End of week at UNF

On day three at UNF we started our 24 hour estuary study at the Guana River. This ecosystem is unique because there is a water control dam in between the upper lake portion and the lower estuary portion of the river. This weir restricts most of the tidal flow to the upper lake portion which causes a slight separation between the two bodies of water except with a large high tide flux. While there is some mixing between the water, there is overlap in the variety of fish and invertebrates living in these systems, but also some separation of species. The point of the study was to document trends and differences in water quality and species abundance of the two ecosystems over a 24 hour period. We split into three groups, I was in group #1 with the wonderful crew of Aaron, Danielle, and Tiffany. We took water quality and samples every hour and ran the seine net every three hours. This was truly once in a life time experience to do a 24 hour study in such a wonder preserve. It was hard at times but we also had some down time to fish, although I didn't have any luck Aaron caught his first Redfish!! Needless to say we were all exhausted afterward. After we all rested up, we compiled our data, discussed what we saw and was tested on it. We all had a blast at UNF and learned a lot from the great faculty there. I want to thank everyone involved for making this an amazing trip so far and I can't wait for next week at the Keys Marine lab where I'll be learning more from my former professors from the great FAU.
p.s. sorry for the lack of photos, I was busy working hard

Oyster reefs at low tide

Tons of people were fishing these sites

24 Hour Power

Everyone kept telling us about UNF's 24 hour survey. And I can tell you I was anxious about it, both god and bad. Turns our it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be! We started our day around 1100 (am) at GTMNERR weir. For the next 24 hours we were split into 3 groups of 4 to examine two locations on either side of the dam. Ever hour we collected YSI data and a water sample to be ran through a flourometer and colorometer. Every 3 hours we would pull a seine net and measure/count the different species we caught. We spent 6 hours above the dam at the lake, 6 hours below the dam at the river, and 6 hours on break to take naps. This schedule continued for 24 hours! I was in group 3 which had our break from 2330 to 0530 (11:30 pm to 5:30 am). That was really nice, because we were tired by then.

I spent half of my break outside with everyone else because I couldn't sleep, but eventually joined my group members in the museum building to nap for 5 hours. The sky was so beautiful that night, a storm had just barely passed us earlier in the afternoon so the stars were out and I could clearly see the big dipper above me. We finished our survey at 1100 on Tuesday and headed back to the UNF campus to clean the equipment and recoup before we all sat together to go over the data and put it into graphs.

On Friday, we returned to the UNF lab to go over our graphs with Dr. Smith and Dr. Hackney. There were a few issues with the data, but everything was sorted out. Then we were taken on a tour of their Biology building (amazing!!!) After lunch we go together for our skills test and said our goodbyes. I wish UNF was closer to where I live because the campus is absolutely fantastic and I love the beautiful gardens the Biology department has put together. Thank you so much Kelly and Courtney, I definitely enjoyed my week with you!

(Sorry no picture, got some technical difficulties. I'm sure everyone else will have great ones.)

Swoopin' into science!

Day 9 (Monday, May 26):
Objectives: High energy beach habitats, barrier islands and inlets
Site 1: Guana Reserve, Ponte Verde
This was one of my favorite sites of the whole day! Here, the sand dunes are an incredible 35 feet tall! They are totally covered with scrub plants on the front and back side of the dune: I found this interesting because the dunes in Pensacola where only totally covered on the back side. This reserve is a very neat area because its a rare opportunity to see how natural dunes look and form. Far too often these dunes are dozed down for development. Another topic we discussed was how imperiled the scrub habitats are due to sea level rise and development. Many of the scrub plants are uniquely adapted the specific coastal conditions and are not found elsewhere.

Site 2:Vilano Beach
At this site, we took a look at an inlet. We learned about how the longshore current moves sediment and constantly fills in inlets. To combat this, we have to constantly dredge which is harmful to the environment in many different ways. This inlet is fitted with a jetty; when an inlet is not natural, it takes a lot to keep it open.

Site 3: Marineland (Coquina Outcrops)
Coquina outcrops are rarely found at the surface or even just exposed. Here, the entire beach is filled with slabs of coquina rock; this makes an opportunity for a unique ecosystem. We visited the coquina outcrops during low tide so that the rocks were exposed and we could check out the tide pool critters. We found limpets, oysters, barnacles, periwinkles, algae (red and green), sponges, fish, mussels, anemones, shrimp and more. It was so awesome to see these unique formations and their diversity!

