Glover's Reef Science Projects

Today is our last day on the island, since we leave at 6 am tomorrow in order to catch our plane back to the US. We had to squeeze in our last dive before noon because you should always leave 24 hours in between diving and flying. The excess nitrogen that we inhale from our SCUBA tanks needs time to get out of our systems.

The final dives were on a spot just outside the atoll edge. Even though the wind has been consistently strong, this reef area is close enough to the atoll that the waves aren't too bad. However, since the small boat can't anchor, we have to get ready to jump in the water the minute the captain stops. Otherwise the boat starts drifting, and the divers entering the water might get separated. We've all become pros at gearing up quickly!

The final dive was split into two. The big boat we usually use had to make a run into the mainland this morning, so we used one of the smaller boats instead. Unfortunately the smaller boats can only fit about 7 divers, instead of all 14 of us. So we split up, with the fish survey team going first, and the two benthic survey teams going second. As usual, the dive was gorgeous! Lots of coral that's looking very familiar by now and fishes we're all well acquainted
with. The 'nauts are getting so familiar with the Belizean reefs that they can now spot unusual fishes and corals.

After the dives, we rinsed our dive gear for the first time all week. Let me tell you, a week of sun, salt water, and high humidity leads to some stinky gear. The rinse didn't even begin to get rid of the smell. I feel bad for the customs agent who happens to open my gear bag... And with the diving for the trip over, it was time to finish up the science portion.

All week long, the 'nauts have been collecting data on underwater paper during their dives. They've been entering in the data on the computer so we'll have a record of everything they did. They also learned the importance of quickly reviewing their data - oftentimes the little marks we make during the survey to remind ourselves of something become cryptic notations after a few days. Looking over the datasheets the same day allows them to fill in any blank spots and make those little marks more understandable. The final count for the week was 18 fish surveys, 10 Point Count transects, and 5 Coral transects. That's an impressive amount of data, and even more impressive is how knowledgeable all the kids are about their specific survey now.

Early in the week, I asked the kids to think up a small science project, collect data throughout the week (either independent from the surveys, or using them to answer a question), and give a short presentation at the end of the week. They were given free range to pick a project, and they came up with a diverse set. The presentations evolved from a quick science meeting to a large gathering of many of the research station residents and visiting scientists, and the kids definitely showed their skills at public speaking. I know I would have been nervous!

Brooke spent the week studying different sediment samples from around the island and at several reef sites. She taught us about how sediment is formed, what causes the grains to be different sizes, what small animals live in the sediment she collected, and how sediments can affect coral reefs. One of the visiting scientists will soon be
studying sediments, and Brooke was able to connect her project with the scientist's future work.

Morgan, who spent the week focusing on fish counts and identification, chose to focus on juvenile fish distribution. Fish can be very tricky animals to identify, since their juvenile, initial and terminal phases can all look very different.
Morgan was able to identify lots of juvenile fishes, and she compared their depth distribution at our dive sites. She found that more baby fish hang out in the shallow waters, to stay safe from the larger predators. However, some young fish were found at every depth.

Connor W. and Colin also observed fishes, but they decided to focus on a single patch reef. This reef is a favorite of the 'nauts since it's within snorkeling distance of the dock. Connor and Colin snorkeled out to the reef at different times of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, and night) and counted fishes. They found that more fish were out during the day, and that there were a lot of several types of fish. However, one of the more prevalent reef fish, the blue chromis, was fairly rare. Given more time, the guys wanted to figure out why that is!

Madison was able to take advantage of some of the science equipment we brought along. She worked with our intrepid Science Officer, Keith Kolasa, to measure temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration and pH
of the waters around the island throughout the day and night. Dissolved oxygen can help us find out how much photosynthesis is happening, since that process produces oxygen. In low oxygen waters, very few animals can survive. Maddie found that there were some clear patterns in the temperature (colder at night), and dissolved oxygen
(lower at night, since photosynthesis needs light to occur). However, one of her sites had dissolved oxygen was consistently the opposite from all the rest of the sites. No one can offer an explanation why!

And finally, our coral experts gave us a talk on coral distribution at different depths. Conner and Danny observed the different species of coral at the three depths we dove, looking at the abundance and shapes of the coral. They found that some species have definite depth preferences. Other corals can live at all the depths we visited, but they have very different shapes: the deeper the coral was, the flatter it looked. This is so the coral can catch as much light filtering down from the surface as possible. In shallow waters, there's so much light that corals can form more upright structures.

The experiments the 'nauts thought up and performed were amazing, and the station crew was extremely impressed. I'm so proud of the kids for putting in so much time learning and working this week. They have improved their dives skills, become experts at their various survey methods, and put together science projects from start to finish in a
week's time. And the whole time, they've had a smile on their faces!

Congrats for all you have accomplished, Belize Crew!

Glover's Reef Research Station

After all our dives for the day were over and the kids grabbed dinner and a quick shower, we had the chance to hear the Glovers Reef Research Station manager tell us about the role that the station plays in conservation of the Belize marine ecosystem. The station is on a caye that was bought by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) back in the 1980s. WCS has hundreds of projects worldwide, dealing in conservation of wildlife and wild places. They realized the importance and uniqueness of the Belizean reef system and decided to set up a research station. The only coral atolls in the Atlantic are found in Belize, and they are formed by a different process than typical atolls in the Pacific. In addition, there is a large barrier reef system.

