Day 1: Research
Hello Again,
Today was amazing. We had our first lesson on what we will be doing when we go snorkeling and what types of things we need to be aware of when we go to the reef. We then did a “dry” run at our research site to practice all the techniques and make sure we were comfortable with our different responsibilities. We will be measuring the temperature of the water, the visibility, the amount of bleaching (which is when a coral gets a white spot), and testing the water. QUESTION 1: Why do you think a bleach spot on a coral is a sign that the coral may be sick?
We will also be counting the different types of life present by using a PI Frame (Point Reference Frame-as seen in the picture) where we count everything present in the grid. This can help the researchers statistically predict the makeup of the different reefs. The different types of things we will be looking for are hard coral, soft coral, sponges, rocks, sand, and algae. QUESTION 2: What is the difference between all these types of ocean life? (Also to answer one of the questions posted there are 54 types of hard coral and too many to count of the soft)
Then this afternoon we were able to go practice our snorkeling and diving skills on a reef at the south end of the island called French Bay (picture 2). It was really funny to see how hard it is to dive with a buoyant wet suit on, though we had hopefully mastered it by the end of our hour an a half session. Tomorrow we will be starting the research, as long as the wind can slow down for a bit. Keep your fingers crossed.
- Ms. Biersbach
Today was amazing. We had our first lesson on what we will be doing when we go snorkeling and what types of things we need to be aware of when we go to the reef. We then did a “dry” run at our research site to practice all the techniques and make sure we were comfortable with our different responsibilities. We will be measuring the temperature of the water, the visibility, the amount of bleaching (which is when a coral gets a white spot), and testing the water. QUESTION 1: Why do you think a bleach spot on a coral is a sign that the coral may be sick?
We will also be counting the different types of life present by using a PI Frame (Point Reference Frame-as seen in the picture) where we count everything present in the grid. This can help the researchers statistically predict the makeup of the different reefs. The different types of things we will be looking for are hard coral, soft coral, sponges, rocks, sand, and algae. QUESTION 2: What is the difference between all these types of ocean life? (Also to answer one of the questions posted there are 54 types of hard coral and too many to count of the soft)
Then this afternoon we were able to go practice our snorkeling and diving skills on a reef at the south end of the island called French Bay (picture 2). It was really funny to see how hard it is to dive with a buoyant wet suit on, though we had hopefully mastered it by the end of our hour an a half session. Tomorrow we will be starting the research, as long as the wind can slow down for a bit. Keep your fingers crossed.
- Ms. Biersbach
posted by Ms. Biersbach @ 6:25 PM
86 Comments:
My answer to QUESTION 1: Why do you think a bleach spot on a coral is a sign that the coral may be sick? is that it might be a sign that the coral may be sick because when corals are sick or the water too warm, they expel the algae that supplies them with food and color.
Is it fun trying to dive into the water with a buoyant suit?
1. Because most corals do not have bleach on them so im guessing its not normal?
1. In my opinion, I think that the white spot on the coral is a sign for sickness because there could be some kind of unwanted bacteria or micobe that floating around the area, which cause it to have an unusual color like white.
Question 1: I think that the reason why the coral looks like it's sick is because bleach is also a chemical with a ph of 8-9 ( I think) So when it is affected by bleach it menas that the coral is sick?...
is there any kind od dangerous plants on the reefs?if yes how can we beware of them?
2. There could be many differences why the ocean life is diverse based on their habitats and surroundings. For example, one of the coral has darkness around its habitat while the other coral is expose with sunlight for the whole day. These two coral will likely have different characteristics is color and shape.
You mentioned that you went over your different responsibilities during the "dry" run and I was just curious about what YOUR responsibilities are. Do you measure the temperature/visibility/amount of bleaching in the water (or coral)? Do you use the PI frame?
My answer to question 1:
I think when the coral is bleached it has reduced color so there must be something funky happening to it that would cause it to react that way.
How to measure the bleaching?
In the second picture, what is the square thing they are hoding? Also, what is it used for?
My answer to question one is: I think that a when a coral has a bleach spot it means that they are sick becuase th coral lost some of its zooanthelle. Zooanthelle are very imporant to coral because they help the coral to grow. I think that since corals need zooanthelle and when they lose the zooanthelle, they can get sick becuase they do not have anythings helping them to grow.
what are some of things that you need to be aware of when snorkling?
My response to question 1 is that when coral is healthy it is usually a bright color which is provided by algae, however, if the coral is sick and is lacking the necessary amount of algae, white spots may begin to appear.
answer to Jackie: i think they are used for testing different corals or other stuff?
