Authors: Karleigh, JJ, Rob and Lena
Word of the Day: Cima- The spanish word for summit. Rather appropriate considering our nearly 10 hour hike up to the breathtaking summit of the Turrialba Volcano. The total hike was 10.9 miles and it was our first real day out in the field working on our projects. The highest elevation was 10,754 ft above sea level. That's almost 7.5 times the height of the Empire State Building!
Today's Science: This is the view of the crater at the summit of the Turrialba volcano. In the upper left hand side of the picture you can see the fumaroles (gasses) being emitted from a newly formed vent. The prevailing winds in the area are generally from the south and carry the acidic fumerals to the north side of the volcano, killing most of the vegetation and making it inhabitable for the local farmers. The main fumaroles are mostly composed of water vapor, carbon dioxide as well as sulfur dioxide. Just below the vent you can see a yellow sulfur deposit. In the lower right hand side of the picture you can see the old crater which is no longer active.
Today's Culture: To follow up on yesterday's post, the typical life here on the Turrialba Volcano is agricultural. In addition to raising cattle and other livestock for food, they produce dairy products such as cheese (queso) and milk, and vegetables. All of the meals we have had at the Turrialba Lodge have been produced on property. Turrialba specializes in queso production for all of Costa Rica. Overall, this type of lifestyle is far more sustainable and environmentally friendly than practices we typically see back at home. This could be due to the rural setting and lack of access to supermarkets, shopping centers, and other amenities we tend to take for granted.
Question of the Day: Do you think you could live in a rural setting similar to Turrialba? Why or why not? Send us your thoughts- we'd love to hear what you think!
Hello from Dr. Krest, in the Bahamas. It sounds like you are having a great start to a very exciting expedition. I have a question about farming near the volcanoes. A couple of the blog posts have mentioned that there is acid deposition near the volcanoes, but most of the pictures seem to show a lot of greenery. Is the acid deposition just near the fumaroles? Do the farmers choose crops that have a high tolerance for acidic soils?
ReplyDeleteHello Dr. Krest,
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Arenal. We appreciate your question! Some of our pictures may have misrepresented everything that is happening at Volcano Turialba. The reason that some of the vegetation is green and healthy on the volcano is because the wind direction has not blown the sulfuric acid in the rain on that region of the volcano for a minimum of three months. The plants need three months free of the effects of sulfuric acid in order to revive and grow. The sulfur deposits are gathered near the craters of the volcano which easily transfer into the gases leaving the volcanos. These gasses are what create the acid rain that kills the vegetation. However, these plants only die in the places in which are exposed to this acid rain. Because plants are susceptable to the sulfuric acid in the rain, farmers do not plant any specific crops. Farmers of Volcano Turrialba have to work around this by raising cattle near the mountain so they can rotate pastoral land.