Site 4: Summer Haven
This site was nuts! Here we took a look at another project that backfired. This site consisted of an inlet; a SAND inlet. This inlet totally filled in with sand as a result of the deepening and widening of the St. Augustine inlet. We walked along the inlet and past big beautiful houses that used to have ocean access, now their docks meet nothing but sand.

Site 5: Matanza Inlet
Finally, we visited a natural inlet. This inlet is the last until Daytona. We learned all about how the channel changes different times of the year or due to storms. Boaters have to be careful because the channels can literally change over night! Over this inlet was built a huge overpass. This problem is that natural inlets move and the inlet is moving closer and closer to the end of the bridge. It will likely soon close up completely, starving the marsh and inter coastal of water exchange. This poses a huge threat for this entire ecosystem.

Day 10 (Tuesday, May 27):
Objectives: Determining changes throughout the river
Boat day! Today consisted of boating up and down the lower St. Johns river. We did a wide variety of sampling including Van Dorn samples, YSI, Secchi disk and plankton tows. We wanted to determine the actual differences in the water from further north (closer to the ocean) to further upstream (more freshwater influence). We made sure to observe the surrounding areas and consider how this might influence the water quality. Much of the area surrounding the river was industrial shipping related or hugely developed. Even downtown Jacksonville is located directly on the St. Johns river; the proximity of the development has a lot of impact on the river. We determined a great deal of change in salinity, turbidity and stratification. We pulled plankton tows and viewed them under the microscope in the lab later that night. We observed a huge deal of diversity and abundance. We conducted further water testing such as chlorophyll a and  color using a fluorometer and colorimeter.

     Our week at UNF in Jacksonville has been awesome so far.  We learned so much about the beaches and the estuarine environments in the area.  There are many man made inlets that open into the Atlantic Ocean from north Florida such as St. Augustine Inlet and natural inlets such as Matanzas Inlet south of St. Augustine.  We also learned about the small town of Summer Haven and their high risk of wash out.
     On our second day we boarded two vessels that were deployed to gather information on turbidity, salinity, temperature, conductivity, chlorophyll concentration, depth and conditions in the brackish and marine environments surrounding Jacksonville the St. Johns River.  In order to do this we used equipment such as a vandorin bottle for water samples, a YSI multimeter, a secchi disc, and a plankton net.  After obtaining water samples and data at each of 6 locations up and down the St. Johns we rendezvoused back in the lab to obtain all the data for each location and have a look under the microscope at the varied phytoplankton and zooplankton collected on the plankton tows.  Many species of centric as well as pennate diatoms were seen.  Also, a great deal of zooplankton were spotted and identified.
     On Wednesday we travelled to GTMNERR for a 24 hour sampling exercise.  The main objective of this overnight research was to observe the natural trends in species richness, diversity and water quality with the change in tide, temperature and available light/nutrients.  For this exercise we conducted a seine net pull every 3 hours in a location above and below the dam.  In order to obtain more accurate data each seine was pulled just off the shoreline ~30 ft and then back onto land in the same location.  I noticed that our larger samples were at dead low tide when the seine was swept through the mudflats. Many species of benthic dwellers such as grass shrimp and bay whiffs were identified during most of the seine pulls.  It was challenging to get accurate measurements and counts on all the species gathered in the seine nets but the group as a whole really worked together to identify all the fish and get as many back to the water safely as possible.  In addition to gathering live samples at each of the locations by the dam we collected water samples every 1 hour and took down YSI reading for temperature, DO, and salinity.  All of these values will be assessed and put into graphical form so we are able to see more closely how the estuarine environments change in turbidity and chlorophyll concentration as the temperature and tides change.  I am looking forward to identifying all of the genus and species for our samples collected in the lab and also seeing what trends we may come across with our water quality data.

Pictures coming soon my computer has run out of memory.

SWOOP!

We made it to UNF in Jacksonville just in time to explore various coastal shores in the area. On Monday we started off in Ponte Vedra Beach across the Guana Tolomato reserve, where we learned how the plants native to large dunes are adapted to the lack of water and high salinity by having an extensive root structure and water storing mechanisms. We also learned how the long shore current is created by the North East winds pushing a current depositing the sediment in various areas along the shore. These areas are heavily impacted by nearby housing development and the rising sea level. They also treat these areas with prescribed burns just like the long leaf pine forests in Pensacola. This is a constantly shifting very dynamic environment, where the species consist of mainly adapters rather than high competitors. 

After Ponte Vedra we traveled more south the Vilano beach where we observed a stabilized inlet, where it is managed to not migrate down by two parallel jetties on either side. It needs to be maintained at a certain depth in order for ships to pass so it must be constantly dredged. 

