Taking measurements at a remote site
The photograph shows Duli Chand, a research scientist working with the University of Washington group. Duli is responsible for making aerosol measurements at a remote site about 700 km to the south of Arica.
Because the site is remote, sometimes the scientists camp there so that they can perform maintenance on their measurements around the clock. Even though the site is in the desert, it gets quite cold at night, so you can see the heater in Duli's tent.
You can also see from the photograph that there is more vegetation than we have in Arica. It is not so dry: on average it rains a few times per year in Paposo, compared with hardly any rain in Arica. Just this small amount of precipitation can dramatically affect the local environment and the life it supports.
The Atacama Desert
The Southeast Pacific Region
Postcards from the Field: Climate Science from the Southeast Pacific
|