Sara E. Vero - Fieldwork Ready: An introductory Guide to Field Research for Agriculture, Environment, and Soil Scientists

1. Chapter 3
2. Chapter 4
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 6
5. Chapter 7
6. Chapter 8

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9

Sara E. Vero

Copyright 2021 American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Crop Science Society of America, Inc., and Soil Science Society of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copublication by American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Crop Science Society of America, Inc., and Soil Science Society of America, Inc. and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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The right of Sara E. Vero to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with law.

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While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy of completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The publisher is not providing legal, medical, or other professional services. Any reference herein to any specific commercial products, procedures, or services by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favored status by the ASA, CSSA and SSSA. The views and opinions of the author(s) expressed in this publication do not necessarily state or reflect those of ASA, CSSA and SSSA, and they shall not be used to advertise or endorse any product.

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Soil Science Society of America, Inc.
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Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Name: Vero, Sara, author.
Title: Fieldwork ready : an introductory guide to field research for agriculture, environment, and soil scientists / Sara E. Vero.
Description: Hoboken, NJ, USA : WileyACSESS, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020028489 | ISBN 9780891183754 (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Environmental sciencesResearchMethodology. | AgricultureResearchMethodology. | Fieldwork (Educational method)
Classification: LCC GE70 .V47 2020 | DDC 550.72/3dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020028489

doi:10.2134/fieldwork

Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: Jaclyn Fiola

With gratitude to all those friends who have dug through the earth, marched across grasslands or waded upstream with me. What a wonderful adventure.

To the reader; my grandfather Paddy Vero said that An ounce of help is worth a ton of pity. I have been the happy beneficiary of many kind helpers. I hope this book will give you at least that ounce of help when you need it.

Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might

Ecclesiastes 9.10

Jaclyn Fiola
Robert Collins
Jesse Nippert
Nicolette Roach
Krista Keels
Karen Vaughan
Katie OReilly
Julie Campbell
Rachel Murphy
Derek Gibson
Brandon Forsythe
Lauren McPhillips
Sian Green
Andrea Brookfield
Sophie Sherriff
Noemi Nazsarkowski
David Jaramillo
Giulia Bondi
Teagasc (Raymond Kelly Head of Research Support)

Fieldbased research is a cornerstone of agronomic and environmental science, yielding information that helps us produce crops efficiently, manage resources, and steward the environment. For students and researchers, it allows insights into the real world, which cannot be achieved in the classroom or library alone. Fieldwork is, for many, an exciting and engaging part of their work and studies. However, it brings unique challenges pertaining to experimental design, planning, safety, and team management, in addition to the scientific techniques being employed. The field researcher needs to be wellrounded and adaptable; able to deal with the unexpected and to improvise in response to challenges arising outside of the clean, controlled environment of the laboratory.

Fieldwork Ready is intended to help you to become an effective researcher, whether you are involved in agronomy, soil science, hydrology, geography, or any other fieldbased study. This book includes advice on design, planning, and logistics, which are essential for all field researchers, and then discusses basic techniques related to environmental monitoring, and soil, water, plant, and wildlife research that any investigator should be familiar with. These are intended as a guide upon which you can and should build further skills. For those of you who are already experienced in the field, this book should help you think more deeply about how and why you do field research, and hopefully, to improve upon your skills and knowledge.

Thanks to Danielle Lynch for her patient editing and Karen Brey for creating such wonderful illustrations. I am grateful to each of the reviewers for their intelligent and constructive advice, and for sharing their experience of the field. Special thanks to everyone who so generously donated their fieldwork photos; Vikram Baliga, Giulia Bondi, Andrea Brookfield, Julie Campbell, Bo Collins, Jaclyn Fiola, Brandon Forsythe, Derek Gibson, David Jaramillo, Krista Keels, Colum Kennedy, Juliette Marie, Lauren McPhillips, Rachel Murphy, Jesse Nippert, Katherine OReilly, Nikki Roach, Sophie Sherriff, and Karen Vaughan. It has been a pleasure to see your exciting work.

This manual provides simple guidance to help you perform safe and successful fieldwork as part of your research. The field can be urban, rural, or wild. You may work alone or in a team. The experiment may be structured or surveybased in design. You may operate adjacent to your research center or in remote locations. Regardless, there are principles and considerations that can be universally applied that will allow you to implement a robust and meaningful research project and collect quality data. While this manual can help anyone involved in outdoor research, it is particularly aimed toward graduate and undergraduate students, and earlycareer researchers who are honing their skills and gaining experience. Everyone makes mistakes in their early development, and fieldwork often involves a steep learning curve, potentially hazardous or challenging conditions, and considerable time and financial commitments. Naturally, your unique field of study will determine some of the technical skills that you will build and depend on, but elements of planning, site description, logistics, and teamwork are universal. Experience is the best teacher, but hopefully this manual will help you to make a good start.