Then we traveled to the furthest southern point of Marineland. This is a unique beach habitat because coquiina strucures have fromed there over the years serving as a rocky inter tidal zone in this area. You can see the distinct zonation of species at low tide and how space is the limiting factor in these areas. 

Then we head to Mantanzas inlet which holds habitats for very important keystone species the Gopher tortise. These tortises burrrow tunnels under the dunes which serve as refuge for almost 16 species at a time. The inlet that the dunes are located on is constantly shifting back and forth because there are no jetties to buffer the migration.

On the second day we went out aboard the genetic drift and the osprey where we traveled all the way up the St. Johns river, one of the only Northern flowing rivers in Florida. We got to see all the anthropogenic effects on the river such as bridges and cities right by the shoreline. We used tools like the YSI, plankton tow and Secci disk to develop water quality samples, then analyzed the data back at the lab. 

Our 24 hour study at the GTM is up next! 

Relax, We're in Jax!

Yet another wonderful learning experience! After arriving at UNF, the first thing I wanted to do was explore the beautiful city. I was in awe at the amount of things there were to do, but I ended up doing what I always do; going to the beach! It was all fun and games but after I checked into the dorms, I knew it was time to get some sleep for a week that was even busier than the one before.

Monday was a beach day. We ended up at several points along the beach, including Ponte Vedra, Motanzas, and many other stretches along the beach. While I was soaking up the sun, I also spent a lot of time listening to Dr. Hackney and Dr. Smith who informed us of the difference in the beach and coastal environments in the east coast from the ones in the gulf coast. The sand was not quite as soft, but that's only because of the high energy that the waves carry! We also learned about jetties, which are large formations of manmade rock that keep the inlets and causeways from shifting. Dr. Hackney informed us that erosion is not the issue, rather natural causes such as storms and salt spray, and manmade formations such as jetties, rip raps (more dredged dumping), and bridges.

Tuesday was a boat day in the Saint Johns River! It was water quality analysis day, and everyone knows that puts me right in my element! Using the YSI, salinity, conductivity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels were measured. The secchi disk was also used for light penetration testing. Water samples were taken back to the lab and tested for chlorophyll a using mg/L, turbidity using FTU, and color using PU.

Wednesday and Thursday (today) were the same project. Yes... we had a 24 hour sample period! We were all overly confident when we found out it was a YSI hourly reading and a sein haul every three hours with a water quality analysis using the tests from the day prior. Everyone was tired enough to fall asleep in all sorts of areas out on the Guana Tolomato Matanzas reserve. I personally passed out in about four places, the wet, cold ground and a chair being one of them. The best part was that I was still writing! I came home confident that a nap would follow, but instead I'm eager to find out the results of the sein net pull in regards to abundance and diversity!

*DISCLAIMER: Pictures will soon follow in the next post!

Water, water, water!

Our first day at UNF was a lot of fun! We went to different spots along the Atlantic barrier islands of Jacksonville. Here the sand is a lot different from the sand at Pensacola. It's all made of coquina shells!

 All of us were prepared for a hot day out on the beach, but instead we were given wonderful breeze and slight overcast. However, that didn't take away from the breathtaking coquina outcroppings or the beautiful vegetation-covered dunes. Because it was Memorial Day, we also talked (and experienced) the effects of human impacts on the beaches. Afterwards, everyone gathered for a Memorial Day supper courtesy of the professors and Sonny's!

It's out second day out and we're back on the water! Our boat day was similar to the boat day with UWF.

We collected plankton samples, did secchidisc measurements, and used the YSI for dissolved oxygen, salinity, and temperature. Afterwards, we looked at our plankton samples live. Everything, especially the copepods, moved like they were in fast forward! We also analysed water samples using the fluormeter and colorimeter. Some of the group pushed the samples through filters to collect the suspended materials. Our data looked kind of weird, but we eventually discovered it's because one group sampled at the surface and one at the bottom!

