by our bubbles coming from our regulators and drilling equipment. Because, after all, typically bubbles means dolphins or whales are corralling fish down below. But they were slow to learn that we were in fact, not Orcas, and would dive over and over again above us in the water. </div>
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And as we surfaced, they'd check us out repeatedly underwater as we hung out at our safety stop. This interaction is one of my favorite moments from our dive:</div>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzlwCAvIQ6oUe7AVQc2dgRgMq1v4HurOWqAqaCOY_bWu2wLDTaUCPx70Nll2ULaCn9DPHMeQv4Ko0MQWKK-OQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-66239067036405802282015-01-24T12:04:00.000-08:002015-01-24T12:04:58.068-08:00La cuarentena: a story of biodiversity, conservation, and choniesThe Galapagos islands are a hotspot for endemic species, meaning that many of the plants and animals you can see on the islands are only found here. To try to conserve and protect the rich biodiversity of the islands, the Galapagos National Park has a number of rules in place for visitors:<br />
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1) National Park visitors must be accompanied by a guide at all times<br />
2) Never stray from marked trails<br />
3) Do not disturb, feed, or touch wildlife<br />
4) Never transport live organisms (insects, seeds) between islands<br />
5) Never remove natural objects (including rocks and shells) from the islands<br />
6) Never smoke on the islands<br />
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These rules may seem straightforward, but there’s one catch: it is easy for us to transport insects and seeds between islands without even knowing it. Seeds may be stuck in the soles of our shoes and insects may burrow in our luggage. To combat this, as you fly into the Galapagos, the flight crew walk through the cabin and spray every overhead bin with insecticide. And for the seeds, without most visitors even realizing it, every shoe passes over a mat covered in herbicide on the way into the small terminal.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRBuGryE3eoEQZR-64wKNEzNS5Opa1tibmExNPi_YwYoB9GSQbEvKaH2_vKwyuYOQ5CwvMJXfNMD_rfWUZlmRh0TJ6lh2-j3T5YqPJ0sWrP_SMCzZKF-TTyr9tgZk2E87SndOyPCsqRlo/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJRBuGryE3eoEQZR-64wKNEzNS5Opa1tibmExNPi_YwYoB9GSQbEvKaH2_vKwyuYOQ5CwvMJXfNMD_rfWUZlmRh0TJ6lh2-j3T5YqPJ0sWrP_SMCzZKF-TTyr9tgZk2E87SndOyPCsqRlo/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a>As scientists, we apply months and months in advance for a permit for expeditions to go to remote areas of the Galapagos to collect samples, work with wildlife, etc. Because this often means that scientists go outside the designated areas, it is even more critical that no seeds or insects are transported between study sites. To address this, the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station have developed a rigorous quarantine process for scientific equipment and personal gear brought on each island. <br />
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When I say rigorous, I mean rigorous! I’ll never forget the moment when on one of our first field expeditions, meeting some of my colleagues for the first time, my underwear was held up to be inspected in front of everyone. MY CHONIES. I don’t embarrass easily, but I can only imagine how red I must have been. Note to self: bring nicer chonies next time!<br />
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For each island, a complete separate set of clean field gear is necessary. This means different clothes, different shoes, and different chonies. So if you’re one of those proud owners of the no-stink chonies that can be worn multiple days in the field, you’re out of luck here! <br />
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And for the lake sampling work we do this also means lots and lots of gear. Multiple large, heavy inflatable rafts, sediment coring gear, etc. Now you can easily see how we ended up with 12 bags for our initial field season!! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_RS6ZbFMIqzXm3Xg_pHSXkkNdgdzo3w8a1SRQya-8C2I3q2FN6lwfU0oSjH61zXRvla9DiELGJTivfpdPXeRHnLNAB7dgnCCkhcVOQyWut3VFQ_uUqAVT2pxSfp3RhC0hTl47-_QqSdN/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_RS6ZbFMIqzXm3Xg_pHSXkkNdgdzo3w8a1SRQya-8C2I3q2FN6lwfU0oSjH61zXRvla9DiELGJTivfpdPXeRHnLNAB7dgnCCkhcVOQyWut3VFQ_uUqAVT2pxSfp3RhC0hTl47-_QqSdN/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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So what happens to all the gear in quarantine? Like my chonies, each item is meticulously checked to make sure it is clean and free of insects or seeds, particularly big culprits like the inserts in our hiking boots (who knew so much stuff can get stuck under there-- how does it get there?!). <br />
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Then all items are bagged by island, and sprayed down with powerful insecticide and left for at least 24 hours before bringing it directly to the boat. All bags remain sealed until we reach the island. Chonies and all.<br />
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-14188501254339101342015-01-23T17:08:00.000-08:002015-01-23T19:41:49.406-08:00Why Galapagos?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We just returned from our 10 day expedition to collect coral samples from Islas Wolf and Darwin. The journey to these northern islands is ~24 hours there, and as much as 40 hours back on our vessel the “Queen Mabel.” Long stretches of nothing but blue on the horizon emphasize the vast expanse of ocean and the extremely remote nature of this field expedition. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4Uhfk7RskyzPXJp-NyFZkpurxEyRHZaaLmvqN6lok9tlL5w-qcwUb8BrlRex-weYu_PsGFBYx9kLRW0A2bnb3z-HHbgps4RXKz-JHb8qBxDqrKj-KleVYIiZmgbb1ImURRjn3jG4wuhr/s1600/Julie_P1160170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4Uhfk7RskyzPXJp-NyFZkpurxEyRHZaaLmvqN6lok9tlL5w-qcwUb8BrlRex-weYu_PsGFBYx9kLRW0A2bnb3z-HHbgps4RXKz-JHb8qBxDqrKj-KleVYIiZmgbb1ImURRjn3jG4wuhr/s1600/Julie_P1160170.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen Mabel anchored at our destination. Photo credit: Stephan <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Hlohowskyj</span></span></td></tr>
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This remote, the rules of field work are particularly critical. “Adventure” after “adventure” was continually thrown at us, and we continued moving forward (albeit sometimes very slowly), and with no whining. Even when it was, in fact, justified. Because unfortunately, one of Darwin’s many angry moray eels decided to break our amended rule #5 (no maiming, no death). And poor Gloria is left with a very bad wound on her thumb and is undergoing hyperbaric chamber treatment in town over the next few days.<br />
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But I’ll let her tell that story. Over the next few days, as Stephan and I get back on a boat, this time heading to Genovesa and Bainbridge for lake work, I will post a series of blogs recounting our adventures at Darwin and Wolf. </div>
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But first if you’ve gotten past the jealousy, you might be wondering why on earth I keep going back to the Galapagos for work. What exactly is it that we’re doing here? And why so many trips, and can I take you with me next time?</div>
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The Galapagos are a hotspot for year-to-year changes in climate. Normally within the tropical Pacific Ocean, strong trade winds blowing from the east drive strong upwelling in the eastern Pacific, bringing cold, nutrient rich water to the surface around the Galapagos Islands. We can thank these nutrient rich waters for one of the world’s most productive fisheries. </div>
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But every few years, these trade winds weaken, and less deep water is brought to the surface in the eastern Pacific and local fisheries crash. Because this phenomenon happens around Christmas time, locals dubbed it “El Nino” (the boy). The Galapagos is located pretty much smack dab in the center of most El Nino events.</div>
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These El Nino events not only drive warm, nutrient depleted conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean around the Galapagos, but they also change climate patterns globally. For instance, much of California and the western US experiences extremely high rainfall and flooding during El Nino events. Other areas, like much of the Australian continent, experience severe droughts during El Ninos.</div>
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Because of their global influence on climate, it is critical that we understand how the strength and frequency of these events may change in the future as the world warms. Unfortunately, we have very limited historical ocean observations in the vast tropical Pacific, and climate models disagree regarding changes in El Nino into the future. So we still do not have a very good understanding of how this extremely important climate phenomenon may change in the future. </div>
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That’s where we (my colleagues and I) come in. As paleoclimatologists, we study past climate changes to improve our understanding of the range of potential climate scenarios we may see into the future. To do this, we use natural archives of climate as windows into the past. For example, the rings of trees may tell a story of past changes in rainfall at a particular site, while bubbles trapped in ice sheets show how the composition of our atmosphere has changed through time. </div>
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To study past changes in El Nino, we capitalize on two of Galapagos treasures: it’s coral reefs, and it’s crater lakes.</div>
