1000 Simple Words

Burned forest in Crowsnest Pass, southwestern Alberta

This is an impromptu blog post as part of the discussion going on over at Highly Allochthonous. Researchers are using this easy online text editor to describe their research in 1000 common words. The editor will squawk when you use a word that’s ‘un’ common (e.g., snow (!)). Here’s my summary:

“I look at how water from the sky reaches the ground when there are trees in the way. Especially trees that are burned or dying. I try to figure out if the trees change: (1) how much water gets to the ground, and (2) what happens to the water when it’s on the ground. I also try to figure out what will happen to this water in the next tens of years. This is important for things growing on the ground and living in the water, and for the water we use and drink.”

If you want to see more, head over to Highly Allochthonous or check the hashtag #1000simplewords on Twitter!