Just keep swimming...just keep swimming...

Edited 3/1/09 - Photos of Frency Bay and quadrat point-intercept frames used for reef cover type data collection

Wednesday – Today still very windy. We went snorkeling this morning to continue collecting data on reef cover types. Did I mention we have to record our data on special slates that can write underwater? And we have to swim out there carrying the point intercept quadrat frames too! The teacher I am working with on my team has a great underwater videocamera, so I’ll show you what this looks like! I think today was my favorite snorkeling spot so far. I saw a brain coral that must have been at least 6 or 8 feet across! We also saw some pretty big fish called blue tang, and some big parrotfish as well. As far as the data we were collecting, at this reef I noticed that although there is still a lot of algae on the reef, there were a lot more hard corals (like stubby fingers and brain coral) and soft corals (like dead man’s fingers and sea fans). Sadly, I also saw some evidence of coral bleaching. Besides looking at cover types, we also need to do some beach profiles to look at how the slope of the beach is being affected by erosion, which can affect the reefs under the water because the waves wash the sand out and it dumps on top of the reef. Think about what all of this sand would do to the corals that are living on the reef! Unfortunately, the wind was blowing too strongly and it would cause the data we collected to be inaccurate. So, it was decided that we will need to do the beach profiles tomorrow. That means we will have a very busy data collection day tomorrow. Beach profiles (along the shoreline) and fish studies (snorkeling around and identifying which fish are in the area!). Here are a couple answers to the questions you have been asking:

Where are the other teachers from?
There are a total of 6 of us here working on the project. The principal investigator, John Rollino, is from New York City. He brought along one of his coworkers, Michele Besson, who is also from New York City. There are four teachers here - me, and the other 3 are from Buffalo, NY, San Francisco CA, and Houston TX. It is great to meet new people from all over the United States!

Have you seen coral bleaching? What do you do if you see a shark?
I have seen some evidence of coral bleaching. I have a good picture of it to bring back and show you. It is sad because the coral usually has pretty colors but when it is bleached, it appears bright white. If we see a shark, the first thing we need to do is BE CALM! Sharks can sense changes in heart rate, and they are also attracted to blood so we need to be careful not to panic and cut ourselves on the reef. Most sharks do not bother humans at all, so if we see one, we will just stay calm and swim slowly towards shore. Luckily this hasn't and probably won't happen!

What is a mangrove swamp?
A mangrove is a type of tree that grows along the water. They have big roots that stick up out of the water. This is an adaptation that help them survive. They can grow in very salty environments, which is why we are seeing them here along the hypersaline lakes.

Here are some more CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:
1) Remember we used the quadrats (square frames) while we collected data on the reef cover types. Are quadrats best used for looking at how many individuals of one species are in an area, or are quadrats best for looking at how many different species are in one area? Make sure you give me a reason why you chose your answer!
2) How does collecting data on the shore (like beach profiles) help scientists understand what factors are affecting the coral reefs?