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Corals, like trees, grow in annual layers. Much like the rings of trees tell a story of past rainfall changes, the chemistry of layers of the coral’s skeleton paint a picture of past ocean conditions. Their skeletons tell us about the temperature, salinity, upwelling strength and even wind at the time the coral grew. From this, we can learn about the strength and frequency of El Nino events that happened before historical records were made.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisA94uVTtKXGAnCx0QYJENW6_S1tCf156DtwvdpXITeLleJuaLhAVuMUxmwV7hJfOcKJJUtaccSn9n22soN3cwo35kS9trTNcW57xl2Rkb7XgP7vPKfgep2QETI_g_XWchAchtRj0lb0B8/s1600/P601033020100601_82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisA94uVTtKXGAnCx0QYJENW6_S1tCf156DtwvdpXITeLleJuaLhAVuMUxmwV7hJfOcKJJUtaccSn9n22soN3cwo35kS9trTNcW57xl2Rkb7XgP7vPKfgep2QETI_g_XWchAchtRj0lb0B8/s1600/P601033020100601_82.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drilling a coral sample from Wolf Island in 2010</td></tr>
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But unfortunately for us (and the coral, of course), most corals only live to be a couple hundred years old. So even the largest, oldest corals we take samples show us a glimpse into the past few hundred years. Corals that long since died, either submerged or tossed up onto the beach, can give us windows into the distant past, but many such corals are needed to try to piece together the history of climate changes.</div>
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But that’s where the Galapagos crater lakes come in: volcanic craters that are filled with very very saline water (2-3 x the salinity of the ocean!). Sediments accumulating at the bottom of these lakes also tell a story of past El Nino, this time through their impact on local rainfall. During El Nino events, the Galapagos experiences heavy rainfall, which washes in material from the crater walls and changes the chemistry of the lake. These changes are recorded in the sediments accumulating at the bottom of the lake. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah Truebe and I at Genovesa Crater Lake</td></tr>
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Together, these corals and lake sediments tell us a story about the history of El Ninos. From this story, we gain a better understanding of how the strength and frequency of these important events has changed as the Earth’s climate has changed in the past (as a result of changes in input from the sun and the number of volcanic eruptions, for example).</div>
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The primary goals of this trip are twofold: </div>
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1) Collect additional coral samples from the northern islands</div>
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2) Maintenance and redeploy instruments recording the local climate at our lake sites</div>
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I’ll update the blog with our successes, and of course “adventures” along the way.</div>
<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-54863663553352998742015-01-13T07:11:00.001-08:002015-01-13T11:25:39.998-08:00Team Galapagos 2015: “Science turns minds on”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5WtxJ11spKNCbMZBq77LEziqaLwuoMwORkjKWPfRt8p2uFq1tQCRaOu9Gbx0wm-rxBzQalfPpkWn5A5an5lrio5PVA9WEnIPppWnnZJi9D-grEF_Od3RkpLO-RDhD6GO6VO7isKnQOGu/s1600/IMAG1653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5WtxJ11spKNCbMZBq77LEziqaLwuoMwORkjKWPfRt8p2uFq1tQCRaOu9Gbx0wm-rxBzQalfPpkWn5A5an5lrio5PVA9WEnIPppWnnZJi9D-grEF_Od3RkpLO-RDhD6GO6VO7isKnQOGu/s1600/IMAG1653.jpg" height="181" width="320" /></a></div>
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In prepping for this year’s Galapagos trip, Stephan passed along the 3 rules of field work he learned in field camp:<br />
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1) Adventure (not necessarily synonymous with fun)<br />
2) No whining<br />
3) Always moving forward<br />
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This will be my 4th field expedition to to the Galapagos, a place where field work is always full of adventure (for better or worse), making rules 2 and 3 critical. We therefore quickly adopted these rules as our mantra. <br />
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Even getting to the Galapagos with field gear always involves plenty of adventure, and this year was no exception. We arrived in the Galapagos successfully Sunday, with all of our gear in hand. But as in previous trips, this was no small feat. <br />
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The adventure hurdle came early via a luggage embargo by the Ecuadorian government: no more the 2 bags/person and 50 lbs in bags/boxes of precise dimensions. Underwater drill, air compressor, dive gear, lake gear and personal gear all in 8, 50 lb bags. After 12 overweight, oversized bags for 2 people in our first field expedition in 2009, this may be a blessing in disguise. Well, assuming we can somehow make it all fit. Armed with multiple scales, we set on a multi-day adventure of life-sized game of Tetris. <br />
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One thing was clear from the get-go. Our shiny new tripod to replace the rusted weather station on Bainbridge was not going to fly. Pun intended. After Gloria was sent on numerous goose chases, calling the airline, the Quito airport, airline, airport, airline (…you get the picture), we were left with one option: cut the tripod and piece it back together when we arrive.<br />
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A new, miniaturized weather station later, we were able to fit all of the pieces in the bags….just barely.<br />
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Cleaning and prepping old and sometimes dysfunctional field gear, we also added a new rule to the rule book:<br />
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4) No schmutz<br />
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Which is, of course, the technical term for the mud and gunk caked on old field gear, which causes much dysfunction and frustration to users down the line. So just say NO to schmutz.<br />
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But most importantly, in discussing the difficult and tenuous journey to Genovesa lake that evening over beers, we decided on one last, critical rule:<br />
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5) No maiming. No death<br />
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Last, but not least.<br />
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Saturday morning our gear was whisked off at the Tucson airport, within error of our 50 lb limits. And checked straight through to the Galapagos?!?! You mean no more luggage handling at midnight at the Quito airport? No schlepping heavy field gear to the hotel only to get up only a few hours later to bring them right back for the early A.M. flight out? A new and amazing luxury!!!<br />
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Except when things are too good to be true, they probably are. Again, this was no exception. A moment of disappointment passed when we saw our bags appear on the carousel in Quito. But hey, they all arrived, and for that we are always thankful. <br />
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We heaved the gear onto carts and offloaded them onto the first of many x-ray machines. And the large metal poles and drilling equipment launched the first of many explanations of our scientific purpose in the country and proof of permits. Exhausted, after a long day of flying and whirlwind of luggage and Espanol we crashed for a short night of sleep.<br />
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In the morning, it all began again. Luggage from hostel to truck; truck to Ingala x-ray; x-ray to check in. Excess baggage fees. And finally, back to Ingala for the most important step: our passes to enter the country as scientists. Not tourists, but scientists. This is critical. Because without it we cannot do our work, and would have to return to the mainland and enter with the proper card. Catch is: the paperwork we need for this has been completed by the park, but not yet given to us. They can see our permission in the computer, but insist on us presenting a paper copy. Our flight now less then an hour from take-off, we frantically try to contact the officials to see what we can do. <br />
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No luck. Nada. Defeated, we returned to Ingala, only to discover that they had apparently made an executive decision that it’s suddenly fine. A change of heart? An acceptance of the reality that we have our necessary documentos? No se. But, we had permission. We rushed off to the plane, now minutes away from boarding. <br />
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When we landed in Baltra, we began the “planes, trains, and automobiles” part of the adventure to get to the Darwin station. But replace trains with ferries, since this is the Galapagos, after all. In bursts of chaos, we transferred our stack of luggage from carousel to bus, bus to ferry, ferry to taxi. <br />
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Around 2 pm we arrived exhausted, famished, and dehydrated to the Darwin Station, having now missed both breakfast and lunch and lacking enough purified water. We were all thankful for Julie’s Trader Joe’s sesame almonds that had kept us going, but we really needed a real meal.<br />
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But when we arrived at the station, we encountered our last adventure of the day: the security guard (who is supposed to give us the key to our rooms) was nowhere to be found. The entire station was deserted, save (of course) the usual waves of tourists coming to see the exhibits. We offloaded our gear at the dorms and wait in the heat. <br />
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Turns out our reservation was lost. Never made. We have no rooms for the trip. Thankful that they’re able to squeeze us in for one night, we finally are able to settle in. <br />
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And after a long day of adventure, nothing tastes better than William’s pescado enconcado!!<br />
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Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-68656621558773410792013-12-05T16:57:00.001-08:002013-12-07T08:03:10.301-08:00climbing volcans Rumiñawi and Cotopaxi!!<br />
