Second trip to the worm farms at Lake Hoare

Yesterday, we went back to the south side of Lake Hoare to do some more sampling and treatments. Everyone calls the areas where our experiments are set up the "worm farms" because that's where we go to collect our nematodes.

We were doing work at the BEE plots at Lake Hoare. If you remember, I've been to Lake Hoare to sample the LTM and Algae plots and I've been to Lake Fryxell to sample the BEE plots, but this time, we were sampling the BEE plots at Lake Hoare.

BEE plots at Lake Hoare

Near the helipad with the Suess Glacier and Matterhorn in the background

The BEE plots are established at Lake Fryxell, Lake Hoare, and Lake Bonney. Each one has 24 plots and has the exact same treatments applied, so I'll just refer you back to my previous post about what we did to the other BEE plots at F6 (Lake Fryxell).

While we were there, we went down to the edge of Lake Hoare so Zach could sample 3 of his own plots and so we could collect a water sample for a researcher at Colorado State. There is a seal carcass down near the water's edge so I took some pictures of that. Seals occasionally wander up into the Dry Valleys but they don't survive because there's no food for them.

Seal carcass near Lake Hoare

Next to Lake Hoare with the Canada Glacier in the background

We were scheduled to do our work at Lake Hoare and then the helicopter was supposed to come shuttle us to Lake Bonney, but we didn't leave on time yesterday morning because of ice fog. When the weather conditions are just right, a thick fog covers the sea ice. The helicopters won't fly if they can't see the ground so we didn't leave until the afternoon. We're leaving in about an hour to go to Lake Bonney to do the last BEE plots. I'm excited to go there because I haven't visited Lake Bonney yet!