Preparing the fieldwork

It’s September, so our annual estuarine fieldwork is nigh again! And that needs preparing. I had been thinking about my part of it. I was still working things out since our move to a new area. The other estuary was a lot better for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction using foraminifera! But I sure could do something useful in the Cefni estuary as well. 

Having a student doing a project in the area helped. That taught me about the environment, and that helps in designing a task for the next batch of students. I hope my plan will work out!

Additionally, this year, for logistical reasons, we would do the coring first, and the surface studies later. That required rewriting the field book. And I would have to do the coring alone, as Jaco needed all his energy for his sedimentological work. He was only just coming out of sick leave. It had been good having him with me last year, but hey ho! And this year’s group is a lot smaller so it will be ok.

It will also feel different, as last year I was taking advantage of the early low tides, which meant a 5AM start every day. this year the early low tides are in the dead of night, so I have to swap to the late tide. That will mean finishing late! 

I made sure to submit my equipment list to the technical staff a few weeks beforehand, and upload my chapters of the field book some week and a half in advance. 

I unfortunately missed the preparation meeting, but I still feel more or less ready. Bring it on!