Earth scientist don’t get holidays
Augustus 6th, 2015
A few days ago, I came back from a small holiday at the Lauwersmeer near the Wadden Sea, North Frisia (the Netherlands). I just looked back at my photos and realised, for the 100th time, an Earth Scientist can never go on a holiday. Everywhere you look, you are reminded of your study topics, and in this case, even my research specifically. I just noticed I even made close-up pictures of mud… without any people in the frame! Turns out I love my work. Not only have I seen impressive mud erosion patterns, but also mud layers, tidal creeks and research ships.
Of course, it’s not only my research that can distract me from my holiday, but basically anything Earth Science, from wave-physics to rock identification. These are just a few thoughts that spontaneously popped up in my head over the past 2 months:
Hey, these rivers are a lot higher than the rest of the surrounding land; these houses are built on mounds, so they are probably old; this beach sand is pretty well sorted; let's search for groundwater on the beach; the wave breaking must be causing undertow here; the tidal amplitude is quite high in Normandy; is this Marram Grass planted?; there was probably a landslide here; hey an alluvial fan; is this a glacial or river valley?; let’s go on a fossil quest; and of course… LAYERS! all those LAYERS!! Layers are the evil that let you look at the wall next to the road instead of the amazing views on the other side.
