Coming Home Soon...

Edited 3/1/09: Photo - Gathering beach profile data

This will be my last post until I arrive back in the States! I can't believe this adventure is over already. I am excited to come home but also sad to be leaving. I have learned so much and met some great people! I can't wait to be able to show everyone all of the pictures and videos that we took here, and yes I am bringing back some Bahamian shells and other stuff to show everyone! This morning we continued some more beach profiles, but it was too windy to do any fish studies. I wish we could have done more data collection to help the study, but you can't control the weather! We did get to go out to lunch for a yummy Bahamian meal, and then we got to spend the afternoon on our own time. I was able to do a little snorkeling in a seagrass bed and saw some neat starfish and sea anemones! Tomorrow we will only have time to pack up and then go to the airport. Check back at the end of the weekend or early next week for some pictures!

Fish are friends, not food...

Edited 3/1/09 - Photo of lighthouse on San Salvador and photo of me on my way down into the cave!

Good Morning! Thursday was another not so great day for collecting data. This wind will not stop! We couldn’t go out in the morning so we played tourists and visited the lighthouse. I also got to swim in an underground cave which was pretty neat. There were bats in the cave which kind of freaked me out a little. Thursday afternoon we were able to go out and complete some beach profiles. We worked in a team of 4 to collect information that will show how the slope of the beach changes. It is a little hard to explain how we did this, so I will post a picture when I return. We had to repeat the recordings several times! We were rewarded for this hard work by getting to take a quick non-work related swim in the cove. I found a huge conch shell that I am hoping I can bring back through US Customs. The weather here has really made the last few days a little disappointing. I am still having fun and learning a lot, but the wind has made it frustrating and a little chilly! I have worn long pants and jackets a lot more than I thought I would! The highlight of my day yesterday was the videoconference with my students. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! It was great to see all of you. Everyone should keep checking the blog through the weekend if you can. I will make a few more updates (possibly tonight (Friday night) and again over the weekend) and hopefully upload some pictures after I return from the States. We are hoping to be able to do some fish studies this morning, but it is 7 AM now and still seems very windy so I don't know if we will end up in the water, or doing more beach profiles. We are also scheduled to eat lunch at a traditional Bahamian restaurant. Yum! Yum! Sometimes fish are friends AND food!!

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

1) Why was it important for us to collect several beach profile recordings instead of just one?

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?

Gusty Winds

Edited 3/1/09: Photo captions - me on the beach across from research centre, a San Salvador musician, ruins of Watling's Castle (a plantation home), view of mangroves

Where did this WIND come from??? We had high hopes of watching the Comet Lulin on Monday night, followed by a day of point-intercept data collection on the reef. Unfortunately, an incredibly strong wind has kept us from collecting data today. We spent the day like
typical teachers – learning about the history of San Salvador, and taking a nature hike! We saw some incredible sights – including a mangrove swamp, a hypersaline (very salty) lake, and some ruins of old buildings from the days of Christopher Columbus!
San Salvador Island has a very interesting history. Christopher Columbus arrived here in 1492. He stayed about a week, didn’t see a whole lot he liked, so he set sail again and eventually found America! The island was colonized a little bit by Britain, who completely removed the “natives” to make room for colonists. After the Revolutionary War in America, there were some British Loyalists in America that wanted to be relocated. Britain moved their loyalists to San Salvador Island, and had them establish plantations. These plantations included slaves from Africa. The plantations were not very successful since it is difficult to grow things on the island due to the lack of fresh water. So the British loyalists packed up and went back to England, leaving their slaves behind. So much of the Bahamian residents on San Salvador are descendents of slaves.

Since we couldn’t collect data today, we spent this evening reviewing pictures of living things found on the coral reef so we could practice identifying the types of reef cover that we will need to look for tomorrow. Aside from reef cover, the other data we will be collecting the rest of this week will come from beach profiles (how much sand/water is on the beach) and fish studies (what types of fish are swimming on the reef). We still have a lot of work to do!

Here are my answers to some of the questions you asked:

How big was the barracuda? What do you do when you see a barracuda?
The barracuda we saw was about 2 feet long! When you see one, you just keep swimming because they usually don't bother you. They are doing something called "shadowing". When you are snorkeling, you cast a shadow and the barracuda like to use our shadow to find fish to eat!