Or alternatively, the story of the tortoise and the hare, mountain style. But I'm getting ahead of myself again.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-iIGwBDRN0ywh-i0eUy5n9fatYlcJ70AkY-hGspgQ6OWF4du5GuyJZoytN4UD1DymfeAG0Yd_zGoyqwjXNKgjuT6friw2EFrbTWZdg-hDJcPeaYYSI4St2YG7rn3DMOoZt7RDwp9-sWt/s1600/PC020020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-iIGwBDRN0ywh-i0eUy5n9fatYlcJ70AkY-hGspgQ6OWF4du5GuyJZoytN4UD1DymfeAG0Yd_zGoyqwjXNKgjuT6friw2EFrbTWZdg-hDJcPeaYYSI4St2YG7rn3DMOoZt7RDwp9-sWt/s400/PC020020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of Cotopaxi National Park and the two volcanoes I climbed</td></tr>
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On Sunday, I arrived back to Quito around noon, and had a relaxing afternoon around my hostel preparing for my trip to Cotopaxi. As I packed, I started getting more and more nervous. What was I getting myself into?!? After over a year of dreaming of the summit, I started to worry that I wasn't going to make it...<br />
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A number of people at the school in Cuenca were sick, and I had felt like I had been fighting it off all week. I had grand plans to run everyday along the creek to keep in shape for the climb, but instead I had slept in every morning, hoping I would at least not get sick. Returning to Quito at an elevation of a little over 9000 feet, I felt tired even climbing to the reception on the 5th floor of my hostel. Yikes.<br />
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Feeling exhausted, I decided all I could do was get a good nights sleep and hope for the best. After expressing my concern to Jeremy over skype, he helped me remember the big picture. No matter what happens, it'll will still be an incredible experience! <br />
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So I headed to bed early, hoping for a solid 10 hours of sleep. But between the excitement, anticipation and nerves, I hardly slept a wink. And when I did sleep, I had disturbing dreams. Very disturbing. At one point I was dreaming that I was killing a cat. I'll spare you the details, but it was gruesome. Likely a side affect of Diamox, the altitude sickness med I was taking as a precaution. That and the weird tingling sensations in my hands and feet...<br />
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So now really exhausted, I was picked up by my guide's father on Monday morning. He immediately started saying something about my boots. My guide had told me he'd have 2 sizes of plastic climbing boots for me to try, so I wasn't sure why this was an issue. What was he saying? Does he not have them after all? I was too tired for Spanish and he was using words that I didn't understand. Although worried I was going to start the trip off on the wrong foot with no boots (literally- ha!), I was thankful we turned to everyday conversation that I could handle well. <br />
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Fortunately, when I met up with my guide, I realized he was trying to tell me that I should try them on to make sure one of them fits. Apparently they were in the trunk the entire time. Ahhhh! So although my Spanish had gotten to the point where I could have intelligible conversations, clearly there were still many things outside of my limited vocabulary. I was thankful then that my guide's English was far better than my Spanish. And it was better than you'd imagine from his emails, which required some interpretation and were often pretty funny. My favorite being, "please if you have a dude or question." ?? :)<br />
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We headed to <span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Volcan Rumiñawi, a dormant stratovolcano in Cotopaxi National Park that would serve as an altitude acclimation hike. It was a beautifully clear day, giving me gorgeous views of Cotopaxi for the first time on the trip:</span></span><br />
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We arrived at Laguna Limpiopungo, a lake between Cotopaxi and <span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Rumiñawi and the starting point for our hike for the day. However, due to dry conditions there wasn't much left of the lake. My guide told me it has gotten smaller and smaller every time he visits. One of the many signs of climate change I would see on this trip. :/</span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">As we hiked toward </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Rumiñawi, clouds started rolling in and the weather got progressively worse. I was bummed, because the views of Cotopaxi from </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Rumiñawi were supposed to be spectacular on a clear day. My guide just laughed and told me just wait, it might clear up again. He said that the guides here always say that the weather in the mountains is like a woman: it changes rapidly. Ha!</span></span><br />
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By the time we got to the top of the ridge for a lunch break, Cotopaxi had disappeared behind blankets of clouds and snow.<br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">But sure enough, by the time we reached the top of </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Rumiñawi there was enough of a break in the clouds to get a glimpse of Cotopaxi:</span></span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">I relaxed for a while, catching my breath and taking in Cotopaxi's captivating beauty. Despite feeling winded, my guide told me that we made excellent time, knocking over an hour off the usual time to the crater. That made me feel more encouraged about my physical condition, so I kept my hopes high as I sat dreaming of the summit...</span></span><br />
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Then my guide and I sat on the side of the crater and watched as the clouds hit the crater walls and swirled up and over us.</div>
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The route down the steep crater walls was super fun, and involved basically running down a scree slope of volcanic sand. It reminded me of the descent of SP crater near Flagstaff AZ, but with less rocks! And adult, fun-sized mix between a sandbox and a ski slope :)</div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">We finished the hike just as the storm really set in, dumping cold rain all over the valley. </span></span><br />
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Meanwhile, Cotopaxi was getting pounded with snow, leaving about 12 inches of fresh snow for our climb... <br />
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All things considered, we had been really fortunate with the weather for our hike. My guide joked that I must have made an offering for the good weather. I was reminded of my horrific dream about the cat. Huh. Maybe I was making an offering in my dreams for good weather?!?!<br />
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We arrived wet and cold to our lodge, hoping the storm would pass and leave us with a clear day for the summit. I was thankful to have a warm fire and hornimans to keep me warm...<br />
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I went to bed early and slept hard, so hard that when I was woken in the morning to the sound of a herd of cows mooing outside of my window, I thought it was my guide calling me to wake up! ha. <br />
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Unfortunately, the clouds still lingered over the valley and hung low over Cotopaxi, completely blocking it from view.<br />
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By the time we arrived at the base, the snow had finally stopped, but clouds and fog still lingered. </div>
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But I was excited and ready for the big climb nonetheless!<br />
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We carried our gear from the parking lot at ~1500 feet to Refugio José Félix Ribas (@ ~15750 feet), our base camp for the climb.<br />
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After some much needed hot soup and an hour nap in our sleeping bags on the military style cots and bunkbeds of the refugia, we hiked up to the glacier to practice the technical skills needed for the climb. Soon after leaving the refuge, the guide pointed to the red rocks on the slopes and told me that the glacier used to end here:</div>
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Now, the glacier is almost an hour hike up the slopes from the refuge! Like other mountain glaciers, the Cotopaxi glacier is receding rapidly. :( Here is a picture of the start of the glacier up ahead:<br />
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At the glacier, he taught me the various techniques for using crampons and ice axe to ascend and descend the glacier, cross crevasses, and stop a fall. I had never used either before, but I felt like I picked it up pretty quickly and was comfortable by the end of our short lesson. Good thing...I'd be doing it all again in a few hours in the dark!<br />
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At the end of our lesson, he showed me a technique used for climbing very steep slopes, noting that this technique isn't necessary for Cotopaxi. Thanks to the heavy snowfall the night before, he would eat those words later, so I was very glad he showed me...<br />
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We went back to the refuge for hot drinks, trout dinner and laughs with the other climbers and guides. By that point I had become famous around the refuge as the "un mil novio chica." ha. Don't ask how that started, let's just say the guides to a liking to the tall blond haired climbing chick.<br />
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And without any other source of entertainment (or warmth), the guides showed off their incredible ability to do pull ups off the paper thin edge of the ceiling...<br />
