A soil scientist studies the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of soils, how they are classified, how they function, and how water moves into and through them. A hydrologist studies all the aspects of the quantity and quality of water cycle from precipitation to streamflow to groundwater.
Creativity
Careful observation and logic
Inherent curiosity about nature and the physical environment
What are the impacts of wildfires and prescribed fires on soil erosion and water resources?
Automatic weather stations are used to measure the climate. They measure the amount and timing of rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity (i.e., percentage of moisture in the air), or the percentage of moisture in the air, wind speed and direction, and evaporation. Data can be collected at short intervals (1-5 minutes) and are stored for 3-4 months or can be sent by radio signal to a remote computer.
It is all exciting. I wouldn’t know where to start. Maybe, the scale and magnitude of soil erosion and flooding after the Schultz Wildfire of 2010—it was enormous! Another exciting thing is the opportunity to work all over the world.
As a child, I was fascinated by rocks and forests. I collected rocks and would often play in forests. We made forts and villages in forests and would pile up rocks to make swimming holes in small streams.
