All posts by atj5

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Day 3 – Time to start measuring things

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Today we started learning how to take measurements and collect data underwater. We made quadrants yesterday (pvc squares with string tied on to make a grid), that we will be using this week to answer questions about the reef that we will come up with! Today, as a large group, we tried to see if the density of the Penecillus sp. algae changed with distance from the shore. We ended up having a completely wrong hypothesis (that it would be denser near the shore), but at least we got a good handle on using the quadrants. It is harder than you would think to be holding onto a camera, quadrant, and a clip board underwater! There weren’t any soft corals in the sea grass area, as they tend to prefer live coral patches and reefs.

While taking our measurements, we found a sea star! Holding it felt very cool, as it started to grip your hand with suction cup like appendages. I got a great picture of my snorkel buddy Michiel holding it!

This afternoon, we got to visit a beach with countless coral skeletons that had been turned into more lasting rock, preserving them immaculately. This was a super cool way to see what the inside of corals look like, especially because when we see them in the water they are often obscured by either live coral tissue or algal overgrowth. I tried to identify a few species using guide books, but didn’t have too much luck. Now that I know what they look like though (thanks to Dr. Correa and everyone else with better identification skills), I think they will be much easier to recognize on the reef!

At the coral graveyard, I also saw a dead dried out soft coral, a common sea fan. This wasn’t calcified like the hard coral skeletons however, it was just a common sea fan missing its polyps! 

– Ava

2022, Uncategorized

Day 2 – Finally on the Reef!

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This morning we finally got in the water and out on the reef! We left the dock and swam out to some nearby patch reefs around 8 AM. Jumping off the dock we were immediately surrounded by a large school of tiny fish! The patch reefs were covered in soft corals, most notably the common sea fan and corky sea finger. We also saw lots of other creatures, like lobsters and invasive lion fish.

Common sea fan (Gorgonia ventalina):

Corky sea finger (Briareum asbestinum):

After lunch, we went out for our second snorkel trip on the reef. This time we had to walk (run) through a mangrove forest that was very infested with mosquitos! Luckily I was able to avoid the worst of the bug bites, but no one got through unscathed. Once we got to the snorkel area, the bites were well worth it!

On these patch reefs, we found a sea cucumber, which I got to hold (see blurry picture not well transferred from my camera…)! It was very leathery and pretty hard, although it softened up where I was holding it.

 

My snorkel partner and I were also able to see a few instances of coral on coral warfare! We found a common sea fan that was being overtaken by an orange fire coral!

On the way back to the station, we opted to swim around the island instead of facing the corridor of mosquito massacre once again. We swam over a sea grass bed most of the way with tons of cool creatures hidden inside. I was able to spot a small sting ray, some sponges (maybe fire sponge?), very long-thin fish, and several anemones. Back at the station I am still salty and exhausted, but excited to see something new tomorrow!

  • Ava
2022

Day 1 – Arriving at the station

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We flew into Belize city today at around noon, excited to kick-off our trip! After our plane ride we stopped by the sky city supermarket, where I got some plantain chips – a local favorite. Then, we headed off on a ~3 hour long boat ride to the Glover’s Reef Atoll research station.

The boat ride was beautiful and pretty calm most of the way, but we did have some very choppy waters in the middle of the trip! The choppy waters followed the point where we crossed the fore-reef zone, where waves were breaking on the coral formations!  At one point, I saw a fish jump out of the water between two waves and appear to ‘fly’ into the next one! Not sure what type of fish this was but I will definitely look into it.

picture from the boat:

After landing at the research station we were greeted by a mass of crabs! They are all over this place and range in size from tiny to formidable. I’ve been told that crabs are to this island as squirrels are to Rice campus!

I did not see any soft corals today, as we haven’t started snorkeling yet, but I will be on the lookout when we do! I am exhausted, and covered in a fine layer of bug spray + salt, and excited to get in the water tomorrow!

– Ava

2022

Pre-Departure First Post!

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My name is Ava and I can’t wait for our trip to Belize!

I expect that I will see tons of interactions/animals/and things that I have learned about in my courses at Rice but never seen firsthand. After taking coral reef ecosystems this past semester, I am excited to witness some of the species we have discussed as well as many of the reef interactions we learned about (like maybe some reef diseases!). Likewise, I am excited to see lots of weird and interesting insects, maybe some of which I learned about in insect biology!

Mainly though this course, I am hoping to gain fieldwork skills in tricky environments. Most of my previous research has been in a lab, so I am very excited to spend lots of time in the field and start learning about the unique challenges fieldwork presents. I have never been to the tropics, so I am also excited to explore this habitat type for the first time!

I am sure the trip will be pretty exhausting, so I’ve been trying to rest up in preparation. That being said, I can’t wait to see and experience everything that Belize has to offer.