Day one and two at UNF

We are now here in Jacksonville, Florida at the wonderful University of North Florida. This campus is one of the prettiest I've seen so far with some really cool nature trails and lakes to fish in. We got settled in on Sunday night and packed up ready for a day at the beach on Monday. Our first stop on Monday was at Ponte Vedra to observe the beaches of the area and the people enjoying them. It was Memorial day so it was packed with people swimming, fishing and tailgating. We learned how some beaches are formed and the advantages and disadvantages of having a jetty. Our second stop was at Vilano Beach in St. Augustine to learn more about the beach. This one in particular had a jetty and had constant dredging which surprisingly effects other inlets down the shore, making them less stable. Spot three was at Marine Land where we enjoyed lunch and saw the Coquina rock formations. These are made from compacted bivalve shells and look really cool, they were even used to build buildings! We took some samples from the tide pools and saw some really neat critters. The next spot was at Summer Haven River where we continued to see damage that storms had done to the beaches and how people effect the land. We also chased an army of fiddler crabs around which was a blast. Our last site for the day was at Matanza's inlet which had been pushed back a substantial amount because of dredging projects at the Sebastian inlet. It's really cool how doing a dredge in one inlet can effect another down the coast but it's also very unfortunate because humans don't think about these things before doing these large dredge projects and how they negatively effect other areas.

Day 2 at UNF
Today we went out on the boats like last week to collect water samples and water quality data. It was a beautiful day on the St. Johns river, one of the only rivers that flows north!! We used the YSI to take parameters such as Temperature, salinity , dissolved oxygen, and conductivity. We also used the secchi disk for a light attenuation depth and towed the plankton net for samples to look at back in the lab. I found some sweet fish bones at the beach by the marina!! Once back at the lab we took out microscopes to look at  the phytoplankton in the water samples and also tested the samples for chlorophyll A, color, and fluorescence. I'm whooped after today.

Now its time to pack for our 24 hour survey of the estuary, yes you read correctly 24 hours!!! Stay tuned for pictures of the study and some results. Wish me luck on fishing in my free time.

Packed beach on Memorial day

Fort made from Coquina

Tide pool catch

Really cool shrimp

This used to be a boat lift and dock

Success in my free time

In our time at UWF in Pensacola, we covered watershed as it flowed from the wet prairies to the bay. Starting in upland habitats, we learned how plants adapt to natural and restorative fires. Aristida is a wiregrass that feeds the fires dry plant material; as long as the bunch/roots (which the grass sprouts from) are not destroyed during the burn, the plant will grow back. We identified several trees including the longleaf pine, slash pine, and loblolly pine, all of which were present in the upland environment, which happens to be the largest continuous longleaf pine forest. Longleaf pines are a fire dependent plant; without fires, hardwood trees would become the dominant species and out-compete the pines. If there are more hardwood trees than pine trees in an area, more prescribed burns will be implemented. The pines are adapted to fires by having a long ‘bush’ phase, where they accumulate energy for a quick growth spurt above the fire line, bypassing the period of susceptibility. If the needles to the pines burn, the trees will die. Similarly, the tulip poplar grows two big leaves in its initial growth to allow photosynthesis and a collection of energy for a growth spurt past the fire line.

We then followed the watershed to the seepage slope, where we saw obligate wetland species (such as star flowers and pitcher plants) indicating the muddy area below. Wetlands need to be burned at night because the heat and humidity during the day make the fire too hot. At the Rock Creek Track in the Blackwater watershed we noticed a calcium carbonate watershed. Erosion from this area moves down stream through the waterway systems and into the Gulf of Mexico. As the water moves around a bend, the sediment drops off on the inside of the bend because the outside flows faster, forming a bank. The bank makes the stream shallower and pushes back plants, which causes a temperature rise in the water and the death of organisms intolerant to hotter temperatures. Loggers are restricted to off-bank trees, as the timber holds the stream in place (otherwise the stream will widen) and also helps control flood levels.

One of the more exciting parts of the day was meeting with the team that actually performs controlled forest fires. We saw multiple burn sites ranging from having been burned 6 years ago to 2 months ago. Burns are ideally performed every 1-3 years; however, several factors must be accounted for, including weather conditions, time of year, time of day, wind direction and speed, and location. Surprisingly, the area that had been burned 2 months prior had a bountiful diversity, as all of the native species to the area were able to grow without competition, because sunlight and nutrients are aplenty following a burn. An ideal method of burning is by helicopter, where ping pong balls filled with potassium protagonate are injected with a reactive chemical as they are shot from the plane, causing a spot-fire to formulate below. The closer the spacing of the balls, the cooler the fire because it has less space to grow; the fires also burn out faster because when two fires meet, they burn one another out as there is nothing left for them to catch ablaze. In the Forest Service office, there was a map hanging that marked the locations of forest fires with associated reasoning and I was shocked to see that the number one cause of forest fires was not prescribed burns nor accidental but rather arson. Ian explained that many people start fires for a number of reasons, most commonly being a mental illness (enjoy watching things burn) or out of malice; oftentimes when people are let go from a logging company or have their hunting license pulled, they burn down the forest to prevent the logging company from profiting off the timber or to ruin the habitat of the wildlife that they can no longer hunt. Ian said that though the people are often caught, it is extremely difficult to get a conviction because they need to be caught with the lighter in-hand, lighting something that will set the forest ablaze (caught in the act), otherwise they will get away with it. This was the first of several problems we learned of concerning wildlife vs. law.