Q#1: I think that the coral's discoloration is kind of like when a leaf's color changes when it's about to die. So if the coral is supposed to be a certain color, then the reason why it would suddenly bleach is probably because something in the water is making it turn white, which is unnatural and shows that it's sick.
Do you know if there's been any pollution (like waste/chemical dumping) in the water lately that may be causing the bleach spots?
Q#2: Coral are animals similar to sea anemones that tend to live in large colonies. The difference between hard coral and soft coral is that hard coral secrete a layer of calcium carbonate to form a skeleton while soft coral doesn't. Sponges are animals that feed on bacteria and depend on the flow of water through their bodies to survive. Algae are organisms that are not necessarily plants though they contain similar traits like their use of photosynthesis; seaweed is a form of algae.
When we saw you on Wednesday you mentioned diving underwater while still having the snorkel on; does having a buoyant wetsuit make this difficult?
answer to jackie it is called a quadratto it is used to collect data one way is the point-intercept method
Hi Mrs.biercbach, i have a question about buoyant suits. What affects does byoyant suits have on swimming in the coral reefs?
What does the bleaches in coral reefs mean?
The coral reef is getting more and more less great because of the bleaching in sponges.
Are the differences between soft and hard coral noticeable by the way they feel, the way they look or both?
Answer
1) A bleach spot shows indicates that the coral is loosing color and becoming white and bony. This is due to the loss of pigmentation.
2)There is much difference. Hard coral have a hard skeleton. Soft coral have spiney skeletal elements called sclerites. Sponges are jelly like. Algae are autotrophic organisms. Sand and rock are types of habitats.
Question:
Is there any similarity between hard coral, soft coral, and sponges?
Answer to Edgar's question: No, it's not normal. They are dying due to the unusual rise in the temperature in the water.
Oops, sorry, thought you meant the peoples' questions.
ahem...
Question 1: It is bad. The spot starts to grow and infect the whole thing. The reason behind it is zooxanthellae loss. If it is not to severe, then the coral gets a chance at life.
Question 2: I hope when you talk about ocean life you're talking about coral. Well, there are two varieties of coral: hard and soft. Hard coral creates reefs and soft coral don't do that. An example would be the types you see that sway. Another difference is that hard coral has a hard exoskeleton while the soft coral lacks an exoskeleton.
zooxanthellae is gone from the coral and that is there main source of energy then without it they stay in a weakened state.
Hey Miss Biersbach- I am glad to see that the team had actually practiced a "dry" session before actually enacting in the experiment. Hehe- you wouldn't want any accidents happening now would we? Just a question: what are some of the most difficult responsibilities that the team had to do? Is it the actual measuring of the bleach itself or is it the steps that it takes to actually go down into the water with the materials to measure it? And again: how will the team be protected by the hard coral? I have heard that they can leave huge bruises and scares if dealt with the wrong way..
My responce to Q1: Many different types of corals that i have seen via Discovery Channel, youtube, etc. had recorded many videos of multi-colored coral- not many that are white. Surely i know this as a sign of some sickness in the coral. i tried to do some research- and the research had said that bleaching occurs when the coral loses 50-80% of their photosynthetic pigments- this can be fatal to the reef ecosystems b/c they bond with algae called ZOOXANTHELLAE. And the algae is what gives off the coral's color.
As for my responce to Q2: Hard coral is there for the generation of coral reefs- a home for other sealife, whereas soft coral is more soft and flexible such as sea fans. I FOUND A LINK FOR DIFFERENT CORAL FOR ANYONE WHO IS READING THIS- THE PICS ARE PRETTY COOL :D
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00168/background/types.html
sponges are different from coral- they are a bit less mobile and they filter their food by circulation of water. Rocks are rocks, although excluding any possible life that exist in the rocks. Algae are more plant like organisms that i think are stuck onto coral.
AND YES- I AM PRETTY SURE IT IS DIFFICULT TO DIVE INTO THE WATER WITH BUOYANCY-haha believe me, my past endeavors at the local swimming pool proved buoyancy to be the winner all the time :) hope the research would be getting better.
