Week 3: Field Work

Hi guys, today we are sinking back into week 3 after actually venturing to the site. Though the trip took a bit of time, it is better to focus on the journey instead of the destination, but in this case the destination is actually relevant and certainly important. Originally a stadium in the Hunters Point Area, it was home of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, but it is now a trail and good picnic area. The site at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area in San Francisco was certainly an excellent source of gathering adequate footage and offered various vantage points. I used my drone from one of the docks, and I gathered images/videos for the West side of the park. I chose not to photograph the entire park, as it has different depth levels at certain areas. To exemplify the impact of ocean levels rising, I will continue to monitor both the distance from the shoreline to the sea and depth of water. Monitoring the depth of water is a bit tricky; however, I was able to use a sonar phone. The kit was a permanent installation where I installed a transducer, ran the wire towards the battery, and I plugged it into a T-box. The box sends out a wifi signal, and it allows me to get traditional sonar with pings just like a Wi-Fi signal. This sonar allows me to view the bottom composition, gain, and depth of the site that I am viewing. The app itself functions as a GPS, showing my location, distance, and maps around my area. Initial recordings showed a distance of 62’7’’ from the shoreline to the coast with a max depth of 70.5 ft from sonar imaging. As the water or ocean level rises, the expected depth should increase with the shoreline distance to the coast decreasing. 

This week I will be actually experimenting with the 3D modeling using the images I acquired from the site. First, I completed the proper ordering of our first week of documentation of the site and arranged pictures, videos, and footage. As I worked on the 3d modeling aspect from the footage gathered and continued drafting the paper from my notes, I realized there was a lot of work to be done, but it seemed like I was cramming it into one entire week. Therefore, most of this week will be just the 3D aspect and testing in Meshroom with some work on the drafting part of the paper. 

Accordingly, I have begun tackling one of the larger articles or papers in my plethora of research material. It provides much key information regarding my project, but it also serves as a way for you readers to gain important information. I should be hopefully done by the end of the week with the notetaking on this, and once again I will provide you all with a brief summary. The summary will focus on the IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. It is a detailed assessment of the consequences of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by emphasizing temperature thresholds, ecosystem impacts, human systems, and mitigation pathways. The reason I chose this article was the importance of our own communities, specifically impoverished ones. The impacts of reduced food security, water scarcity, and heightened risk of extreme weather events all factor as a threat to human health and livelihood, especially in vulnerable regions. 

Lastly, I will venture to the site to once again conduct drone footage and proceed with some recording/testing, encompassing my notes and data. The reason I am doing these recordings weekly is to gather accurate and concise data, but also since the seasons are changing with rising temperatures. Glaciers and ice caps melting, such as from Canada and Alaska, will definitely have a direct impact on sea levels. I believe this is an opportune time to showcase this impact through my data as we slowly shift into the warmer springtime and summer. Once again, thank you for my reading blog and stay tuned for next week!