Wednesday 7 April: Sampling at last
At long last, our research team is hard at work gathering samples. We
had an extremely effective first day, knocking out what I expected
would take several days. I was focussed on sampling rather than taking
photos, so I realized I ought to snap a photo for the blog just as I
was leaving our last site in the afternoon. This is the highest
elevation crater on the island, Rano Aroi. The vegetation is typical
of the extensive peat deposits in wet craters here. These peat
deposits accumulate dead vegetation layers, and provide an environment
that very effectively protects pollen and other organic matter from
decomposition. The pollen has proven to be an excellent indicator of
past plant populations living upwind of the crater.
