You probably all know that there have been several very large fires in Arizona this summer.  Ever wonder what a mountain stream looks like after a forest fire?  Here’s an example from Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ after the Aspen Fire a few years back:

Sabino Canyon after the Aspen Fire. Photo by Dave Walker.

Notice how the water is black?  It was full of ash from the fire that had been washed downstream during the monsoons.  The water even smelled like a campfire!  And what I’m doing in this photo, sampling in the stream downstream of a major burn area as a monsoon storm rolls in – that’s dangerous and you shouldn’t do it.  Made for an awfully pretty photo though!

(Just so there’s no confusion, I’m collecting bugs in that photo, NOT spearing fish.  Everyone seems to think I’m spearing fish when they see this…)

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