gwiles September 26th, 2009
Dr. Tom Lowell and two University of Cincinnati graduate students, Esteban and Bill, were kind enough to make the trip to Long Lake to help the Wooster Climate Change class extract two long (14 meter) sediment cores from the middle of the lake.
The first step was to build the raft. Dr. Lowell (aka "the core boss") is in the trailer. Bill and Rob assemble the parts and pieces.
Terry Workman (our course TA) drives the geophysical craft. Under the tarp is Esteban who is collecting bathymetric and seismic data. Based on these data a core site was chosen.
The core boss gives us a short course on the operation of the coring platform. Dr. Lowell has custom-built this rig and he points out the automated coring system. A hydraulic system drives the Livingstone corer into and out of the mud.
Well into the Holocene - Esteban wraps up another meter of lacustrine sediment.
Tom and Terry work the platform sending the piston corer down for another meter.
The crew rows to shore. The class will now obtain organic material for radiocarbon dating and then the work begins analyzing a suite of parameters in the cores. Class members Lindsey and Amanda located a stick at the base of the core, this has been sent for a radiocarbon age and should give us an estimate of the timing of deglaciation in the region. Will Hansen (red shirt) will be using the upper part of the core together with our other collections from Round, O'Dell and Browns Lake for his Independent Study.