BLANKET OF WHITE: (Top) Snowpack on top of some plots in the winter insulated the ground and simulated a warming climate.PHOTO BY JJ NEVILLE; ANDRES BARON
For five straight years, from 2008 to 2012, ecosystem ecologist Sue Natali traveled to Alaska every spring for what she calls her mental vacation. For two weeks in April or May, Natali, then a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Ted Schuur at the University of Florida, worked alongside other postdocs, students, and even a few locals from the nearby town of Healy to remove mounds of snow from their experimental plots in rolling fields in the shadow of Denali National Park.
“It’s long days,” Natali says, a hint of exhaustion in her voice as she recalls the laborious experience. “We shovel the old-fashioned way with shovels and sleds [because] we don’t want to disturb the plants. . .Everybody’s sore [from the work], but it’s ...
