Samples Sorted, Scripts Running, Suitcase Ready
Hello everyone!
June has flown by with a mixture of lab work, data analysis, and fieldwork planning—and it’s all been both intense and incredibly rewarding.
On the research side, I’ve continued testing different methods for climate reconstruction, focusing on transfer functions and model validation. The results so far are encouraging—several approaches are showing strong potential, though a few unexpected problems have popped up along the way. We'll definitely need to discuss them as we move forward, but overall, it’s exciting to see real progress and new directions taking shape.
In the lab, I’ve officially finished counting all the samples collected during last year’s field season! That includes both the surface soil samples and the river trap samples. After months under the microscope, it’s satisfying to reach this stage—and even more exciting to see how the data is starting to come together. Some fascinating patterns are emerging that could tell us a lot about regional pollen dispersal and vegetation structure.
Alongside my own work, I’ve also been closely supervising my Master's student, Giulio Roberto Bartuli, whose thesis focuses on the morphological and morphometric study of Erythroxylum pollen for ethnobotanical and forensic applications. It’s been a real pleasure to see how far Giulio has come in the last months—his thesis is nearly ready for submission, and it’s shaping up to be an excellent piece of work.
On a more logistical (but no less exciting) note, I’ve been deep in planning mode for my upcoming field trip to Peru. That’s meant finalising permits, coordinating with collaborators, and making sure everything is in place before departure. There’s always a flurry of last-minute details, but everything is now sorted—and I’ll be on my way in less than a week! I’m looking forward to returning to the field and gathering more data to enrich the ongoing reconstructions. Peru, here we come!!! I look forward to more boat trips, fried plantain and the sounds of the rainforest - less so the insect bites!
So, what’s next? Field notebooks, steamy jungle air, and a generous supply of insect repellent. But also—hopefully—some truly valuable samples and fresh insights. This trip should be a little easier than last year, as there are generally less tasks to tackle (no soil samples, no forest surveys, no documentary to film). Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous: there’s always the chance that my pollen traps have been washed away by flooding, carried off by curious monkeys, or flattened by a falling branch. But that’s fieldwork for you—part science, part suspense. Fingers crossed everything’s still in place when I get there in a couple of weeks!
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more updates from the field!
–Dael
