Our first dissertation diary of this academic year has been written by Hunter Ridley, whose dissertation explores over 140 years of ecological change in the Colorado Front Range.
1. What is your dissertation about?
My dissertation uses repeat photography to document, describe, and comment on the ever evolving landscapes of the Front Range region of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, U.S.A. Repeat photography is the method of retaking past photographs at the same angle and camera point in order to document change over time in that specific area. My dissertation adds to repeat photography research published in 1991 by Dr. T. Veblen and D. Lorenz titled The Colorado Front Range: A Century of Ecological Change. Veblen and Lorenz took sixty-nine retakes of photographs from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The original photographs depict an increasingly urbanized Rocky Mountain landscape. Veblen and Lorenz’s photographs highlight how these forested landscapes have responded to past environmental and anthropogenic disturbances. I chose to retake twenty-five of Veblen and Lorenz’s repeated photographs, further documenting how forests have recovered from fire, suffered under increased pest disturbance, been transformed from public to private land, and changed in vegetative composition.
2. Why is this important?
Repeat photography is a relatively new methodology in geographical research, with its origins in the late 1880s when it was used to document changes in glacial landscapes. Repeat photography found popularity within the ecological field in the 1900s where it is used to understand the evolution of ecosystems and interpret anthropogenic influences, like climate change, on landscapes. I think my research in particular is important because it serves the interests of many groups. Academics can use photographic evidence of landscape change to validate predicted vegetation dynamics or calibrate remotely sensed land classification software. Forestry managers can use photographs to assess how particular forests tend to regenerate after fire disturbance, and use this knowledge to improve management techniques. Finally, these photographs are an effective tool for public education about the effects of climate change, pest and fire disturbance, and human settlement on some of America’s most loved and protected landscapes.
3. How did you find conducting your research?
A far cry from being an easy trip to the Rocky Mountains, the many complications that come along with outdoor fieldwork all surfaced throughout my week of data collection. I had six days to hike to and photograph twenty-five different locations. Whether it was lack of access to property, thunderstorms, or a thick haze of wildfire smoke obscuring views, my schedule was tight and quite honestly never went as planned. However, I managed to collect most of the photographs I wanted, and those I wasn’t able to collect I’m using as examples of just how rapidly the landscape and climate is shifting in the Rocky Mountain West. Overall, my fieldwork turned out to be an incredibly fun and rewarding experience.
4. What would be your advice to current second years planning their dissertation?
Something I always remind myself is to not worry so much if and when a portion of your dissertation writing, fieldwork, or analysis doesn’t go to plan. Upsets are an inevitable part of every large research project and most of the time they aren’t a total death sentence for your research (even though they often feel like it!). Obtaining data that isn’t quite the quantity or quality you expected is often just as valuable as collecting everything exactly as you had planned. It can open avenues for expanding your research question or may even lead you to questions that are more interesting to you than your original research objectives.
All in all, the hiccups and small “failures” that happen throughout your dissertation journey don’t have to take away from the validity and quality of your research. Accept that something was likely to go wrong anyway, and use it to your advantage to make your research even better.
If you are interested in submitting a dissertation diary, please contact the Compass team!