The day ended with a shrimp boil at Gulf Islands park, something I had never done but look forward to doing again!

Sea turtle season runs from May 1-September 30 but most nesting and hatching is performed from the end of May to early September. The hatching time depends on the time of year, as it varies according to temperature. Sea turtles are subject to death by fishing line, fast cars, raccoons, coyotes, fish, birds, and having nests laid too close to the water. Rangers patrol the beach 24/7 in-season to mark nesting areas and relocate nests that are dug too close to the water. Nests need to be relocated within 12 hours of being laid, as the membranes form after 12 hours. The most well known issue with hatchlings is their tendency to head towards the Santa Rosa Sound rather than the Gulf because the developed Sound is a greater source of light than the moon and the turtles follow the light rather than quickly disappearing in the vastness of the Gulf.

Shore birds nest on the ground where people and predators are their largest concern. Birds defend their nesting areas by dive bombing invaders or performing a ‘broken-wing’ display to deter predators from going for their eggs and encouraging the predator to hunt the bird instead, leading the predator away from the nest then flying to safety. The USDA traps coyotes to remove them; creating fences or other preventative measures have proven unsuccessful in the past. We saw Gulbill Turns and Snowy Plovers, which nest together. Initially it was thought that the adjacent nesting of these species was a good thing, as it would decrease inbreeding; however, it turned out the turns ate the plover eggs, making yet another predator for the plovers to be weary of. A major issue for the shore birds is the road way through their nesting sites. Beyond the degradation of the asphalt mixing in with the sand the birds nest in, and the storm surges breaking apart the road way and dispersing it throughout the habitat, the roads allow traffic to fly through nesting zones, causing several bird deaths. One dead bird on the road in turn means four dead birds because nests typically hold 2-3 eggs, and if the parent is dead, the babies are not raised. Speed limits, oftentimes, are not adhered to and construction is continuously performed during nesting season to fix the roads that the storms ruin. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and NEPA are supposed to protect the birds nesting areas during nesting season, however government often turns a blind eye to the Act as people want the roadways open and operational in the summer for easy access to the beaches. Though the construction can be performed in the winter rather than during nesting season, companies do not follow through with their contract deadlines and rather prolong construction into summer without punishment.

As we looked at sand dunes we learned about the formation of primary dunes and secondary dunes; primary being the initial dunes on the beach that protect against storm surges and secondary dunes being behind them as a second structure of protection. Dunes maintain the dynamics of the beach. Waves crash at the slope trough and slosh up the beach, pushing sand to form the dune. As the sand is pushed, plants hold it in place (such as ____), forming the dune. The dune grows with the plants, which grow with the dune, which grows larger with the plants. Behind secondary dunes, the ecosystem is protected from salt spray allowing greater diversity. We saw dunes with oak trees and magnolia trees within the dune! The back-bay habitat also provides shade/protection from the sun.

The back-bay water was tannic with soil consisting of a variety of colors. The pink/purples of the soil are caused by sulfur while the black is caused by iron sulfide. Bacteria in the soil get energy from electricity available in the redox gradient; there is positive redox at the surface, which lowers to negative redox as depth increases. Electrons are available in oxidized area. As we move deeper, the soil gets lighter because there is no more iron available. In south FL and the Bahamas, the sand is very light because there is no iron. Bioturbinators bring oxygen from water into the soil.

We learned how to use several tools while performing water quality tests on the boat in Perdido Bay. We moved from the upper Bay where the watershed meets the water and went to the lower Bay, where the Bay meets the Gulf. We learned how to use the secchi disc to measure turbidity as a measurement of light, the CTD to measure conductivity, temperature, and depth, PAR to test photosynthetic active radiation, a 4pi and cosine sensor were used to calculate where 1% light levels are using the attenuation coefficient, a quantitative comparison can be made. The PUV was used as a profiling underwater radiometer to measure ultraviolet light, a Vandorin bottle was used to attain water samples with which we could measure chlorophyll and bacterial content, and finally we used a Ponar to grab sediment. With our sediment grabs, we saw that there was sand in the upper bay even though the water was not salty, which was interesting. It was likely deposited alongside the watershed, as it resembled the Appalachian quartz sand we had seen earlier in the wetlands. Prior to Perdido Bay sampling, we did species identification by doing pulls with seine nets, producing a variety of fish, crabs, and burrowers; we also suctioned worms from holes and did a phytoplankton productivity assay using the light-dark bottle experiment, in which productivity is measured in the light bottle while respiration is measured in the dark bottle.

