Day 5 - Sun Jan 15th 2012 - Tuffy Reef and Day off

Click here to jump to a web album with 24 photos from Day #5 (all in larger format than on this blog).

Having just woken from a lengthy nap, I feel well rested as I write this! The nap was my chosen activity during our afternoon off (more on that later).

Our sleep last night was interrupted by periods if hard, driving rain. When we woke, there were puddles everywhere, and the rain continued on and off for the rest of the morning. More significantly for us, there was a heavy wind (perhaps a steady 25 MPG) when we arrived at the beach for our daily cleanup project:

Since today was a short day, we boarded a smaller motorboat for a five minute ride to Tuffy Reef. The rain fell and the wind whipped as we rode the waves to our destination, ably led by Chico and Ken's wife Maureen (who is, the bye way, a licensed boat captain, a licensed tour guide, and a registered nurse - a bit qualified, I'd say!):

Once at the reef, the students collected their final set of data:

Once all the data slates were turned in, we headed out for our usual reef exploration. In these photos, you can notice how choppy the conditions are by all the sediment that is being tossed up. The wind really whipped up and the seas got rougher, causing us to flee for the boat after about 20 minutes:

Once back on shore, we met in the TREC classroom to go over our data and compile the final data table. The students gathered data on species diversity and abundance and two sub-locations (reef vs. between-reef-sand) at four distinct sites. All of the data was combined and compiled into a common raw data table that will serve as the basis of the lab report:

Thus fortified with knowledge, the students were given the rest of the day off. Some students used this opportunity to go shopping, some to eat out, some to nap, some to watch the NFL playoffs, and most to work on their journals and lab reports. We convene again this evening to go over analysis of the data, to confirm that all students have properly understood and analyzed their data. The day off was a much-enjoyed respite. Tomorrow will be a very full day!

Best wishes from Belize.

Day 4 - Sat Jan 14th 2012 - Mexico Rocks and Playa Blanca

Click here to jump to a web album with 23 photos from today.

Greetings from the only restaurant on San Pedro, Belize to be showing the Patriots game on a projection screen...

Today was a productive day of field work. The students put considerable effort into formulating their research methods, conducting research in the field, collecting and collating data, and organizing their results with the class. As I write this, most students are hard at work on their laboratory reports. We are proud of the efforts shown by all the students. It is clear that they take the work part of this experience seriously and are giving it their best effort.

An unprecedented phenomenon awaited us when we gathered on the beach today...rain! There was a hard, but brief downpour:

Luckily, the clouds lifted and the day returned to usual: glorious and sunny. We rode in Goliath for an hour northward to the northernmost section of Ambergris Caye (mere miles from Mexico) to a site called Mexico Rocks. Here, the students conducted their research, comparing species diversity and richness in coral patches and comparing it to sandy patches and other sites:

After the data collection, we spent about an hour exploring the reef. Highlights included a nurse shark, a southern sting ray, and a wide variety of sponges and fish:

From there, we motored a short distance away so that we could explore the mouth of a large underwater cave. After a brief stop there, we went to our second research site for the day, a reef called Playa Blanca. This spot proved a bit rough, with stronger current and higher waves than we had encountered previously. But we were rewarded with a rich diversity of fish. The highlight was watching the students play with a pufferfish:

After Playa Blanca, we motored back to shore. Back at TREC, we spent an hour in the classroom compiling, collating, and organizing our data. The students then started on their lab report writing, with a break for a pasta dinner. Never have I seen so many carbs consumed so quickly.

Thanks for reading!

Click here to jump to a web album with 23 photos from today.

Day 3 - Fri Jan 13th 2012 - Mangrove & Coral Gardens

Click here to jump to an online photo album with 41 photos from today.

Greetings from San Pedro, a/k/a La Isla Bonita.

We had a great day of snorkeling today in hot, calm conditions. Our days at TREC have already settled into something of a routine:
7:30AM: wake up
8:00AM: breakfast
8:30AM: gather and check gear
8:45AM: walk to beach for clean up
9:00AM: board the boat

Today, we rode on the main TREC boat, a large catamaran called Goliath. It is skippered by Norman with the help of his son, Jeff, who also serves as a tour guide. Ken Mattes, Ph.D., the founder of TREC, also rode with us today.

This is the beach that we help to clean each day:

This is a view of the Goliath taken from that dock:

This is our intrepid and helpful crew:

Our first stop was a mangrove swamp at the southern tip of Ambergris Caye. Mangrove swamps are formed by the roots of mangrove trees, which grow in dense clusters to form islands in the ocean. The mangrove swamp teems with life in incredible abundance. It is really an amazing place to visit and a true treasure of the natural world:

It is hard to convey the myriad species and habitats we saw there with a few photos, but these should give you a taste. Did you spot the barracuda?

