Trip to a Fen
On Monday, I tagged along on a sample collection trip to a Fen with a few of Kirsten's graduate students.......in case you are wondering "what is a Fen? "....
Well, according to Wikipedia: "a fen is a type of wetland fed by alkaline, mineral-rich groundwater and characterized by a distinctive flora. Fens are often confused with bogs, which are fed primarily by rainwater and often inhabited by sphagnum moss, making them acidic. Like other wetlands, fens will ultimately fill in and become a terrestrial community such as a woodland through the process of ecological succession."
The fen Schloeppnerbrunnen, located in northern Bavaria, is the site of a collaborative ecological study composed of 6 test areas. The purpose of the study is to look at microbial processes in the context of global climate change (for more detailed info check the link below).
A view of the entrance to the Schloeppnerbrunnen fen site:
All of the monitoring equipment is run by solar power and can maintain the equipment for up to 5 days without sunlight:
What we were here to collect...sediment cores (0-40 cm):
Some of the flora and fauna I saw....
a lizard...
a small creek with Sphagnum moss...
...and there is more on the Flickr site (just click on any photo above).
Click here to reidrect to Kirsten's website and information about the fen research: Peatlands
Well, according to Wikipedia: "a fen is a type of wetland fed by alkaline, mineral-rich groundwater and characterized by a distinctive flora. Fens are often confused with bogs, which are fed primarily by rainwater and often inhabited by sphagnum moss, making them acidic. Like other wetlands, fens will ultimately fill in and become a terrestrial community such as a woodland through the process of ecological succession."
The fen Schloeppnerbrunnen, located in northern Bavaria, is the site of a collaborative ecological study composed of 6 test areas. The purpose of the study is to look at microbial processes in the context of global climate change (for more detailed info check the link below).
A view of the entrance to the Schloeppnerbrunnen fen site:
All of the monitoring equipment is run by solar power and can maintain the equipment for up to 5 days without sunlight:
What we were here to collect...sediment cores (0-40 cm):
Some of the flora and fauna I saw....
a lizard...
a small creek with Sphagnum moss...
...and there is more on the Flickr site (just click on any photo above).
Click here to reidrect to Kirsten's website and information about the fen research: Peatlands
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