On the final days we analyzed the samples we had been collecting throughout the trip, using microscopes to identify phytoplankton. We saw the larvae of shrimp, clams, and fish, as well as a variety of phytoplankton and zooplankton.

We were able to see DAPI counts of bacteria in our water samples; the samples are died with DAPI dye, which fluoresces blue when bound to DNA. Larger dots represent larger bacteria as they have more DNA.

In Wade’s lab we incorporated radioactive sodium bicarbonate with our phytoplankton samples, which converts to carbon dioxide and, after being subjected to 2 hours of light and killing the cells to stop the photosynthetic process, can be used to quantitatively measure photosynthesis by using a machine to count light flashes that occur from the radioactivity. We also incorporated radioactive leucine with bacteria from our water samples; the leucine was used by the bacteria to build proteins, by which we could monitor bacterial growth over a period of time, also by quantifying the resultant amount of radioactive leucine by counting light flashes.

Last, but not least, we were able to do a little more group bonding by attending the Blue Wahoos game together (minor league baseball team); the Wahoos did not win but we still had a great time!

Trees to the Beach!

This past week at UWF was pretty cool!

The first day out we went to Blackwater River State Forest with park ranger Ian. We learned about the life cycle of longleaf pines, saw Red Cockaded Woodpecker (which are endangered), and then headed down a steep incline to discover a beautiful carnivorous pitcher plant bog. Some of the group explored a dense swamp below the pitcher bog, while everyone else (including me) chilled with the carnivorous plants.

 At Krul Lake we chilled and ate lunch, then went on a mini-"hike" on the board walk and pointed out the similar plants that were in the State Park. We all piled into the van and stopped at a few locations controlled by the North West Florida Water Management District at Garcon Point. The first area was prescribe burned two years ago and the second area was burned two months ago. It was amazing at how quickly the plant-life grew back! At out last stop of the day, we went to Gulf Islands National Seashore. There we learned about the preservation efforts and had a shrimp boil with all of our professors!

Day two was beach day! Everyone piled into two vans and headed out to Gulf Islands National Seashore again, but at a different location, where we met with new park rangers to learn about the endangered Snowy Plovers and threatened Least Turns.

 Then we headed to a part of the barrier island that is owned by UWF where Dr. Snyder told us about how "the plants make the dunes, the dunes make the plants." On the gulf side of the island, we seine netted but didn't catch much of anything. However, on the sound side, we caught lots of fish!

 We gathered data from light, salinity, and dissolved oxygen sensors placed in the sound to analyze later in the week. Dana called dibs on plankton netting in the gulf and sound, too! While everyone else was soaking up the sun and getting tans, I was burning like a lobster. :( It was still a pretty cool day though.

The third day we spent on pontoon boats in Perdido Bay. Suffering from sunburn, I chilled under the canopy while the others took regular swim breaks. We stopped at six locations in the bay, from just out of the mouth of the river to the boating channel near the gulf. The professors were interested in how the data analysis would turn out because they'd gotten a lot of rain, which caused phytoplankton blooms. The equipment we used did everything from collecting light levels to sediment and water samples to plankton samples. My favorite was the Van Dorn Bottle, which is a big tube with suction cups on the end to capture water!

On day number four, all of us gathered in the lab classroom to look at our water samples in microscopes. We found some pretty amazing stuff from dinoflagellates and foraminifera to fish larvae and algae. One of the organisms looked like a spaceship taking off! We all wanted to spend the day looking at more and more samples.

Our last day, we conducted experiments on prepared water samples, using an spectrophotometer, that would use light to tell us how much "stuff" is in the water by measuring the amount of light being reflected back. We also were taken in groups to view images of the microscopic organisms highlighted in blue and purple lights. This was used to calculate the biomass concentration in our water samples. After that we graphed how many different species of plants each of us found at Blackwater to show how much biodiversity is in the forest. We then wrapped everything up with a mass discussion of how everything went during the week and said our goodbyes to the professors.

UWF Week

      It was a great week at UWF in Pensacola.  We went from the upper forest in Black Water State Park all the way down to the Gulf Islands National Seashore on the Gulf of Mexico.  We learned so much throughout our journey around Western Florida and Alabama.  

