Field trip - Black Rock Forest (John & Martin)

4/14 & 4/15/2012

Saturday

"Old" forest headquarters (11-11:30)

• meet John at LDEO
  
• pick up equipment at Barnard and LDEO, buy lunch on the way
  
• 11:00 arrive at weather station, old office
• take a GPS measurement at the station (talk about GPS if time allows)
• collect GPS data at each location where you work
  
• weather station
• how do the instruments work (Fig 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
• begin relative humidity measurements
  

Stream gauging near old head quarter & other measurements (11:30-2:30)

• Group 1 wading through stream (red tape marking the trail)  taking flow measurements
• BRF wand discharge rates (Fig 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
• BRF 03 measurements (Fig 1, 2, 3, 4)
• GPS measurements (Fig 1)
• briefly explain the YSI multi parameter sensor, collect data on stream
  
• lunch at old headquarters
• Group 2
  
• measure hydraulic head in education well (Fig 1,2)
• use of automatic pressure transducers (Fig 1)
• pumping test
• pump experimental well (Grundfos) and monitor water table in well (Fig 1,2,3,4,5)
• monitor recovery of the water table after the shutoff of the pump (Fig 1, 2, )
• sampling the well for: (Fig 1,2,3)
• conductivity, temperature, pH, O₂ (Fig 1, 2)
• noble gases (Fig 1)
• filter water for chemistry sample

Stream gauging near old headquarters & Cascade Brook (2:30-5:30)

• Group 2 wading through stream (red tape marking the trail)  taking flow measurements
• BRF wand discharge rates (Fig 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
• BRF 03 measurements (Fig 1, 2, 3, 4)
• GPS measurements (Fig 1)
• briefly explain the YSI multi parameter sensor
• Group 1 Education Center
• measure hydraulic head in both wells (Fig 1,2)
• use of automatic pressure transducers (Fig 1)
• pumping test
• pump experimental well (Grundfos) and monitor water table in both wells (Fig 1,2,3,4,5)
• monitor recovery of the water table after the shutoff of the pump (Fig 1, 2, )
• sampling the well for: (Fig 1,2,3)
• conductivity, temperature, pH, O₂ (Fig 1, 2)
• noble gases (Fig 1)
• filter water for chemistry sample
• measurement of the relative humidity as a function of time during the day

Education Center (5-6)

• soil suction/moisture measurements, vertical profile
• Relative humidity measurements

Sunday

• breakfast 7am
  

Education Center and Forest 8-12

• both Groups 2 Education Center
• collection of samples for pH, O₂, T, el. conductivity,  GPS from: Upper Reservoir, Aleck Meadow, Arthur's Pond, and Tamarack Pond   (Fig 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
• GPS
  
• visit Cascade Brook, open gauge?
  
• look at experimental plots
  

Education Center 11:30-12:30

• research/history @ BRF (BRF staff?) (Fig 1)
• brief outline of the Black Rock Forest (BRF) history
• use of the reservoirs at BRF for domestic water supply
• what else is currently going on at BRF
• green building?
• lunch
  

NYC 2

• leave BRF at 12:30 pm
• arrival in NYC by 2 pm
  

What to hand in (to be modified)

1. Summarize in paragraph the history and the current status of the forest, see BRF web site for information
2. Type in data obtained in the field into a spreadsheet
   
3. Put GPS positions of all activities on topo map that I gave you
• Do the positions make any sense (longitude, latitude, and elevation)?
4. Determine teh discharge rate of teh stream based on teh measurements of your group.
   
5. Determine the absolute humidity using your observations and the water vapor saturation curve we discussed in class, plot relative and absolute humidity as a function of the hour of the day.
6. Calculate the discharge rate of the stream near the old forest head quarter, analyze just the data from your group.
7. Plot all pH measurements as a function of elevation (include stream measurements, all reservoirs and the groundwater sample). Do you have an explanation for the trends you see? For info on acid rain, see: NADP.
8. Put YSI water quality measurements in a table, just the final reading after equilibration was reached is sufficient. Select one parameter (not pH) and plot it as a function of elevation again. Do you see a trend and if so do you have an explanation for it?
9. Discuss in a few sentences the water level and temperature changes shown in the posted graphs of the well test of your group.
   
10. Write a few sentences about what you found most interesting during our trip.
11. Summarize in a paragraph what citizens in Rockland county should know about their water supply and discuss a point made by the speakers/audience that you found most interestiung.
    

Equipment

• 2 GPS instrument 
  
• YSI plus sensors & standards
  
• filter & syringes
  
• bottles (plastic, glass)
  
• submersible Grundfos pump controller & pump (on site)
  
• tools, adjustable wrench
  
• Leatherman
• some copper tubes, hoses
• digital camera
• water level tapes
• DBH tape
  
• umbrella
• levelogger & interface
• computer for data logger readout
• bucket (BRF)
  
• rubber boots
• waders (on site)
  
• flowmeter
  
• cell phone
• hygrometer
• papers, BRF history, GPS, maps
• plots of Cascade Brook data (I will put some of that on the class website)
• chemests O2 tests
• projector, laptop, speakers
  
• sunscreen
  
• first aid kit
• insurance, contact forms
• plant keys
• tree books?lack
• portable microscope
  

Resources

• BRF USGS topo map (in pdf format, 550K)
• BRF map with roads and sensors (in pdf format, 74K)
  
• BRF web site
• Global Positioning System Overview
• http://www.garmin.com/aboutGPS/
  
• Howstuffworks.com's "How a GPS Receiver Works"
• NADP