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# System prepended metadata

title: Notes for Campaign 1

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# Notes for Campaign 1

## In no particular order

* WinFolia was used to determine the average area of beech leaf, 10 needles each of sprucce and douglas per sample (during cuticular conductance measurements). However, WinSeedle should probably be used for the conifers as it can account for the roundness of needles.
    * WinSeedle values "ellipsoid, rectangle value 0.25" recommended
*  Leaves chosen for LI6400 measurements were (when possible) top canopy, sun exposed, not covered by other branches, and large enough to cover the 6cm^2 in the chamber of the Li6400

# LI6400 values
* Light: track ambient or 1500 micromoles per m^2 per second (both done for some beech)
* CO2: reference CO2 set to 400 ppm
* Temperature: Block temperature set to 25°C
* Relative Humidity: controlled with scrub dial, in between 50 and 60 percent for reference
* Flow rate: 500 micromole per second
* Stability conditions: We haven't settled on any definitions of stability yet, but previously we ensured photo and cond graphs were showing a slope of more or less 0 for at least 30 seconds before logging. 
* Stomatal ratio for beech: 0.5
* Photosynthesis values currently range from very low values (slightly above 0 to about 8 micromole CO2 per m^2 per second for beech) to values around 100 for conifers (though this has more to do with the current lack of an area calculation for the needles). Once conifer needle area values are calculated the photosynthesis values of conifers seem likely to drop into the range of 5 to 20 or so. 
 * A_max is currently available for 12 beech measurements and ranges from 1 to 11.
* Cond (conductance to H2O) values are also very low. Only about 12% of our measurements so far have a value of 0,1 or more (this is under the assumption that the area of conifer needles is a realistic value of around 6 cm^2 and not 1 or 10).


## Tips and Tricks
* The O Ring for the CO2 bullet needs to be changed DAILY
* do not tighten ANYTHING on the LI6400 with brute strength. finger strength is enough. 
* In book 1, part 4.2, a daily checklist is listed for ensuring the li6400 will be ready for measuring
	* is the light sensor cap off?
	* new soda lime and drierite?
	* after finishing measurements, ensure the beech chamber is loosened after use and the scrub dials are loose
	* open the chamber before moving to a new leaf. you can rip off a leaf if you forget
* the set leaf area affects the numbers for photosynthesis and conductivity values. the area can be changed within the raw data extracted from the LI6400 once on a computer, and photosynthesis and conductivity will automatically recalculate according to new area value
* the batteries for the LI6400 are pretty old. if you can, use a transformer and extension cords to ensure you don't run out of power
* you can define the stability of any parameter within LI6400 and also provide a set number of stability conditions the chamber must meet before a measurement is logged. this makes measurements less biased and more "scientific"
* controlling the Tblck is much much easier than controlling Tleaf, especially in direct sun
* you can match the IRGAs (infrared gas analyzers) as often as you like! there is no penalty for matching "incorrectly", just match again once you have the conditions you want :)
* make sure prompts log is ON if you are measuring multiple plants or plots or leaves so each measurement can be given a name
* making new graphs to view paramteres of interest is very easy and described in the manual!
* do not breathe near the LI6400 head
* do not breathe near the LI6400 in general
* LI6400 can control humidity in the chamber but it is kind of finicky. we used the scrub dial instead and controlled reference humidity to be within a certain range. controlling humidity in the chamber is useful when doing rapid light curves
* manual describes how to make LI6400 automatically adjust flow to maintain a certain humidity within the sample chamber
* LI6400 can autolog a rapid light response curve, but this is only possible for one plant at a time and takes maybe 30 minutes?
* when connecting LI6400 to computer, we used the RS232 cable and the adapter to USB to connect. after opening the required program (LTerm) ensure that the utility menu of the LI6400 mentions LTerm as being ON! if it is not on, it will not connect to the software.

* for LI6400 measurements, leaves were chosen near the canopy, not shaded by other leaves, same leaf or same needles for all repeat measurements. marked with paint for repeat measurements, but many repeat measurements are likely to have to be made on different leaves of the same plant, as many beech leaves wilted completely after measuring. should keep track of this
* 





