Hello everyone!
I cannot believe the first week of this course is already
done. Our first week started at the University of North Florida in
Jacksonville. At UNF we started the week off on the St. Johns River testing
water quality with the YSI Pro, turbidity with the turbidity tube, and listened
to underwater sounds with the hydrophone with a graduate student studying how
anthropogenic sounds affect the bottlenose dolphin population of the St. Johns
River. We did not get to hear any dolphins, although we heard an annoying
amount of snapping shrimp and only one oyster toadfish. We heard a lot of human
activity underwater, and we also learned how much these sounds can affect the estuarine
organisms.
Listening to the underwater soundscape! |
Tuesday,
we visited four different beaches along the east coast of Florida. We first
learned of the coquina outcroppings placed on the beaches near Marineland, and
discovered how they are formed from fragments of shells of Donax variabilis and quartz grains. They also provide a habitat for
numerous barnacles, mussels, anemones, and even small organisms in the tide
pools. The next beaches we visited taught us a lot about the effects of jetties
on inlets, Vilano Beach, and we could compare it to a natural inlet, Matanzas
Inlet, through one of our visits. These beaches provided a great side to side
comparison for the effects of sediment, along with sandbars and currents.
Jetties at Vilano Beach. |
Wednesday
was one of the most exciting days. We began our day heading out on the Tolomato
River to Shell Bluff to try and catch some sharks, then ended the day with
using a seine to catch the potential shark prey. I first started on the boat
with Dr. Jim Gelsleichter, a shark expert from UNF. He discussed the local
shark population and how they have been affected, and described what his research
team was doing with the sharks. We then set baited lines to attempt to catch
some sharks, and by the grace of God we caught one! Unfortunately, it was the
only one we caught while I was on the boat, but it was an adorable baby
scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna lewini.
My group ended the day with Dr. Smith using a seine to catch small prey, a majority
were herring and anchovies, along with testing water quality.
Sphyrna lewini |
Thursday
was one of my favorites, because we studied mangroves, mainly black mangroves, ALL day! Which, I absolutely
love trees. We started off the day very early, and joined the GTMNERR team to
help measure and count mangroves in their different quadrants. We measured
canopy size, diameter, height, and counted all the tiny mangrove sprouts as
well. Also, my group could not find our assigned quadrant, but we found an
abandoned kayak all the way back in the mangroves! It was crazy. Even though we
did not find our quadrant, it was interesting to see the ecosystem change as we
walked further back closer to water. There was a lot less low-lying vegetation
and a lot larger mangroves. Between walking there and back, we trekked through
so much mud that we ran out of water trying to wash ourselves off after we got
back to the van!
The only Rhizophora mangle in the area. |
Friday
was a very short last day, starting with an overview of the previous days and
reviewing the different instruments used throughout the week that were to be on
the skills test later that day. After finishing the skills test, we ended with a
lecture on corals. Overall, it was a tiring but knowledgeable first week in
this course. I am so excited to see what the rest of the weeks have in store
for all of us!
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