How many different types of corals are there? What kinds did I see? What is something I would like to bring back from the ocean here?
There are a lot of different types of corals! We have mostly been looking at these corals: mustard hill coral, grooved brain coral, smooth brain coral, dead man's fingers coral, stubby fingers coral, mountain star coral, elliptical star coral, and starlett corals. Look up some pictures if you want to see what these look like! Besides corals, I have also seen some other neat sea creatures like sponges, sea urchins, and tube worms. So far the thing I have liked the best that I would like to be able to bring home are the beautiful fish!

It is difficult for me to post pictures, so I may need to update with pictures after I get home. My students should keep working on your blog entries. We are still set to videoconference on Thursday – I can’t wait to “see” you all!

Challenge Questions:
1) For Biology students - what role do corals play in the food chain? What would happen if corals were removed from the ecosystem? Think about this one!
2) For Physical Science students - the ocean's pH has changed from around 8.16 to 8.05 in the last 200 years or so. Is it becoming more acidic or basic and why do you think this is happening?

Pictures?

Edited 3/1/09: View of the Gerace Research Centre and a photo of me after snorkeling!

Hello!

I am not sure that my pictures posted yesterday. I am going to try again quickly. We only have a few minutes each day to use the internet. I will read all of your comments later, I hope! Yes I am having fun and not too sunburned. Today we did some data collection on the reef. It was very choppy and I got a little dizzy floating around on the waves! We are taking a short break while we wait for the tide to come back in, and we should head out again soon!

Let's try the pictures again....if they don't work, I'm sorry but I will post pictures when I get home and bring them all to school too!

Life on the Island

Edited 3/01/09: The photos are the outside of the San Salvador airport, and a view of the ocean/plant life while driving along a road on the island.

Live from San Salvador…it’s Mrs. Buki!
I have arrived safely in San Salvador. I’ve been here since Saturday afternoon, but unfortunately, the internet is not as available here as it is back home! So I may not update every day, but I will try to!
As many of you predicted, life here on San Salvador is different than it is back home! I arrived at the San Salvador airport, which is very small – about the size of a house! When we landed, we were met by the principal investigator of the Bahamian Reef Survey, John Rollino. My classes read about him in the article – remember?? Mr. Rollino loaded us up into our ride to the Gerace Research Center. Our “ride” is a big open bed truck – we sit on benches in the open air in the back of the truck. It took about 20 minutes on a bumpy road to get to the Gerace Research Center. We ate lunch (the food is not bad!) and we were able to get into our rooms. Most of you predicted I would have to share a room, but actually there are only 4 teachers and 2 scientists on this project, so we each get our own room which is nice! The research center used to be a US Naval Base, but now it is owned by the College of the Bahamas. The buildings are old and not very fancy, but all functional!
Saturday and Sunday we have mostly used our time to learn and practice our snorkeling skills. We have to travel in the back of the trucks along the island road to get to the different snorkeling sites. Each area of the island has a different name – Lindsey’s Reef, Rocky Point, French Bay, and many others. Snorkeling is a lot of fun, but you do have to get used to the feeling of breathing with a snorkel and swimming with fins on! You have to be very careful not to touch all of the living things that make up the reef – some can hurt you, but mostly we can hurt them! Corals are actually animals but they do not have the complicated structures that we commonly associate with animals. In the last 2 days, we have seen a lot of different types of corals, a lot of algae – and of course, fish! My favorites are the colorful fish like blue tang, butterfly fish, and surgeonfish. Oh – and today while we were snorkeling, we saw a barracuda! Hmm..do a little research if you don’t know why this might have been a little scary at first! We have also had to learn what to do incase we see a shark – DON’T PANIC! Hmm…I think that is easier said than done! Chances are we won’t see any sharks…..
Today we had to learn about the different types of reef cover so that tomorrow we can start collecting data. The types of reef cover we are looking for are hard coral, soft coral, sponges, algae, rock, sand, and “other”. “Other” could be anything else we find on the reef – like crabs, fish, and shark J
Since the internet can’t be used very often here, I can only post a few pictures. They are at the bottom of the post. I will have a lot more pictures to show you when I get home, but here are a few so that you can see how things are going on San Salvador. The pictures are of the research center (and truck) and me after snorkeling! Students – if the pictures do not show up at school, tell a teacher and perhaps they can ask someone to look into the problem.
CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:
1) What major group of living things do coral belong to? Why do we need to be careful when snorkeling over the coral reef?
2) How many different types of reef cover will we be looking for? What are the types of reef cover that we might encounter?

