Its been over a week since my last blog, but time is of the essence now, with the end of the field season fast approaching. Over the last couple of weeks we have had some heavy days in the lab, sampling and sorting through the root ingrowth cores from the elevated CO2 x UV-B experiment. 64 cores were extracted in total, originally placed in the plots during May/June 2010. After residing for three years in the soil, roots have started to grow through the specially designed cores and, along with some (hopefully willing!) helpers from Aberystwyth, we had the arduous task of separating these roots from the cores, weighing and sorting soil for analyses. Hopefully some interesting questions will be answered, comparing root biomass from ambient and elevated CO2 treatments, as well as the effects on the chemistry and microbiology of the surrounding soil.
However, a day off last Sunday allowed some of us a chance to escape Abisko for a while, with a hike to the summit of Tjåmuhas – approx. 5,700 ft! Even getting caught in a thunderstorm and it being only the 72nd highest mountain in Sweden couldn’t ruin a fantastic day out.
The sun is still shining, but it seems like it won’t be long until the nights are drawing in. In the meantime we can enjoy some beautiful sunsets over the lake and a well earned sauna after several tough days in the lab!
INTERACT Arctic Research 