In the Field: Photo Blog by Richard Wong

Photography field reports by Richard Wong. Richard’s work has been published in magazines, books, advertising, and offers fine art prints of his work. Images may be licensed as rights-managed stock photos by contacting Richard directly at Richard@rwongphoto.com or (626) 422-6151. California stock photography, fine art prints, photo blog: www.rwongphoto.com

Dead Pine Trees, Ansel Adams Wilderness

Posted on | November 1, 2008 | 6 Comments

Dead Pine Trees Killed by Carbon Dioxide Emissions near Horseshoe Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness, California Dead Pine Trees Killed by Carbon Dioxide Emissions near Horseshoe Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness, California

The weather was pretty crappy but I drove around the Mammoth Lakes anyway. It was too windy to shoot pictures of fall foliage and very cold outside. The one interesting thing that did catch my eye was all the dead trees around the Mammoth Pass trailhead. Crazy stuff. I initially figured it was a fire that caused the damage. I looked it up on the net later and found out that it was due to an unusually high amount of carbon dioxide emissions.

The reason why there is so much CO2 there is because Mammoth is a volcanic hotspot as part of the Long Valley Caldera. Several people are killed annually while skiing the backcountry around Mammoth because of this. So I’m wondering if you feel the effects of altitude sickness here, how can you be sure that it is really altitude sickness and not gas poisoning?

Update: Here is a link to more information about the dead pine trees.

Also Mark posted an interesting note in the comments about the warning sign:

“The soil concentration of CO2 in the entire hazard area is 20 to 90% compared to a normal level of less than 1%. CO2 is heavier than air and can collect in depressions on a calm day.

ON THE BEACH, please adhere to the following guidelines for your safety:

* Don’t dig in the ground (a source of CO2).
* No sitting, picnicking or sunbathing on the beach.
* Keep children and pets out of the area.

Symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid pulse and heartbeat, etc.
Loss of consciousness and death can occur very quickly.

For more information, see the interpretive signs on the buildings or contact the Ranger Station at 760-934-5500″

See more of my environmental pictures.

Category: California, Eastern Sierra, Mammoth Lakes
Tags: >

Comments

6 Responses to “Dead Pine Trees, Ansel Adams Wilderness”

  1. Mark Zanzig
    November 1st, 2008 @ 12:13 pm

    Ah – Richard, you lucky chap! :-) Can drive just a few hours, and find yourself in amazing locations like Mammoth Lake.

    We’ve been there, too, but we had better weather. :-)

    Absolutely agree that this is an amazing place, quite scary actually. I remember that the signs around the area warned to not dig in the soil (due to the CO2 poisoning) and also to refrain from taking extended sunbaths. Just taking a walk seems to do no harm, though.

  2. Richard Wong
    November 1st, 2008 @ 12:36 pm

    That is interesting to know Mark. Really if the soil is that fragile, I’d be concerned even walking around on it.

    I was there for about a half an hour so I’ve probably suffered some brain damage that won’t show up for a few years. :-)

  3. Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images
    November 1st, 2008 @ 5:33 pm

    Richard:

    That's pretty wild. There have been lots of fires in that area over the years, so that would be the easy assumption. Curious, do you have any links you could post about the area & natural co2 emissions and hazards?

    Cheers, & not to worry, any brain damage should show up by Tuesday.

  4. Richard Wong
    November 1st, 2008 @ 9:08 pm

    Thanks Gary. The link has been posted. I’ve also read in the LA Times about people dying from falling into that stuff.

  5. Mark Zanzig
    November 2nd, 2008 @ 12:17 am

    I just looked up an old photo I took of a warning sign next to the parking lot:

    The soil concentration of CO2 in the entire hazard area is 20 to 90% compared to a normal level of less than 1%. CO2 is heavier than air and can collect in depressions on a calm day.

    ON THE BEACH, please adhere to the following guidelines for your safety:

    * Don’t dig in the ground (a source of CO2).
    * No sitting, picnicking or sunbathing on the beach.
    * Keep children and pets out of the area.

    Symptoms include dizziness, shortness of breath, rapid pulse and heartbeat, etc.
    Loss of consciousness and death can occur very quickly.

    For more information, see the interpretive signs on the buildings or contact the Ranger Station at 760-934-5500

    I now remember that this sign made us re-think our plan to hike the interpretive trail at the time.

  6. Richard Wong
    November 2nd, 2008 @ 10:16 am

    Thanks Mark! That is scary information. When I was walking around there I didn’t notice any obvious warning signs or anything. They should do a better job at letting us know because clearly if I mistook the dead trees for fire damage then who knows how many others have too.

Leave a Reply





Page 1 of 11