I found a web that might help all who have questions on bleaching:
here it is!
http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/BahamasWeb/VisitingTheBahamas.nsf/Subjects/Ecosystems+Of+The+Bahamas
maybe it'll spark more questions :D
Well, what I think is the answer to the first question is because it is not normal and healthy for the coral..kinda just like people. When were sick, we can get pale and not be our regular color (sometimes), and so the coral's color starts to stain andits a sign that its getting sick. i dont know, im just guessing! so if my answer dosent make sense, sorry :) i get myself...anyways, i have a question: does the colars bleached spots stay there forever or when the coral gets better the bleach spots disappear?
- Giselle <3
Hiiii Ms.Biersbach! I'm happy to hear your safe and happy at beautiful San Salvador! My question is:What wildlife and plants did you find?
How can you know if a coral is alive or dead?
My answer to question 1: I think that there is some kind of sickness going on with the coral or something else.
What do corals eat?
Do coral reefs grow where the ocean starts?(where people swim) If they dont, how come?
What coral reef is the biggest?
When you are snorkling, refering to Sergio Moras question, I went to google and looked up snorkling because i never snorkled, and i got pictures of people with oxegen tanks and small air tubes, which equipment will you use?
A bleach spot on a coral is a sighn of sickness becasue healthy corals are usually colorful and bright and become white when they begin to stress and die.
I think the bleach is a sign of sickness because the coral use photosynthesis to create food.If they are covered in bleach they might not be able to use photosynthesis to make food and survive.
I thought that was a great question Steven Nguyen. I wonder how do you measure bleaching?
Hard coral make rock like skeletons and need sunlight to stay alive; they also have multiples of six tentacles. Soft Coral produce less calcium carbonate then hard coral and look like colorful plants, also they have eight tentacles.
Hi Miss Biersbach! Glad to here you arrived safely in San Salvador! So you spoke about going through a "dry" test run at the lab. Did you get into a pool and go through an actual simulation, or were you lectured on what to do at what time? What were YOUR specific responsiblities? You also talked about measuring different aspects of the reef, and with the visibility, did you guys make your own scale, or was it measured in distance?
Hi Miss Biersbach! Glad to hear of your safe arrival in San Salvador! You mentioned how you did a "dry" run of how the actual expedition would go down. I was wondering if you guys went into a pool and actually simulated diving, or recieved a detailed lecture? What were some of your own responsibilites? You also mentioned how you will measure things like temperature and visibility? With the visibility, did you guys already agree on a scale (i.e. 1-10) or will you measure an actual distance?
Now when I first read the blog, I realized how little I knew about coral reefs, and did my research accordingly. What I found blew my mind. Coral reefs belong to an entirely different ecosystem that is completely by the organisms living their. I found out how each inhabitant has an individual function of importance to the reef, which brings me to -
Question 1: Zooxanthellae algae that lives inside coral tissue, absrobs the energy that the coral needs through photosynthesis. They are also responsible however for the coral's vibrant coloration. Under stress however, the coral releasese this algae, causing it to lose its color, hence the name "bleaching." Stress is caused by changing water temperatures, decrease of plankton caused by overfishing, and infection.
Hi Miss Biersbach! Glad to hear of your safe arrival in San Salvador! You mentioned how you did a "dry" run of how the actual expedition would go down. I was wondering if you guys went into a pool and actually simulated diving, or recieved a detailed lecture? What were some of your own responsibilites? You also mentioned how you will measure things like temperature and visibility? With the visibility, did you guys already agree on a scale (i.e. 1-10) or will you measure an actual distance?
Now when I first read the blog, I realized how little I knew about coral reefs, and did my research accordingly. What I found blew my mind. Coral reefs belong to an entirely different ecosystem that is completely run by the organisms living their. I found out how each inhabitant has an individual function of importance to the reef, which brings me to -
Question 1: Zooxanthellae algae that lives inside coral tissue, absrobs the energy that the coral needs through photosynthesis. They are also responsible however for the coral's vibrant coloration. Under stress however, the coral releasese this algae, causing it to lose its color, hence the name "bleaching." Stress is caused by changing water temperatures, decrease of plankton caused by overfishing, and infection.
1. In my opinnion, im guessing that it does mean that the vorals are sick because of other corals do not have a bleach spot, then that means that a bacteria of such must have gotten to the coral in order to have the bleach spot whether from the heat or any bacteria in the water
Question 1-
Why must you take the temperature of the water and how does temperature have to do wih the bleaching of a coral?
Q1: I think that since there are different types of coral that there are different defense systems and there is only so long they can hold out fo, that different areas of the coral begin to give out and the spots show how weak they've gotten from their sickness.