I'm published!

Check out the article in the Herald Journal...

http://www.goupstate.com/article/20090221/ARTICLES/902211036/1083/ARTICLES?Title=Science-teachers-to-teach-from-Arctic-tropics#

Off to San Salvador!

Edited 3/1/09: This is a view of an island below while in the airplane on the way from Nassau to San Salvador.

Good morning everyone!

In another hour or so, I will be back at the airport getting ready to take (a very little?) plane to San Salvador Island. I woke up this morning to sunny skies and very windy - the palm trees are waving all over the place! The weather is supposed to be sunny and in the high 70s today. Believe it or not, I walked around outside last night and was cold! Not cold like there though.....

Well, I'm off to find the Starbucks (yes, Starbucks!) and an ATM. In the Bahamas, they use Bahamian money and US Money...they have the same value. But things are very expensive! On San Salvador there are no ATMS and you have to use cash, so I should find some more money just incase. I don't have to pay for very much because of the fellowship, but spending money is good if I want to buy any souvenirs. Those of you (students) who are addicted to your cell phones and internet would not like it here - $1.99/min for me to use my cell phone, and $0.50/min for me to use the internet!

Yikes! Speaking of expensive internet...I better go! In my next few postings, I will try to answer some of your questions! I am really enjoying reading everything you all are writing! Enjoy your weekend and my next greetings will come from San Salvador Island! :)

Halfway there!

Edited 3/1/08: Above photos are from Nassau (view of beachfront area and view from hotel balcony)

First let me say - wow, my classes went crazy with the comments today! Good for you!!

Anyways, I am here in Nassau. This is my stopover point on the way to San Salvador Island. Getting to Nassau was very easy. I was nervous that it would be frustrating to go through Bahamas Immigration and Customs but they were all very nice and welcome visitors to the island! I thought it was funny that my first few experiences in Nassau were very "American" - the first song I heard on the radio was Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and I saw Burger King and Pizza Hut on the way to the hotel! Haha. But there were a lot of things to remind me I was in the Bahamas - like all of the colorful buildings, beautiful palm trees, and the fact that I was sweating since I was wearing long pants and my fleece jacket. To answer everyone's question about the weather - yes it is warm here! Today the high temperature was 80 degrees.

Tomorrow I fly out to San Salvador Island. It will probably be a much different experience than here in Nassau. I have taken a few pictures of Nassau but the hotel computer does not have a way for me to plug in my flash drive. Hopefully I can update with some pictures when I get to the Research Center at San Salvador.

CHALLENGE QUESTION!! Why did my taxi driver keep us on the left side of the road all the way from the airport to the hotel?? Was it just his crazy driving skills or is there another reason? You might have to look this one up!

Keep checking in and I love reading all of your comments! I'll check back soon!

Some Student Questions

Kudos to my students for already asking some great questions! Here are a few that I have gotten so far:

1) Will there be photos of the project?

ANSWER - If everything works the way it should, you will be able to see photos of the project on this blog! I will definitely be taking a lot of pictures and will try to upload them while I am in the Bahamas. There is always a chance that the internet may not cooperate...but if that is the case, I will still post pictures when I return. And I will bring my photos to school as well!

2) Will I be working with dolphins and whales?

ANSWER - Working with dolphins and whales are not part of this research project. However, there are several species of whales and dolphins that are found in the waters around the Bahamas. I'll be swimming pretty close to shore, so there is not a big chance of spotting any. But, you never know! I promise to try to snap a picture of any neat marine animal that I see! :)

Thanks for your questions!

Blog Etiquette

It's a cold, rainy Wednesday in Spartanburg. I'm staying warm and dry by daydreaming of clear blue waters and white sandy beaches! :)

Just a few reminders to those interested in posting comments to the blog:

1) I may not publish all comments, so please don't feel hurt if you submit something and don't see it posted! I will be receiving a lot of comments so I may just be able to post a few each day.

