Photo impressions of field work on the FRAGILE project

A personal photo report from Maarten Loonen
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On Spitsbergen, we are studying combined effects of goose grazing and global warming on an arctic tundra. The project is called FRAGILE and is financed by the European Community. Maarten Loonen visited the field site and made the following report.


Index to this page: [applying the grazing treatment] [measuring plants]
Observations from a distance: Theresa Walther and Dries Kuijper
Preparing the geese for carrying Lift. Watch out, careful! On the move. Double click on picture for video
Moving the cage on the vegetation plot OK? The geese start to graze immedeately
Working geese

Applying the grazing treatment

The vegetation plots have to be grazed for one or five hours. Moving the geese to the vegetation plot is a whole operation. Here you can see Theresa Walther and Dries Kuijper performing their daily routine.
The geese are placed on a platform and carried to the plot. We are not touching the geese, so they don't get afraid. On the roof of the cage there is a blanket. The geese are much more quiet under this roof than when there was just netting above them.
Click on the links below, to see small movies:

video 1: carrying the geese to the plot
video 2: moving the geese on the plot
video 3: goose grazing on the plot

Dries Kuijper is making behavioural observations on the grazing geese

Measuring plants

There are lots of measurements to do on the manipulated plots. In the next pictures you can see several people examining the vegetation, taking measurements and taking notes. Place the pointer on the picture for some more information.

Terra Birkigt and Chris Gillespie
Dries and Suzanne Helena Grev Sofie measuring carbon emmision in the dark


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New website with all years:http://www.arcticstation.nl
Fieldwork in this period in Ny-Ă…lesund:http://www.maartenloonen.nl/nyaal
Personal webpage Maarten Loonen, index to all his pages:http://www.maartenloonen.nl
Official webpage of the Arctic Centre, Groningen (NL): http://www.arctic-centre.nl