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After bs-ing for probably far too long, we all headed to bed to try to get a least a few hours of sleep. They had broken the climbers into two shifts, one group that would wake up at 11pm and start climbing by midnight, and another that would get up at 11:30 and start by 12:30 am. My guide and I were in the second group. </div>
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I hardly slept, and at 11 I was woken to the sound of the first group getting ready to go. Their plastic boots on the wooden floors sounded like a heard of elephants! Even if I was sleeping, I certainly wasn't anymore! Might as well get up and start getting ready too... </div>
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When we hit the glacier, we donned our crampons and started the long, slow slog up the mountain. As I tried to get in the the rhythm, I listened to the sound of my guide in front of me and repeated his words from our practice the day before: piolet, crampon, crampon. Piolet, crampon, crampon. Piolet, crampon, crampon...</div>
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For hours. At one point, one of my favorite lines from the movie "A Knights Tale" popped in my head: "To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who
has nothing left in life except the impulse to simply soldier on," which made me laugh to myself. It certainly felt like a trudge, but of a very different sort. A fun, self-imposed trudge!<br />
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But I got into a groove, and suddenly we were at the first break spot, a glacial cirque that provided protection from the wind. My guide told me it was 3 am and that we were already at 17000 feet meters! I was feeling great and I was starting to feel optimistic about my chances for the summit. Although we couldn't see it in the dark, the cirque was beautiful!! Here is a picture of it on the way down in the daylight (unfortunately none of my videos from the descent turned out because my camera was completely iced over :/):<br />
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After this point, it started to get legitimately cold. At one point we passed another group, and I noticed that their eyelashes and facial hair were covered in icicles! I was starting to loose feeling in my fingers and face, and was regretting not having put on my heavier gloves and balaclava. By this point, my buff covering my face was wet from the inevitable sweat and runny nose. Awesome. <br />
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So I was thankful when we arrived at the second cirque at ~18400 feet around 4:15 am and could change to my heavier gear. However, despite only being there for a few minutes and having my gloves off only a bit, my fingers only got worse. Soon, the discomfort had turned to pain, and I was having trouble even holding my ice axe. I stopped the guide, and he sweetly rubbed my hands to warm them up and offered me his gloves. At first the pins and needles feeling was super painful, but I regained feeling to my fingers. By that point the guide was asking me to call him "mi amor," but I was thankful of his sweet endearment...<br />
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At that point, we had less than a thousand feet to go, but he said the last part was steep. And little did we know, it was going to be even more steep than usual thanks to the snow. We caught up to the groups of guys who started at midnight and had took off for the races. They were barely moving, and their guide was barking back at them "recuerda!" It had become very steep, and required a different technique, and they were struggling with it and falling backwards.<br />
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My guide and I slipped passed them, and continued on slowly up the now quite vertical slopes using the pick of our ice axe and tips of our crampons:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8iyyzGuEkKo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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So despite being one of the last groups to start, we paved the way to the summit through the fresh snow. Girl power; tortoise power! ;)<br />
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As we crossed the dome of the summit, I was so excited that I could hardly catch my breath and I had tears in my eyes. After a congratulatory hug from my guide, I explored the summit before everyone else arrived. I felt like I was on top of the world!<br />
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When the next group arrived, the guy just crashed to the ground, exhausted. We had a good laugh about how I was the only one still with energy. I thought to myself, slow and steady! When the rest reached the summit, we all cheered and celebrated our successful summit. We made it! :)<br />
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Here is a video compilation from the summit (sorry for the haze, it had become covered in ice!):<br />
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Here I am at the summit, with views of the crater below (and icicles in my hair!)<br />
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On top of the world!!! (Ok, well most of the clouds at least!) </div>
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The summit gang!<br />
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My guide, Edgar, and I. If any of you ever want to climb Ecuadorian peaks, I recommend him highly!! (http://www.edgarguide63.webs.com/) </div>
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A trip of a lifetime for sure!!! </div>
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Now which peak should I do next...? ;)</div>
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-24288828646962289622013-11-29T18:45:00.000-08:002013-11-29T18:45:15.701-08:00Days 8-12: Spanish immersion and cultural program in Cuenca<div style="text-align: left;">
This week I continued my Spanish immersion program in Cuenca, with 4 hours of intensive Spanish classes in the morning and exploring the culture and history of Cuenca in the afternoons (in Spanish, of course). </div>
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My teacher this week spoke virtually no English, which means that the translations were often done through a mixture of charades and pictionary:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYpotZpLOo4QF2WCPCWEfLiuUTuRrvDMdCJzgkwA1EgyHL227BCmCXU_6mcpSFrw8GRhWIc9w7ERe146eqhHTbuKcmXmGTy6VHmbHufDqTHcVZc1RmyJCgRCk05Nd2b7sHnCm-mc_HXvZ/s1600/PB280510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYpotZpLOo4QF2WCPCWEfLiuUTuRrvDMdCJzgkwA1EgyHL227BCmCXU_6mcpSFrw8GRhWIc9w7ERe146eqhHTbuKcmXmGTy6VHmbHufDqTHcVZc1RmyJCgRCk05Nd2b7sHnCm-mc_HXvZ/s1600/PB280510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYpotZpLOo4QF2WCPCWEfLiuUTuRrvDMdCJzgkwA1EgyHL227BCmCXU_6mcpSFrw8GRhWIc9w7ERe146eqhHTbuKcmXmGTy6VHmbHufDqTHcVZc1RmyJCgRCk05Nd2b7sHnCm-mc_HXvZ/s1600/PB280510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYpotZpLOo4QF2WCPCWEfLiuUTuRrvDMdCJzgkwA1EgyHL227BCmCXU_6mcpSFrw8GRhWIc9w7ERe146eqhHTbuKcmXmGTy6VHmbHufDqTHcVZc1RmyJCgRCk05Nd2b7sHnCm-mc_HXvZ/s400/PB280510.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div>
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So in my notes I have a lot of words that have ??? after the English translation. My English-Spanish pocket dictionary is getting good use...</div>
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Surprisingly, though, my Spanish is apparently pretty good considering I have not taken any Spanish classes. The instructors were all very surprised by this based on my level of Spanish, making me feel a little better. I thank almuerzo en español in our lab!! One of the instructors asked me where I took classes. When I responded I haven't ever taken any classes, his response was "en serio?" Ha. Yeah, seriously! The only other time I've heard that phrase was from the boy in my homestay when I answered how old I was. :)</div>
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In the afternoons I took in as much as I could of the rich history of Cuenca, including some 58-odd churches!! Based on the population of Cuenca that's approximately 1 church for every 5500 people. For comparison, Rome has approximately 1 church for every 3000 people. For a relatively small city, Cuenca gives Rome a pretty good run for its money!!</div>
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We visited Cuenca's oldest church: the Church of the Shrine (also known as the Old Cathedral of Cuenca). Construction of this church started in 1557, using stones from the ruins of the Tomebamba Inca colony. </div>
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The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, known as the New Cathedral of Cuenca, sits across the Parque Calderon from the old cathedral. Construction of the new cathedral started 1885 and lasted for almost a century. However, the church's towers were never finished due to an error made by the architect! </div>
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We walked up to the top of the tower </div>
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to take in views of Cuenca...<br />
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the brilliant blue copulas...<br />
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and Parque Calderon. <br />
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Although there was not enough time to visit them all, I passed many other beautiful churches during my walks too and from school...</div>
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My favorite being the "plaza de las flores", where you can buy a dozen roses for a couple of bucks!<br />
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A sample of some other beautiful historic buildings around town...</div>
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Today, we climbed some 400-500 stairs to get views of the town</div>
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And last but not least, enjoyed the local food, especially the fresh tropical fruit and fruit juices!! </div>
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My favorite being Maracuyá...deliciously tart and sweet at the same time, even if it does look a little like brains and have the consistency of boogers...
