Day 5: Vegetarian Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Last night I finally got to use my chemistry skills and tested water samples for Nitrates, Nitrites, Alkalinity, Boron concentration, pH, etc. It was interesting to see how the data changed from reef to reef while other parts stayed constant. By analyzing the data over time, they will be able to look for different trends, areas of concern, and water makeup in the different reefs. After testing all the water samples we all went to bed to prepare for today’s testing.
Today was sunny but unfortunately a little choppy and windy again. Consequently we were unable to get data this morning and instead went for a recreational snorkel at Snapshot reef again. It was even more amazing this time. I saw two types of stingrays and a bunch of exotic fish. For our afternoon session it was still a bit windy but we still attempted to collect some data despite the conditions. My partner Nan and I conducted research with the PI Frame. We had to throw the PI Frames (seen in Day 1's blog) in the water, and record what we found under each of the 16 orange flags. The categories included hard coral, soft coral, algae, rock, sand, and other. We knew it was going to be difficult when our first few throws moved with the waves every time we tried to record data. After getting beat up a bit we decided it was smarter to come in. We were able to get 8 throws done and will hopefully collect more data tomorrow. This evening we will have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner (vegetarian style for me of course)and then head to the lab where we will have our regular evening class. The nights have been very interesting as we have learned a great deal about important and interesting concepts, such as global warming, coral reefs, and more. Tomorrow will be our last day of going out into the water to snorkel in the morning. In the afternoon we will head out for a Bahamian lunch at a local restaurant and then prepare to depart on Saturday! Hope you are all enjoying your time off and again happy Thanksgiving! – Ms. Biersbach

Day 3 & 4: Live from the Field

Hello again,
Sorry I was not able to blog yesterday but unfortunately the internet has been in and out over the past days because of wind and bandwidth issues. We are also unable to upload pictures as of now, but as soon as anything changes I will be sure to upload some more. I will make sure to have a slide show with all of the pictures and movies when I get back. Also, because of the lack of internet connection, I have been unable to answer all of your amazing questions. To alleviate this problem I will be making a handout with all of the answers after I get back. Thanks for your patience through all of these technical issues and I hope you are enjoying your break.
So back to the blog…
TUESDAY: Yesterday I woke up and was pleased to see blue skies and very little wind. After breakfast, we returned to Lindsay’s Reef, the area of the island where we had done beach profiling on Monday. Fortunately, we were able to start conducting the research that is essential to this program. My group conducted transect research, which means we would put down a line along pins that had been put down in years past, and then studied the coral along the transect line. The transect lines have 3 pins and are 10 meters across and we studied the coral 0.5 meters on either side of the line. We looked for bleaching and any coral damage. We also had to collect water samples at each pin and temperature readings as well. Finally we had to do visibility readings where one person would swim away with a black and white disk and the other person watched until they couldn’t see the disk anymore and recorded that distance. It was a lot of fun but also pretty difficult because the waves kept pushing us against the coral or drifting us out to sea.
After the research we went back to the Gerace Research Center and had lunch and prepared for our next adventure. The afternoon was exciting because we got to visit only one of three manually-operated lighthouses that still exists in the world today. I learned that people in boats use lighthouse signals (San Salvador’s signal is two flashing lights every nine seconds) to identify where they are. Each lighthouse has its own unique code. We learned a great deal of history about the lighthouse and then had the opportunity to go up to the top of it so we could see all around the island. It was a beautiful sight and allowed us all to get an even better view of the island.
Then when we were done taking pictures a group of 8 of us decided to brave a bat cave. We hiked down into the woods where there was an opening with a small ladder that brought us down under the earth. When we were down there we waded through cold water into different mini “rooms” of the cave. It was so cool to see all the roots coming down into the cave from trees above.
WEDNESDAY: Today we were unable to do research again because of the winds. Instead we did a mini history tour of the town, did a short snorkeling survey where I saw a Lion Fish, and then went conch shell hunting. I found this amazing conch shell with a beautiful pink and red inside and orange outside. Later I found out it still had dead conch in it. It smelt awful! I am still currently trying to clean it out and get rid of all of the algae from the outside. Everyone at the research center could smell the shell from miles away. Oh well hopefully after a few more cleanings it will be ready to come back to the US!
That’s all for now and hopefully we will have internet tomorrow too and I can update you on the research. Hope you are all enjoying your holiday and happy early turkey day.
- Ms. Biersbach

Question:
What is the oceanic conveyor belt?
How is a coral reef formed?
Why is a coral reef needed? (Ex: What is its use in the ocean?)
What is a Lion Fish and what is it known for?