2) Remember this is a public website - STUDENTS, NO PERSONAL INFORMATION or I won't be able to post your comments at all! Remember to use your initials and class period only. And check your spelling! :)

As I post challenge questions, anyone is welcome to answer them! I won't be publishing the answers so that all of my students get a chance to respond. But I am looking forward to reading all of your comments.

I am looking forward to everyone participating on this adventure with me! "We" leave in just a few short days...

Expectations

I'm sitting at home, 6:00 pm on a Monday, trying to plan out tonight's meal for my family and make plans for the evening.

Hmmm.....but I can't help but think....what will my life be like this time next week????

Read through the following information to learn what I can expect on this expedition!

STUDENTS - This is your first opportunity to answer some challenge questions!


On the Expedition
Snorkel for science! Help monitor coral reef health and combat global climate change on a remote Bahamian island. Snorkel through the crystal clear waters around a remote Bahamian island to survey endangered coral reefs, document the threats to their health, and help test techniques that might restore them. You'll learn to conduct a number of ecological field measurements: surveying hard corals and other reef animals and plants, mapping transect sites and taking reef measurements, and testing water chemistry. On land, you'll map corals in tidal pools and monitor beach profile data for changes. You’ll also help refine methods for repairing and even rebuilding reefs that have been damaged by bleaching, storms, run-off, and systemic threats such as global warming. In the evenings, you'll transcribe the day's data, and enjoy films and lectures.

Longtime Earthwatch scientists Rollino, McGrath, and Smith continually receive high marks for their patience, humor, and teaching prowess. In your recreational time, you can scuba dive, go caving, see where Columbus first set foot in the New World, nature hike, or just enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

Meals and Accommodations
You’ll sleep in shared rooms at the comfortable Gerace Research Center (GRC), a former U.S. Navy base. The rooms are former officers’ quarters and each has a fan, a sink, an adjoining shared bathroom, and showers. The GRC cooks will provide simple, filling meals in their cafeteria. Teams will also have a meal or two out at a local restaurant and finish the expedition with a slice of guava duff (cake) - a volunteer favorite!

About the Research Area
San Salvador Island in the Bahamas is surrounded by warm, blue waters full of beautiful subtropical reefs, as is perhaps most well know as the place that Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in this hemisphere in 1492. The island’s interior is mostly uninhabited and full of hypersaline lakes. San Salvador is one of the outermost links in the chain of some 700 islands sprinkled throughout more than 5,000 square miles. While similar to the other islands of this archipelago, it is unique for its history, ecology, inland lakes, and the pressure to develop it mostly undeveloped landscapes. The harbor remains largely as Columbus saw, except for the Gerace Research Center, which is located on the berm of a beach composed of calcareous sands. Pleistocene sand dunes, sea cliffs, and other unique coastal features can be found within walking distance of the Center.

CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:
1) What are some science research skills that you think I will be using on this trip? Are any of them similar to the skills we do in class?

2) What do you think my meals and living conditions will be like - better or worse then home??

3) What are 3 interesting facts you learned about San Salvador Island?

Under the Sea

Wow! It's hard to believe that the week of departure is finally here. This time next week, I'll be enjoying my time on San Salvador Island - hopefully not sunburned!

I'll finally be making some updates this week - so be sure to check in often!

Here are few tips to everyone reading this blog....

1) It is easy to stay updated by subscribing to this blog. To do so, click the link in the lower right corner of this page - where it says "Subscribe to Posts". You don't have to be a member of Blogger to subscribe. Just enter your email address and you will be notified every time there is a new entry!

2) Comments are what make this fun! I can't wait to read all of your comments. At the end of each blog entry there is a link to leave comments. The comments box should open within the same page. You do not have to be a member of Blogger to leave comments! Just remember that all comments have to be approved by me first, so they may not post right away.

NOTE TO STUDENTS - You are not required to post your name to your comments! However, to get credit for your entry - please include your first and last initial, along with class period, so I know that the comment belongs to you. (For example, AB3). Remember to include this with your comment.

Here is a link to the "landing page" for my team: http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/Rollino09_Team2/

You can go here to read all about the expedition, as well as check out the blogs of the other people I will be travelling with.

More to come soon!