Environmental science students traveled to the Blue Hills to participate in a study of the impact of tropospheric ozone on white pines. Students hiked into the woods of Tucker Hill to record biometric data on the trees and collect sample leaves using pole cutters. They will send samples to the University of New Hampshire’s Complex Systems Research Center, where scientists will use a visible/infrared intelligent spectrometer (VIRIS) to collect data about the red edge inflection point of the leaves—a good indicator of total chlorophyll content at the leaf level. In the Milton Academy labs, students will use the samples to gather data such as leaf symptomatology, leaf growth and leaf retention. The University of New Hampshire will use this data in its study of the effect of ozone on the white pines of New England.