      In Black Water State Park we learned all about controlled burns and how they help to maintain stability throughout the environment.  We also did a species abundance exercise which we then later analyzed in our final discussion.  The forests are a very important starting source for many of the nutrients that eventually lead from the wetlands down into the bays and ultimately out the channels into the Gulf.  It was fun to learn about the fire burning techniques.  I found it particularly interesting that in order to have a fire burn hotter you have to space the fires out more which is somewhat counterintuitive.  When fires are set in closer proximity to one another they run into each other faster and burn out. 

     During our second day we travelled down to Pensacola beach and Santa Rosa Islands to learn about the Sea turtles and birds.  It was great to be able to see the Snowy Plovers and Least Turns in action in their natural environments.  We were informed that the sea turtles as well as the snowy plovers and least turns are in constant danger of predation by wolves, foxes, raccoon and other predatory birds.  However, the number one cause of death for the least turns and snowy plovers are the drivers in the area.  In order to curb this the parks department in the area has set speed limits of 20 MPH in the areas that the birds are highly populated.  After using the seine net on the beaches and learning about rack lines and longshore currents we made our way over to the dunes on the bay side and learned all about the stabilizing grasses and woody plants that contribute to the biodiversity in the area.  We gathered some interesting samples with the seine net in the salt marsh and in the bay.  Some of the species we gather include but are not limited to pinfish, croakers, mullet, gobies, pipefish, bluecrabs, and even a large spade fish.  Another interesting fact to learn about was the chemical  and color composition of the sediment in the areas surrounding the bay.  We learned that not only do the infaunal bethic invertebrates respire but the sediment itself also respires in a way that releases  sulfur and CO2 into the environment. 

     The last field day we spent out on two pontoon boats in Perdido Bay sampling the water in 6 different locations throughout Florida and Alabama.  At the first site I checked the secchi depth which tests for turbidity.  A black and white checkered disc is dropped into the water column and without polarized glasses you are suppose to record the depth at which you can longer distinguish the difference between the two colors.  We also checked salinity, temperature, depth, conductivity, CDOM and fluorescence with the CTD that gathered data which we later analyzed in the computer lab.  We took water samples with the Vandorin bottle and also gathered data with the YSI.  At the last two sample sites we gathered light data in order to calculate the attenuation coefficient which is the rate at which light disappears with depth.  We noticed that all the samples in the upper part of perdido bay were more turbid and had very low salinity.  This was most likely due to the extreme rainfall that has occurred in the are recently.  As we got closer to gulf and down into lower perdido bay we noticed that there was a large increase in salinity along the bottom.  The last day in the field out on the boats was my personal favorite.  I enjoyed learning about all of the equipment and seeing the data in real time.  After spending all day Thursday in lab we got the chance to see the Pensacola Wahoo's play in a minor league baseball game.  It was great to have the whole group there and so nice to watch the game on the Pensacola Bay.  The week was really awesome.  I learned so much about the area and the staff at UWF was great!!  

Here are some pictures of the week to highlight some of the great moments.

  

     

Pensacola!!!

My first experience a UWF was a little bit frustrating because I got lost due to the large campus. It was a huge change coming from my small campus at USFSP on the water to the large beautiful wooden area with hills at UWF.  Once I settled into my dorms I quickly realized that the dorm rooms didn’t have a kitchen but a huge main kitchen. This worked out for the best and made our group closer as we shared stories about ourselves and bonded while sitting down as a family at dinner.

Our first day at UWF was a long day of beautiful woods and sunshine. We were taken to the Black Water state forest where we meet up with a Park Ranger Ian Stone who was very educated and knowledgeable on the area. He gave us a tour around the park and taught us about the local wildlife as well as plant species even included a few scientific names from memory. One of the popular topics of conversation was he use of both wild and controlled burns to maintain a healthy ecosystem. While going through the upland habitats we saw some indicator species of a wetland habitat such as, pitcher plants or Nepentheceae. These are a special species of carnivorous plants that trap insects to gain the nutrients that are unavailable in soil. These species contain a wide variety of colors and are extremely cool.

Day two we headed for the beach at Santa Rosa Island were we met up with Mark Nicholas who talked to us about the importance of management of sea birds and some of the struggles that come with the job. Some of these struggles included protecting the birds from predators such as, red fox, coyotes, and people. Next we met up with professor Dick Snyder and Alexis Janosik who took us through the importance of sand Dunes and how they are created. They are created by fine sand made of quartz that is blown by the wind and trapped and accumulated by beach vegetation until a dune is formed.    

