Recommended Citation
October 1, 2017.
Abstract
Fog moisture on Santa Rosa Island plays an integral role in its ecosystems. It is important to understand how fog patterns could potentially effect the flora and fauna. I hypothesized that north facing side of the ridge will have more potential fog moisture due to the predominant wind direction coming from the north. This study used Fog capturing Screens to determine relative amount of fog on the north and south sides of the main ridge of the island. Three locations along the ridge had two Fog Screens placed on the north and south side of the ridge at similar elevations. Fog Screens are 12 gauge 1” by 1” wire mesh fencing with 40% shade cloth attached to the mesh fencing. Each Fog Screen is 1 meter long by 0.5 meter high supported a wooden and metal structure. The amount of moisture collected by a Fog Screen was recorded by a HOBO Rain Gauge Data Logger #RG3-M. I found that more moisture was collected on the north facing slopes of the ridge compared to the south facing slopes, supporting my hypothesis. With more moisture on the north facing slope, there is more potential to see wetter local conditions for plants and animals.
Mentor
Kathryn McEachern
Lab site
California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI)
Funding Acknowledgement
The 2017 STEM Teacher and Researcher Program and this project have been made possible through support from Chevron (www.chevron.com), the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (www.marinesanctuary.org), the California State University Office of the Chancellor, and California Polytechnic State University, in partnership with CSU Channel Islands.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/star/470