After a lengthy stop there, and a careful check to pull the isopods (harmless marine parasites), we motored with the Goliath to our next stop. Along the way, we ate sandwiches on the boat, relaxed, and compared notes about the species seen and identified:

Our next stop was a reef called Coral Gardens. Here, we began our laboratory research. Last night, the class met and formulated some ideas about questions to study. The students were curious about the relative abundance and biodiversity of reef patches vs. open sandy patches. Today we began to formulate a method for studying such questions:

We then spent over an hour touring Coral Gardens which, as the name suggests, contains abundant coral, particularly elkhorn coral. We also ran into a nurse shark and a southern spotted eagle ray:

After Coral Gardens, we returned to TREC. We met in the classroom to formalize our field methodology, formulate hypotheses, and devise a research plan for the rest of the week. After the usual fine dinner at TREC, we headed into town for some ice cream and to stimulate the local Belizean economy;

A most excellent day of adventure! Tomorrow will be spent primarily collecting data for our research project. Good night from Belize!

Day 2 - Thu 1/12/2012 - Pillar Coral & Tres Cocos

Click here to see a web album with 41 photos from today (they are all higher resolution than the ones here).

Today was our first day out on the reef. Everyone was up by 7:30AM for an 8AM breakfast. Around 8:45 we headed to the beach and spent some time cleaning; it is our goal to leave the beach far cleaner than we found it. Just after 9, we boarded a large motorboat to being our snorkeling adventure:

After a brief lecture by our guide Maureen, we entered the water for the first time (for 3 of us, the first time ever!). Our first snorkel spot was Pillar Coral, named after the unusual coral formations found there:

The snorkeling was excellent, with crystal clear visibility, calm wind, and no waves. Among the unusual creatures we saw there was the yellow spotted sting ray:

And the brittle star:

After about an hour in the water, we returned to TREC for a quick lunch. We were back on the water by 1PM. It was such a calm day, that the TREC leaders decided to bring us to a spot that I have not visited in the 3 years that I have been coming: the ocean-side of the reef, where the water is much deeper. We enjoyed viewing the unusual coral formations and a school of 4 nurse sharks from a vantage point about 30 feet above:

We then ventured to another dive spot called Tres Cocos. This site was rich with a type of coral called elkhorn coral:

Among the unusual species spotted here was the filefish:

The invasive lionfish:

And the trumpetfish:

After a long time in the water, we headed back to dry land. After an hour to rinse and work on our notebooks, we gathered down by the beach to compare notes and plan our laboratory activities, which begin tomorrow:

Class was indeed held outside today! As it will be tomorrow and the day after that…

Day 1 - Wed 1/11/2012 - Travel day

Click here to jump to a full web album with all the photos from today.

Greetings from Belize!

Today was a long day full of travel, but it had a great payoff in the end.

Students ventured back to campus yesterday (Tuesday) and some of us met at Prof. Simon's house for a pre-trip dinner:

Our travel day started at 3AM early Wednesday, when we all met at NEC's Simon Center. We divided into 2 vans and headed for Boston:

Special thanks go to Mark Mitch and Maria Colby for driving us. We arrived at Logan around 4:30AM and boarded our 6AM flight to Atlanta. We then had a quick transfer over to our flight to Belize:

Upon landing in Belize City, we passed through immigration and customs, and then transferred to Maya Island Air for a short flight over to Ambergris Caye. This flight was on a 19-seater dual-prop plane, which was pretty cool. There were some good views of the islands:

We landed at the small airport in San Pedro, the main city on the island of Ambergis Caye. From there, we loaded ourselves and our luggage into vans for a short drive to TREC, the Tropical Research and Education Center, where we will be spending the next week:

All together, it was a relatively quick 11 hours door-to-door from NEC to TREC. The kind staff at TREC immediately won our hearts and minds by feeding us nachos and grilled cheese by the pool. You can see the student rooms (three to a room, each with a bedroom) around the pool:

Since we had some time, we wandered along the beach, settling at a local spot to enjoy the view:

A most excellent way to wind down from traveling!

At 6:30, we had a traditional Belizean meal (rice/beans, home made tortillas, and chicken with a local spice rub) followed by chocolate cake (much appreciated!). We then entered the TREC classroom for an orientation session and to plan our next day:

I can't speak for everyone, but I'm certainly ready for bed!
Tomorrow: First day of snorkeling.

Please feel free to leave comments below. (I will make sure they are received by a particular student if so addressed.)

Thanks for reading!