The coral reefs in Belize are important to the country in a multitude of different ways. The Belizean economy is largely supported by tourism, and because of the massive reef system, many of those tourists are SCUBA divers. We definitely agree that this is a lovely place to dive! Besides tourism, the reefs provide a livelihood for fishermen and food for many people. The reefs are even integral in protecting the mainland from hurricanes; the barrier reef can buffer the shoreline from larger storm surges.

Because of these reasons, it's incredibly important to preserve the corals and reef ecosystems. WCS has partnered with the Belizean fisheries services to provide education for fishermen, including retraining fishermen who no longer can make a living on the reefs. WCS also helps the Belizean government write laws protecting the reefs by placing limits on fishing and harvesting from the reefs. And providing a research station for scientists to visit and make observations and run experiments is also vital.

The Glovers Reef Marine Reserve has been divided up into zones with varying levels of conservation. There is a small section called the Wilderness Area that is completely closed off - no fishing, lobstering, diving, snorkeling, or boating is allowed. The goal is to make this area as free from interference as possible. Other zones are no-take areas for fish, but diving and snorkeling are allowed (that's the area we're in!). However, it wouldn't be practical to completely closed off the atoll from fishing - many fishermen depend on this productive area to earn a living. Without the support of local fishermen, it's extremely difficult to enforce fishing rules. So there are areas that are open to fishing, but with important limits imposed by the Belizean fisheries service.

During one of our boat rides to a dive site, we passed several small canoes in deep waters. We asked our captain what they were doing and he told us they were free-diving for lobster. It is illegal to use SCUBA to collect lobster in Belize. But these guys were free-diving in 40-50 foot waters! Can you imagine if the Florida Keys restricted lobstering to free-divers? Either the fishermen of Florida would have greatly increased breath-holding skills or there would be a lot more lobsters. It's definitely interesting to see how other countries are approaching conservation and management of their natural resources as the US struggles with its own regulations.

Accomodations at GRMR

The research station at Glovers Reef is almost energy independent. All of the water comes from captured rainwater or desalinated ocean water. There are solar panels to grab energy from the plentiful sunlight. And the toilets are composting, meaning that all of our waste can go to help create more food.

Of course, being energy independent doesn't mean we're allowed to freely waste water and power. Instead we're all learning to conserve as much as possible. We use very little freshwater, except for drinking and rinsing some scientific equipment. Our showers are extremely quick, and they're in brackish water. Showering in freshwater will be a much-appreciated luxury when we all return home.

Lights are used only sparingly at night, which works out for us. We're all so tired from diving by the end of the day that going to bed soon after the sun sets is a welcome respite. There's no a/c, a single washing machine, and no dryer (that's what wind and clothes lines are for!).

It's funny how quickly we've all adjusted to this new way of living. It's not strange to walk to an outhouse to use the bathroom, or to sleep under a mosquito net. We're finding cool, breezy places to hang out during the hottest part of the day, and the guys will tell anyone who asks that hammocks are the only way to sleep on a tropical island.

But while we all appreciate the simplicity of living like this, as well as how ecologically friendly it is, we are looking forward the returning to the comforts of home (including showers, ice-cold sodas, and clean clothes).

~Julie Galkiewicz, Education Officer, SNI Tarpon Springs Chapter

Stingray Research in Belize

Last night the wind picked up. We've had gusty, sporadic wind before, but it always died down sometime during the night which left everyone not smart enough to bring a hammock very sweaty and sticky. But this wind has been consistently and strongly blowing for almost 24 hours now. We all appreciate the cooling effects of the breeze, but the increased wind has created a lot of high surf and waves outside the atoll. Since our island sits right on the edge, we can compare the calm, inner waters with the raging outer waters. And the captain and our various divemasters made the decision not to attempt our first dive outside the atoll. We went to a spot inside where there's a steep drop off. However, unlike the walls we've dove on before, we could see the sandy bottom that was about 120 feet deep.

The time we have at 90 feet is only about 20 minutes - much too short to do some of the science surveys. Instead, I instructed the 'nauts to observe the reef closely. When we got back to the lab, we discussed what differences they observed between deeper reefs and shallow reefs. They told me that there were fewer large fish at 90 feet, but if you looked up at the top of the wall, you could see large schools of fish. There were fewer corals total, but a lot more algae and sponges. The number of different types of species of coral was much lower, and the corals themselves were smaller and flatter. Coral depends on light, and at deeper depths, it tends to grow in a flattened, plate-like morphology to catch as much of light that penetrates to that depth as it can.

Before our second dive, a few of the 'nauts and parents got the chance to visit a research site near the station. Several of the research scientists who are living at the station are studying sting rays.There is a small patch reef located near the dock that serves as a cleaning station for sting rays, and the researchers often snorkel out and observe the rays, counting, measuring, and identifying them. The rays swim onto the reef and arch their backs. This is a signal for the small fish that live there to swarm all over the ray, picking off dead skin and parasites. This is a mutually beneficial symbiosis - the rays get cleaned of potentially harmful parasites and the fishes get a good meal. Stations like this exist on coral reefs too. It's not unusual to see large fish sitting perfectly still with their mouths open and fins splayed wide, with small fish pecking at their gills. The small fish have to trust that the big fish won't eat them!

~Julie Galkiewicz, Education Officer, SNI Tarpon Springs Chapter