Day three we all got up early for a day on the boat and more data. We jumped on the pontoon boat fiesta and toured the tea colored Perdido bay and use a wide range of interments that allowed us to look turbidity, collect soil samples, measure light, and ect.  The last two days we spent in the lab analyzing all of the samples were had gathered earlier in the week. We also looked at phytoplankton under microscopes, which we identified and sketched in our notebooks. This experience was a great educational and invaluable experience.

This is my FIO family and I love every one of them.

Hola Pensacola!

Monday 5/19

The first day at UWF we were introduced to the Park Ranger of Black Water state forrest Ian Stone who gave us an educational tour around the local upland habitats in Pensacola including Black water and yellow river state forrets, Garcon point and
Gulf Islands national Seashore . Along the way we learned about how all the plants and animals are adapted to natural forrest fires and how the rangers need to manage the fires properly so it does not affect the civilization around them. The plants thrived in  these fire driven habitats by two main adaptations:
1) They re-sprouted quickly and easily after a burn
2) They had an outer membrane tough enough to withstand the fire

The long leaf pine (Pinus polustrus) is one of the dominant plants in Black water forrest. It is specially co-adapted to fires because it grows as a low bush for the first 5-15 years of its life, at a low level with a waxy cover on the pines, while it slowly sends a long tap root underground until it becomes large enough to obtain enough nutrients to sprout up to 15ft in just two years! This correlates with the controlled burns because it comes at a 3 year interval, so the pine has just enough time to sprout high enough the escape the fire.

One interesting indicator species of the upland wetland habitats are the pitcher plants (Nepentheceae). These are carnivorous plants that lure insects in with their iridescent colors and then trap them in their long cylindrical pitcher, that contains downward pointing hairs disabling the plant from climbing out. They are obligate wetland species that have a limitation of nitrogen and phosphorous, which is why they have to digest insects in order to obtain these vital nutrients.

We eventually ended the long day of hiking and learning to stop at NLO campground for a shrimp boil and even a little yoga sesh for sunset.

Tuesday 5/20

In the morning we set off towards Santa Rosa Island to observe Barrier Island habitats. We learned that the sediment was derived from marine sand deposits in the Appalachian composed of silica and quartz. The coasts are horizontal so these areas are some of the only in the world that have diurnal tide patterns being one high and low tide per day. The type of vegetation that can withstand the heat and the salt spray is scarce but it still builds a whole dune habitat containing various species within including sea birds, cyotes, insects, blue crabs, fish ect. The two most common shorebirds in the area are the snowy plovers and the least terns. These are both candidates for the threatened species list due to mainly anthropogenic effects from humans. The asphalt from the road is torn up and scattered around the beach  disrupting the birds camogaluged colorations, also making it easier for predators such as cyotes and fox to find the eggs. These bird have multiple defense mechanisms to offset the predations such as pretending to be hurt to distract the predator from the nesting sites. 

 

While Mark Nicholas told us all about the management of the shorebirds and the importance of the dune habitats, professors Alexis Janosik and Dick Snyder educated us about all the local flora and fauna found in the dunes/shore/sound.

The vegetation only lives on the meritme side of the dune where you might find plants such as fine grass, black needle rush and even southern magnolias. The animals hide in the shade from these plants during the sunny hours of the day. 

Dr. Snyder also told us about the different layers of the sediment in the sound where there can be anoxic regions that show as black or red. Chemosyntesis is being undergone due to lack of oxygen microbes utilize carbon by reducing sulfate/nitrate/iron/magnesium. 

There was a wide variety of small bait fishes including silverside, pompano, goby, blue crab and many many more.

We took various water samples and did some measurements on photosynthesis using the YSI.

To wrap it all up we took more samples out on some pontoon boats in Perdido bay with various instruments measuring light attenuatioins, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and much more. For the two days after that we analyzed all our samples in the lab and came up with many fascinating conclusions. Who knew there could be so much diversity in one drop of water from the gulf, or the sound and the bay. All these underwater aliens are primary producers of the ocean called phytoplankton, which are eaten by the larger zooplankton. 

 This underwater arthropod is called a Acartia tonsa

This little CaCo2 phytoplankton is what keeps the structure of the sediment in the gulf.

This zooplankton Dinophysis caudata was caught in mid-replication under the microscope. 

Overall UWF was an experience full of knowledge laughter and many many good times, cant wait to see what UNF has to offer this upcoming week!