Lindsay's Reef

Day 2: Barracuda Day

Hello from the Bahamas,
Today was amazing! The wind started to die down and the sun finally came out. We started off our day with 7:30 breakfast as usual. Then we went to two spots – Rocky Point and Lindsay’s Reef – in order to complete beach profiling. We learned how to complete the task this morning when we got to our first research area. Beach profiling is when you use leveling tools and meter sticks in order to determine the gradient (how quickly the beach slopes into the water). (See the picture to view my group completing beach profiling).
We recorded our data on whiteboards and then constructed an excel spreadsheet to analyze the data. I will hopefully be able to upload the data so that you too can analyze the data and tell me what it says about the shores we studied. Once all the data is analyzed the primary investigator of this trip, John, will put the data into a 3-D computer program which will make a simulation of the beach. This way he can compare the beach and how it is changing from year to year.
After lunch we did another identifying trip to a reef. The reefs we visited today were Telephone Poll and Snap Shot reef. It was unreal. We first snorkeled 500 meters from shore to a reef with hundreds of fish. There were schools passing right past me like I wasn’t even there. There were also hundreds of hard and soft coral, algae, and even an old anchor. The fish were every shape, color, and size. I have never seen anything quite like it. Then we decided to swim out another 400 meters and eventually came onto a sea wall. The coral cliff dropped off to a 6,000 ft abyss. There we saw a Nassau Grouper which is deep red and white striped and about 2 ft. It was so weird just floating over a 6,000 ft drop and not know what is swimming around below me, which I have to admit made me feel better than actually seeing the life below.
Finally on my way back, while fighting the current, I passed a large white/grey fish. I tried to yell at my group behind me to find out what it was and even hovered around it for a while. Later I found out it was a 5 ft Barracuda. Yes they bite. So again I was happy not to know that the thing I was so amazed with was looking at me as lunch.
Well tomorrow we hope that the weather will be somewhat more cooperative and get even sunnier and less windy so that we are able to begin some of the research in the water that we came here to do, such as looking at coral bleaching and the types of coral we see in the water with our PI Frames. I will keep you updated. Enjoy your week.
-Ms. Biersbach

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

I'm Here Safe and Sound!

Hello all,
I arrived in Nassau late last night after about 10 hours of traveling and then flew to San Salvador this morning. The island is beautiful! The water is teal with white sand. It was a little chilly when we got in but we were still able to tour around the island and go "downtown" to the grocery store. It was too windy to snorkle today but we are hoping to make up for it tomorrow. You would be amazed at how warm the water is :) ....I unfortunatly don't have a lot to report on but I will hopefully have a lot more tomorrow. Hope you are all enjoying your weekend and I will write again tomorrow......Question for the day: Why do you think it is so windy this time of the year in San Salvador? Talk to you tomorrow - Ms. Biersbach ( I will also have some real pictures I took tomorrow unfortunatly the downloader is down today)

Expedition Information

http://www.earthwatch2.org/lff/haverluk/marbio_bahamianreefsurvey.pdf

Read the document and answer the following questions. You may also add comments or questions of your own.

Why did they start the Bahamian Reef Survey?
What is the Bahamian Reef Survey?
What is its goal?
Who is involved?
What is involved in the research? (How do they collect data and what are they testing?)

San Salvador Bahamas

A little background on San Salvador...


San Salvador is the first landfall site of Christopher Columbus on his initial voyage of discovery in 1492. Four separate monuments mark the exact spot Columbus came ashore, however, it is generally regarded that he landed at Long Bay where a big stone cross stands. Called Guanahani by the native Lucayan Indians, Columbus renamed the island San Salvador or "Holy Saviour," noting in his journal, "The beauty of these islands surpasses that of any other and as much as the day surpasses the night in splendour."
However, the island subsequently became the headquarters of the buccaneer George Watling and carried his name (Watling Island) until 1925, reflecting his great influence. The pace of life here has changed little over the centuries. Today, San Salvador is the ultimate escape. The island has miles of pristine and secluded beaches, and an emerald-blue sea of such sparkling clarity that divers have visibility of up to 150 feet. Challenging reef and wreck diving can be undertaken at High Cay, Low Cay, and Middle Cay. (http://www.geographia.com/bahamas/bsssin01.htm)

What other information can you find out about San Salvador Island? What is currently found there?

Vocabulary Terms: San Salvador, Coral Reef, Long Bay, George Watling, and Christopher Columbus (remember you have to write 2-3 sentances about each)