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And I enjoyed my Thanksgiving meal, Ecuador style: <span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45,"tn":"*G"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">mote pillo (hominy and egg scramble), grilled pork tenderloin, potatoes, salad....and (of course) topped with Aji!</span></span> <br />
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Last but not least-- I had a great time with my Ecuadorian family! It was Robin's birthday while we were there, so we got to help him celebrate :)<br />
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<br />Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-11773871293592524112013-11-27T16:18:00.000-08:002013-11-27T18:13:58.522-08:00day 7: hiking in Cajas National Park!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">es no broma!! Map, compass, navigation
skills and acclimatization required!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While in Baño drinking cerveza and
practicing my Spanish with Lucia, a german guy sat down next to us who had just
biked 60 km into town! He was a nice
guy, and fluent in Spanish, so he quickly became part of our conversation. We discussed all sorts of things, and how
they differ among Germany, Ecuador, and the US.
And Lucia and I jealously heard about his travels all around the world
over the next year. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And fortunately for me, he was
headed to Cuenca next as well. I really
wanted to hike in Cajas National Park, but knew it was unsafe for me to do so
alone. After hearing about his 60 km
bike ride, I figured he’d be game for a good hike! We met up Sat night in Cuenca for beer and
decided to hike the Inca Trail-- a nice, long ~20 km hike.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the morning, we jumped on the bus
towards Guayaquil. After both being
solicited by Jehovah witnesses on the bus with a pamphlet that asked “¿Será possible
que los muertos vuelvan a vivir?,” we jumped off the bus at the trailhead. We loaded up on a high energy breakfast,
Ecuador style: carne con arroz y plantains. And, of course, ají.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We set off on the Inca trail towards
Laguna Luspa, the first of many beautiful lakes along our hike. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We were relieved to see trail
markers, as we’d both heard that route finding in the park can be
difficult. But we spoke too soon. As we reached the first creek crossing with a
gorgeous water fall, the markers ran out.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzypLmjRB1-396i8x8VDRFXjAIK9fJMqBjakaQ_o8w5HqULYw1ze1OLbxhyphenhyphenYJtdHw_B-plt-LflY14cIh209TyMe6KXKnY2-yTYZm6r3YUQwThFO1CzVSvs21sRBekEygBh-b-fSj4iFp/s1600/PB240429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWzypLmjRB1-396i8x8VDRFXjAIK9fJMqBjakaQ_o8w5HqULYw1ze1OLbxhyphenhyphenYJtdHw_B-plt-LflY14cIh209TyMe6KXKnY2-yTYZm6r3YUQwThFO1CzVSvs21sRBekEygBh-b-fSj4iFp/s400/PB240429.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So we were probably on “trail” for
no more than a kilometer of the hike.
The rest was bushwacking and route finding fun over rolling terrain
covered with breath-taking lakes</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mountains</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Flora</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And alpacas y llamas!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Literally breath taking! Or maybe that was because we were at
12-13,000 feet, breathing cold, thin air….</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fortunately, we reconnected with the "trail" just in time for the cold rain</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All in all, it was a fun adventure hiking in Cajas!! </span></span></div>
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<![endif]-->Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-25334112650268444982013-11-26T16:47:00.000-08:002013-11-26T16:47:02.921-08:00Day 6: homestay in Cuenca<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On Saturday, I made the ~6 hour journey
by bus from Riobamba to Cuenca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides
some slight motion sickness from my attempts to do my Spanish homework as the
bus drove quickly among curvy mountain roads, the ride went smoothly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoyed the scenery and a very dramatic
action flick dubbed in Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most
importantly, all my stuff and I arrived safely in Cuenca!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we even had a bathroom stop (a luxury in the Ecuadorian bus system)!! Very thankful
for that after demasiado jugo y té en la mañana …</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I arrived at my homestay and rang
the doorbell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A young boy’s voice came
on the intercom “¿quien?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I told
him my name, the gate clicked open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was greeted by a sweet young boy, who gave me a tour of my new home for the
week and quickly jumped into conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He asked me all sorts of questions, and told me all about Cuenca and
Ecuador-- its history and its people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
suddenly we were on to superheroes and the movie Happy Gilmore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The discussion of Happy Gilmore quickly
became a game of charades as he acted out scenes from the movie while I tried
to figure out what the heck he was doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oooooh….he’s swinging a golf club! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The boy spoke rapidly and jumped
from subject to subject in the way that excited children often do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was clearly a smart kid and excited to
host a new guest, but I was having trouble keeping up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kid was literally bouncing off the
walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was endearing, but I finally
had to ask him to slow down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> "</span>Más
tranquila por favor."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To which he
responded by a face-palm and an eye-roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then he sarcastically started talking reeeeeaaaalllyyy<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sloooowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Awww, kids…got to love them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While we waited for my host mom to
come home, he showed me his Lego cannon. Super cool!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hid behind a pillow and held up a target
for him while he launched Legos at me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was super fun, and it gave me a chance to practice phrases like “mas
alto” y “mas largo.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when the rubber
band mechanism eventually broke, I got to play with Legos and help him fix
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> :) </span>I wish I had made things that cool
with Legos when I was a kid!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When my host mom came home from
work, she showed me all around town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like