Well, to answer question number one, my opinion is that the bleach spot gives us an inkling that the coral is sick because a change in color is often a symbol of a chemical reaction. So something must have happened to it and it slowly starts to lose its color. It's the same in humans, if your skin is having to have splotches of discoloration..that could be an early warning sign of skin cancer. Haha, sry. I just had to make the connection x]
Question 1: The coral bleaching is caused by pollution. The coral is colored by zooxanthellae algae that lives in it. The coral expells the algea at its will. However pollution and other factors stresses the coral and causes the zooxanthellae algae to be expelled in excess, so the coral ends up losing its color. We know that the coral is sick because pollution and other unhealthy facotrs are what cause the bleaching.
Question: Why do you think a bleach spot on a coral is a sign that the coral may be sick?
Answer: I think that that could be a sign because if it has a bleach spot then it means that it has been contaminated and infected, later on sick and that it is unhealthy.
why cant yuo swim when it is windy? ro what was the reason.the coral is white because they are sick of the bleach
I once almost when snorkeling but i chickened out.
Is the amount of bleaching related to the corlas life? like does it tell u how much longer it will live?
was it interesting finding all that out?
it must of been fun and hard
answer to question 1:: I think the reason a bleach spot means it's sick is because the loss of color means it lost some of it's nutrients... plus when its a different color than it's supposed to be somethings obviously wrong
its really interesting to learn how you can tel if the coral is sick:)
I believe the Bleach spot shows that a coral may be sick because most of the time they have a single bright solid color all around and if it has white spots its not normal which is maybe caused by the surroundings of the corals causing it to be unhealthy and change color
What did you guys need to be aware of before you started snorkeling?
My answer to question 1 is : it's a sign because the bleaching makes the coral lose its color which means it has also lost its algae.
What is the difference between hard and soft coral?
How exactly do you use the PI Frame and how do you read it and come up with conclusions?
Why do you think a bleach spot on a coral is a sign that the coral may be sick?
The bleach spot on a coral reef is a sign that the coral reef may be sick because it is not able to produce energy from sunlight. And one of the things it needs to survive is sunlight.
is their anything dangerous in the ocean? and if their is what is it?
How difficult was it to dive into the water with the suit?
Is it really hard for you to dive in with the suit?
Why do you think a bleach spot on a coral is a sign that the coral may be sick?
I think it might be because when corals are sick they release the algae which is the corals food and gives it it's color.
Is it dangerous to touch a living coral? if ti is then Why?
What is the difference between all these types of ocean life?
Isay that the between these types of Ocean life are based on the habitat in which they are located. For example if a coral is located where there is a different type of algae the then it might be of a different color
Question: Are there only a lot of coral reef in the Bahamas and other places, or is there any chance that you could find them wherever there is an ocean present?
Is the coral reef found in different oceans different from the others? Is that one of the reasons why you are doing this? To compare it to other places that have experienced decaying of coral?
Hey ms. biersbach i was wondering what are other ways could corals and reefs be studied? and could somebody do independet research without professional help or advanced equipment?
What would happen to the coral if it was all spotted with bleach?
if a coral has bleach spots is there a way to reverse it? if so how?
Answer to qustion 1: i think that the coral turns white with a bleach spot is because the bleach is usually used to make things white, so the bleach removed the color out of the coral leaving the white spot that you can see
Question: What are some of the things you need to be aware of when you go to the reef?
When will you use the PI frame? During, before or after the trip?
sddfeF
Answer to 1: We already know that coral bleaching is bad so it is obvious that there is something bad on the coral. It's like how humans like us are being infected by chicken pox. If we find a chicken pox on us, then we will know that we will be sick.
Answer to 2: All the different tpyes of ocean lifes have a different environment and habitat. They also have a different kind of "skin" and feeling. For example, if you touch a soft coral, then it's soft. If you touch a hard coral, then it will be rough. Also, different types might eat different things which changes the food chain.
Can algae be "bleached? How about sponges?
What would be the different effects of bleaching on different types of things in ocean life?
where does the bleach come from?
wow im learning a lot by the blgs and articals, I would have never thought i would learn so much from coral...
question: so u guys have to research & then u go experiment outside or do need to have learned this before getting there??
Maybe the coral gets white spots just like when people get white spots on their face when they don't eat enough veggies
wow!that seems like a lot of fun...i think that i would really like to go snorkeling in the bahamas
1. What are some of the things you need to be aware of when you go to the reef?
How will you use the PI Frame during your trip? And once you throw the PI Frame underwater, how do you use it then?
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