her son, you could tell how proud she was of her city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I don’t blame them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cuenca is a beautiful city full of
history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I already liked it far more
than any of the other large cities I had been to in Ecuador.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when asked how I liked Cuenca in comparison
to Quito, it was easy to respond with “me gusta mucho, me gusta mas que Quito!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She brought me to a local bakery
that had an amazing assortment of pan…an assortment that would rival bakeries
in France!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we went to the market to
buy fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was an incredible variety of produce, including things I had
never even seen before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And of course,
there were guinea pigs for sale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cuy, as
they are known in Spanish because of the sound they make, are a delicacy in
Ecuador.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone here loves it and I am
looking forward to trying it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When in Rome,
right?!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After stopping at a restaurant for
hot chocolate and tamales, my host mom drove me around historical Cuenca,
proudly pointing out all of the sights. As a highly Catholic city, there were countless beautiful churches, so many that I wonder if it can compete with Rome for number of churches per area. If not, it certainly can for number of churches per capita! Christmas decorations are already up and everything closes on Sundays!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Driving through the center of town, we spotted
fireworks and stopped to admire the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While standing in the beautiful square, watching fireworks, I thought to
myself: “Ahhh si, me gusta Cuenca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me
gusta mucho…”</span></div>
Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-13500041652106570572013-11-22T20:58:00.000-08:002013-11-28T15:55:03.147-08:00Day 5: mountain biking down volcán Chimborazo <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A ~58 km ride down the Chimborazo volcano and along the former trans-American highway, passing by Llamas, Alpacas and Vicu<span style="line-height: 115%;">ñas and through remote indigenous communities!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">GoPro videos of the ride to follow...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbozYp_a6yrKkbOPakXtR2tgCHz5FoT-7V-avnn5W-9QamJ7CMz7eH73Wi1PpEq7afdgBwFMBORpnoKApQsxhKXC9Ms2FRoYSd0Ulxy8BLMzZ-rod5CFvO1rSN2dn4AHsDmJQ7WOMb797/s1600/PB220286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbozYp_a6yrKkbOPakXtR2tgCHz5FoT-7V-avnn5W-9QamJ7CMz7eH73Wi1PpEq7afdgBwFMBORpnoKApQsxhKXC9Ms2FRoYSd0Ulxy8BLMzZ-rod5CFvO1rSN2dn4AHsDmJQ7WOMb797/s400/PB220286.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Llama! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVQpuSD8eMioKXtyu-_QP6eFbFG_DNWunwHieJMJKfw76UIUrEwSdHqowQdhjpzW4LPyc3Q2HcxuY4XQA_NTf73TqLrSS-eOaPM_OuiJbqDfjQbxuAcXSwwbWynCmNPhtJVv5kyqM4Qyt/s1600/PB220290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVQpuSD8eMioKXtyu-_QP6eFbFG_DNWunwHieJMJKfw76UIUrEwSdHqowQdhjpzW4LPyc3Q2HcxuY4XQA_NTf73TqLrSS-eOaPM_OuiJbqDfjQbxuAcXSwwbWynCmNPhtJVv5kyqM4Qyt/s400/PB220290.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Exposure of the tephra from previous eruptions! :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qsAzWOZEEiZMoP3s854ZnVC6A8fzPa5IcZmzKT50__V4hizXQqZRU3oq_5XCjJMPmwElMWOMY89zy1tWmCKnpdyvshvGDBhYt0cBxMgoYPdZRX-q1FuAeuE4klHJ8ro-Grb3Guh3KYLe/s1600/PB220299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qsAzWOZEEiZMoP3s854ZnVC6A8fzPa5IcZmzKT50__V4hizXQqZRU3oq_5XCjJMPmwElMWOMY89zy1tWmCKnpdyvshvGDBhYt0cBxMgoYPdZRX-q1FuAeuE4klHJ8ro-Grb3Guh3KYLe/s400/PB220299.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Vicu<span style="line-height: 115%;">ñas (a close relative of Llamas and Alpacas)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfNSuVTyu7HDHO_8XF3kDNACpIN2JPt41SVVCII0nlTJNQ3j-tb_tgYy81xCAMOUzEXpUspQvdACnTov9erGwkzGGcz3sOs1FhZBEgo7x_hY3iiLUPGC5TVw1uWa-wt0mWopXVkCbapNA/s1600/PB220303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfNSuVTyu7HDHO_8XF3kDNACpIN2JPt41SVVCII0nlTJNQ3j-tb_tgYy81xCAMOUzEXpUspQvdACnTov9erGwkzGGcz3sOs1FhZBEgo7x_hY3iiLUPGC5TVw1uWa-wt0mWopXVkCbapNA/s400/PB220303.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The barren volcanic landscape is almost reminiscent of mars... </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZKIzc4nWszdbTgKWtyMby646hdI8sSnFy-e7Z7v_xQkM2gkI8xTe_wQwNV7kILB3BUWjvhKZTBw-iVt3vuRWdjw-GoJ8ZwcClytZ1ysLy9-5V5zWafQk-wXod8-RvlrRIbfagjgr-nUD/s1600/PB220304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZKIzc4nWszdbTgKWtyMby646hdI8sSnFy-e7Z7v_xQkM2gkI8xTe_wQwNV7kILB3BUWjvhKZTBw-iVt3vuRWdjw-GoJ8ZwcClytZ1ysLy9-5V5zWafQk-wXod8-RvlrRIbfagjgr-nUD/s400/PB220304.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">More Vicu<span style="line-height: 115%;">ña</span>s...and a baby :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQCQHdpCuBZ0A7-otwCXuRBRdOFoI97jLlcIDkZ-cXiwgvMLNnUj8T1HJ7Try6y6SeOMcsE0r2Y0GEBA0Uo8JvwwMgfn5-YiStYiz7hz0JAvgQuy0sLPW6XKPRzwrvnBhFTK-BarNZ4_C/s1600/PB220310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQCQHdpCuBZ0A7-otwCXuRBRdOFoI97jLlcIDkZ-cXiwgvMLNnUj8T1HJ7Try6y6SeOMcsE0r2Y0GEBA0Uo8JvwwMgfn5-YiStYiz7hz0JAvgQuy0sLPW6XKPRzwrvnBhFTK-BarNZ4_C/s400/PB220310.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI7VaMc1Sf2Zkqepwkae3zuURplKpUOThRv35kcHcnoVg3ZXBqGgelwUx4v7ybYqMtpuR6lbRmdoGxQdr51JwF9jYSpJCFqMtiJkYERn2fOufQF-gt_WULsaT05eIATTrKxeSql2LX330/s1600/PB220315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI7VaMc1Sf2Zkqepwkae3zuURplKpUOThRv35kcHcnoVg3ZXBqGgelwUx4v7ybYqMtpuR6lbRmdoGxQdr51JwF9jYSpJCFqMtiJkYERn2fOufQF-gt_WULsaT05eIATTrKxeSql2LX330/s400/PB220315.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hiked up to the Whymper Hut @ 5,000 m, but were not fortunate enough to get clear weather. :/ The summit of Chimborazo is up ahead, I swear!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1vy-4jN0M2-lz-mlrxsMqAlbHhCWXrpr0FzOIXmD51HLWSm6nvQ-jEzdOcrhP1ZDDE5LcRUkiq9yy20wD6PJZZZO43MFOyY-rhZd3sha9a8fyMwxC7OIahqiIncYv6G1wyqC5Icbs-yz/s1600/PB220322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1vy-4jN0M2-lz-mlrxsMqAlbHhCWXrpr0FzOIXmD51HLWSm6nvQ-jEzdOcrhP1ZDDE5LcRUkiq9yy20wD6PJZZZO43MFOyY-rhZd3sha9a8fyMwxC7OIahqiIncYv6G1wyqC5Icbs-yz/s400/PB220322.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZOrzEl8JviLtgDWejs6Y-Sj62Tp-cQkQmqlqKnvz4YVZpEfEaKbhmPal7nZOHxubXL1GtkjQHzfSPBKi1rJSSFtxc2_gBcYdHzChvRKjAdsyHSL1knBDN_C7taN5k3mhhksZplit6J4a/s1600/PB220328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZOrzEl8JviLtgDWejs6Y-Sj62Tp-cQkQmqlqKnvz4YVZpEfEaKbhmPal7nZOHxubXL1GtkjQHzfSPBKi1rJSSFtxc2_gBcYdHzChvRKjAdsyHSL1knBDN_C7taN5k3mhhksZplit6J4a/s400/PB220328.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Whymper Hut, named after the guy who was the first to summit the volcano. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu0qqBTPQrGYlXYt0M-OzUJ9pcryn9MuCIYlqb-feCDmnpnWXC6IYWziY8pptX95D0o1WUpbuNx1uQAIfX-rqSvTFRl9jfrMwihkEEKIvSknpyvvmQPb5KziaMvD20X0hh8xJ8H0EY8U3/s1600/PB220341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSu0qqBTPQrGYlXYt0M-OzUJ9pcryn9MuCIYlqb-feCDmnpnWXC6IYWziY8pptX95D0o1WUpbuNx1uQAIfX-rqSvTFRl9jfrMwihkEEKIvSknpyvvmQPb5KziaMvD20X0hh8xJ8H0EY8U3/s400/PB220341.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The highest altitude for me yet: ~16500 feet! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcwt4XZp1n3CysimPF8IJLtDVpY36z82DN3VOTbSNnRmdjzjY1Us0v0lepIbXumyfLcXgbg7TZBZnBFwyZ50upXRAcVHTzHWzD7unXq7CnJUiTwC4kNW-PYzhoa5nNWt7VhHlHrLWdBEt/s1600/PB220336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcwt4XZp1n3CysimPF8IJLtDVpY36z82DN3VOTbSNnRmdjzjY1Us0v0lepIbXumyfLcXgbg7TZBZnBFwyZ50upXRAcVHTzHWzD7unXq7CnJUiTwC4kNW-PYzhoa5nNWt7VhHlHrLWdBEt/s400/PB220336.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We made it! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzDTlWknBINp0FtyoZoNN8aPeK0QUM3PMUeZMEV197Kj241MnYsBSM63tzdvtdySYS4S5hkh2eh8uMkQN8Z3d-gJekV1yf-wbpF_G55XRZ_Ky2xIkGUz6MsJjHCcAx129otZW8s9RC7TD/s1600/PB220339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihzDTlWknBINp0FtyoZoNN8aPeK0QUM3PMUeZMEV197Kj241MnYsBSM63tzdvtdySYS4S5hkh2eh8uMkQN8Z3d-gJekV1yf-wbpF_G55XRZ_Ky2xIkGUz6MsJjHCcAx129otZW8s9RC7TD/s400/PB220339.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A slight break in the clouds and a glimpse the summit. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4PGybmtXxHsJ23XHaNuNS1s_0JrxzFXtxvUYMkTO2t03F1GYAtJIKYybTkYE7FuCXSxKBZ3519FOb8KJlwsXoKsKZeHhhl21n0Ky6iJRUiqMoZtUMIGll-M99Zm6L5VoBMKpNzClTUIy/s1600/PB220352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4PGybmtXxHsJ23XHaNuNS1s_0JrxzFXtxvUYMkTO2t03F1GYAtJIKYybTkYE7FuCXSxKBZ3519FOb8KJlwsXoKsKZeHhhl21n0Ky6iJRUiqMoZtUMIGll-M99Zm6L5VoBMKpNzClTUIy/s400/PB220352.JPG" width="400" /> </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Spanish teacher Lucia and I: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHPLtE1buda6kPoMf4RgNyAzrKbfJ2mgBRBZZbANF-VyhOjbAyCoO0x8sO3zynNq8SLUBQhEuixepsX0W8ZjxDul08mbh5lWWTJoAJxOK4vnxq9haUXqTImP7iu0WYBpkJ8Wje56ebZcj/s1600/PB220358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHPLtE1buda6kPoMf4RgNyAzrKbfJ2mgBRBZZbANF-VyhOjbAyCoO0x8sO3zynNq8SLUBQhEuixepsX0W8ZjxDul08mbh5lWWTJoAJxOK4vnxq9haUXqTImP7iu0WYBpkJ8Wje56ebZcj/s400/PB220358.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Dedications to all of the people who have lost their life on the mountain</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmeyWF4oAikBDCBl2SO1sThg0vonZmFigEIEvmOJJjnpk3XOTe0xCrclO4SvopREyW07_FtTUUoQ0Uj5E9G0ykwIatFonV9jl7Q9JZCZ8vX9JYlkw2ZrkJ3jqf5H3fuQM8wz8S7Y5Lzfn/s1600/PB220374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmeyWF4oAikBDCBl2SO1sThg0vonZmFigEIEvmOJJjnpk3XOTe0xCrclO4SvopREyW07_FtTUUoQ0Uj5E9G0ykwIatFonV9jl7Q9JZCZ8vX9JYlkw2ZrkJ3jqf5H3fuQM8wz8S7Y5Lzfn/s400/PB220374.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uWFJs_k87plHXeco_4EgGQBCUZ7Kc0evFh6usYgvItMEAn0RjWFeO1sq82VqHUH1qCyj1vdEo1EDlnQ8tE-HOxg5rjUTn5wamBcRuHU7qYRdGBizxHP2iQhMCIgh0M1yhKzra617MvRR/s1600/PB220373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uWFJs_k87plHXeco_4EgGQBCUZ7Kc0evFh6usYgvItMEAn0RjWFeO1sq82VqHUH1qCyj1vdEo1EDlnQ8tE-HOxg5rjUTn5wamBcRuHU7qYRdGBizxHP2iQhMCIgh0M1yhKzra617MvRR/s400/PB220373.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hot soup, chocolate and sandwiches hit the spot after the cold hike!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyebVvM3_sUrSd-ow-MA47k9sMQSCSy1ZBv1TiS_COoOJnPgTOZjx2AlL3kXh_HJECtYZH_tbHe7olEpgDr2AwY7iGThB-aDabAMF_bNhUUYYSfCWxPO3ZR-k85vwhFWz72WT4wMj3Fm0/s1600/PB220376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyebVvM3_sUrSd-ow-MA47k9sMQSCSy1ZBv1TiS_COoOJnPgTOZjx2AlL3kXh_HJECtYZH_tbHe7olEpgDr2AwY7iGThB-aDabAMF_bNhUUYYSfCWxPO3ZR-k85vwhFWz72WT4wMj3Fm0/s400/PB220376.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Our bike ride</span> started at the Carrel Refuge at 4850 m (15,912 ft)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and continued down a former section of the Pan-American Highway! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: white;">The end of our ride: the city of Ambato @ 2600 m (8530 ft)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And of course no Ecuadorian day would be complete without cerveza and Ají (which I discovered tonight even makes pizza better!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-57516460456556946382013-11-21T19:59:00.000-08:002013-11-21T19:59:54.499-08:00Day 4: "bushwacking" Ecuador style<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Less cactus, more trespassing! But I'm getting ahead of myself. What the heck were we doing romping through fields outside Riobamba?!?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We left <span style="line-height: 115%;"><span></span>Baños at 7 am to head to Riobamba. I was tired and sore (from climbing and not enough sleep), but excited for bike riding down the slopes of the Chimborazo volcano! And the sun was finally peaking through the clouds, so the weather was looking like it was going to be perfect!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Thanks to the clear weather, I had beautiful views of the Tungurahua volcano. Tungurahua is an active stratovolcano just outside of </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Baños that last erupted in July! Fortunately, there was no major activity of the volcano while I was there...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And as we approached Riobabma, we had great views of Chimborazo (the highest peak in Ecuador @ ~20,500 feet):</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Seeing the peak, I was getting super excited for my bike ride down it's slopes: 35 miles of riding from the refuge at ~16,000 feet to the city of Ambato at 8500 feet!! A little climbing, but mostly downhill through beautiful landscapes!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, when we arrived in Riobamba, we found out that the school never made the reservations with the agency. :/ So we had to change the plans around so that I could do the ride tomorrow, staying an extra night in Riobamba. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trying to make phone calls and discuss how to rearrange my plans in Spanish along the busy, noisy streets of Riobamba, I found myself for the first time extremely frustrated. Can we just speak in English for a minute?!?!? It was stressful to try to figure out all of the logistics, and between my comprehension and the noise, I was having trouble understanding what was going on. Although I had only just arrived, I was already ready to get out of this city! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So when my teacher asked me, "que quiere hacer" (what do you want to do), without hesitation, I answered "quiero caminar" (I want to hike!). I bet she's starting to wonder if I ever want to do anything else! She's a trouper though...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So we returned to the travel agency to get recommendations on hikes. While I was discussing the ride tomorrow, I missed most of the conversation, but it sounded like my teacher received information on a great hike to a lookout over a lake outside of town. I didn't realize that "hike" was clearly being used a bit loosely....</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We arrived in the town of Colta and headed down a dirt road towards the hills. My teacher told me that this town is where the historical Quito was located before the Spanish arrived. There were many old, deserted buildings that made it feel like a ghost town. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, soon we were in the countryside, surrounded by farmland cultivated by indigenous Kichwans.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And soon my teacher was heading off through the farmland. Apparently, the only way to the peak we were headed to was directly through the fields! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The American in me felt bad the entire time...I kept asking her "Esta bien?!?" The dogs, pigs, sheep, roosters, and donkeys (yes, donkeys!) announced our presence at every new residence, making me feel like a trespasser! Although I couldn't help but be a bit amused inside over the sound of the donkeys....</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the views were well worth it!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When we made it to the top, we stopped to have lunch, and I ate by far the weirdest sandwich ever! I had ordered an Italian sandwich, but instead I received a "vegetarian" sandwich. Which consisted of 2 kinds of canned olives, canned mushrooms, canned corn, lettuce, tomato and cheese with enough mayo to make Jimmy John's sandwiches seem healthy!! I have to say it was pretty gross, but I was happy to have food and take in the views nonetheless...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite an admittedly frustrating day, we definitely made the most of it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ice cream and some good laughs this evening over a "hola guapa" (incidentally the first word in Spanish I ever learned...turns out tall blond women turn heads in Ecuador) and seeing aerobics in the park also didn't hurt ;)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Excited for actually doing the bike ride tomorrow and hoping the weather holds up!</span></span></div>
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Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-995906161649087904.post-38816989288077791412013-11-20T19:27:00.000-08:002013-11-20T19:27:07.924-08:00Day 3: Climbing basalt! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Climbing the volcanic rocks of<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;">Baños:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Today I had the opportunity to enjoy one of the adventure sports </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Baños has to offer: mountain biking, canyoneering, climbing or rafting. This was a difficult decision, considering how much I love all of the first three choices, and that I have never been on a real rafting trip. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">But, it really came down to canyoneering or climbing, my two main loves since moving to Arizona...</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">When inquiring about the canyoneering, I found out that the guide assists you in your rappels. Great for safety and liability reasons no doubt, but I knew this would take the fun out of it for me. And the fact that there was already a number of people signed up sealed the deal. I prefer people in small doses when enjoying outdoor adventures!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So needless to say, I chose climbing. No surprise, probably...it had been 5 days since my last climb and I was in need of a fix!! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The crag was an exposure of basaltic rock cut by the Rio Pastaza:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I quickly discovered how different climbing on basalt is!! Being used to the textured granite characteristic of most climbing spots in AZ, I could not believe how slippery it was! Not only were almost all of the holds slopers, but they felt like they'd been greased in butter!!!! Greasy slopers and underclings....my favorite! :P</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite some frustration, I made it to the top of the first route and was starting to get the hang of it...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0b2AXtBeGV_pljuqyf1CF5v6uCRtbYsrpWmaQho4JrbwF4AN6mWrrZ5qLcCGf-3RORaCDq5d2jhUphGN22yXhy8R7ACBiPWGA1zBt3-4jsKrA4iU98jCq4yAZHeDOohUHg8Dv4fV3CtP/s1600/PB200144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0b2AXtBeGV_pljuqyf1CF5v6uCRtbYsrpWmaQho4JrbwF4AN6mWrrZ5qLcCGf-3RORaCDq5d2jhUphGN22yXhy8R7ACBiPWGA1zBt3-4jsKrA4iU98jCq4yAZHeDOohUHg8Dv4fV3CtP/s400/PB200144.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So we continued moving down the crag, and up in grade, towards the river. The last route we did was 50 meters long of sustained, tough climbing. Here is pic of my guide rappelling back down:</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoWRusfjLXHjuBsAGcd-rfUGiwDCAA_NAULcma_qxgs3FM5f34XjRihRyjlUsJLIsZc2Q_C4iHDMKdQ4KJWaXIy4Z0TT1oVhMYVNhpbSdiBruwRm91csm5PuFXA-z_gvuXA_M1hIBhhCB/s1600/PB200155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoWRusfjLXHjuBsAGcd-rfUGiwDCAA_NAULcma_qxgs3FM5f34XjRihRyjlUsJLIsZc2Q_C4iHDMKdQ4KJWaXIy4Z0TT1oVhMYVNhpbSdiBruwRm91csm5PuFXA-z_gvuXA_M1hIBhhCB/s640/PB200155.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although a more difficult climb, I was thankful that there were some hand jams along with the slopers and underclings! So I felt like I at least occasionally had a decent hand to work my feet up with! From one slick foot hold to the next. ;) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But, I made it! You can see how greased up the rock is in this pic too... </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqxtYNrrdThnCTSN7t1uL7uQl0gg4I9fEYMRH2nivzjKpdjhhCwywlcmKJ3IVRIFujqtwkrip_c8BG9aF9im_YDgT9sjoLom2yn8ONf71yeRRR5RdQay9IElIo9Ezq0KAJiI6kDpaowUP/s1600/PB200165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqxtYNrrdThnCTSN7t1uL7uQl0gg4I9fEYMRH2nivzjKpdjhhCwywlcmKJ3IVRIFujqtwkrip_c8BG9aF9im_YDgT9sjoLom2yn8ONf71yeRRR5RdQay9IElIo9Ezq0KAJiI6kDpaowUP/s400/PB200165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All in all I did 4 routes, all super fun and full of interesting body positioning! Although the slippery rock was challenging for me, it meant that for the first time climbing outside (ever?!?) the rock didn't draw any blood. None. Nada! Those of you that climb with me know how surprising that is! I like to say, "You're not having fun until you're bleeding." But today was definitely an exception! :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqxrCZB4Imj0oqk9yz3dZhs3X57Tr2t_XWxwF8Qt1Gxtfj4N2dI1wZ_YZo5QoH_DLk0v2M_-qdZ69sEyJujYTn5lC-9vwEOb4J1nIizhtMYjr5I2k6dVPNokz9y5Qnlh4964r3dMgnvkO/s1600/PB200169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqxrCZB4Imj0oqk9yz3dZhs3X57Tr2t_XWxwF8Qt1Gxtfj4N2dI1wZ_YZo5QoH_DLk0v2M_-qdZ69sEyJujYTn5lC-9vwEOb4J1nIizhtMYjr5I2k6dVPNokz9y5Qnlh4964r3dMgnvkO/s400/PB200169.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although it seemed difficult and frustrating climbing in an entirely new environment, I was surprised how the guides kept saying how I was a very strong climber (uhhh....did you not see my falls??). Another guide wanted my contact information to climb when he traveled to the SW next year! AND, he has a friend that may be able to take me out climbing this weekend in Cuenca :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although I was flattered, I had no idea what grades I was climbing because they use the french system in Ecuador. 5b, 6b, 6b+ and 6c sounded like they should be easy!! Turns out, they translate to 5.9, 5.10d, 5.11a and 5.11b!!! On my first time on basalt?!? No wonder! Now I'm proud I persisted through them all! :D</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Hopefully, I will be able to post pictures of me on the wall once my guide sends them to me.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="es"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="hps">A las seis de</span> <span class="hps">la</span> <span class="hps">mañana</span><span class="">, vamos a</span> <span class="hps">Riobamba! Next adventure: biking down the slopes of Chimborazo, the tallest peak in Ecuador (and furthest point from the earth's center)!</span></span></span></span>Diane Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13193752488150995776noreply@blogger.com0