Week 4 at USFSP

This past week we were at my home institution, USFSP, with Dr. Judkins learning about open oceans and their ecosystems. We were able to go out on the R/V Weatherbird II and collect data and organisms out in the Gulf of Mexico. Going out on the Weatherbird was one of activities I was looking forward to most during this trip so I'm ecstatic that there were no technical or weather difficulties this year.

Our group on the R/V Weatherbird II before departure on Tuesday morning. Photo: Cam

Excited to leave on the Weatherbird. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

We started Monday with some background information about open oceans, their ecosystems and it's biodiversity. Dr. Judkins gave us some of her background information about all of the deep sea cruises that she's been on, as well as the massive amounts of data and information she's gathered and published. I found it fascinating that even though people have been studying the ocean for years, only 5% has been studied. It astounds me that as a species we can know so much, yet so little at the same time.

Leaving Bayboro Harbor. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

St. Petersburg from the water

We also focused on the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Spill and its effects on the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico. All types of scientists (oceanographers, biologists, chemists) were given millions of dollars to do multi-year studies on the effects of the spill. During the days and weeks following the blowout, dispersants were added directly to the blowout. This method had never been used before or tested, so one of the things many scientists focused on in their research were the effects this would have on the dispersal of the oil in the water. Other scientists focused on the effects of the oil on the benthic life in the Gulf, and others focused on things such as water quality. While most of the data is available free to the public, not all of the official publications are complete. Despite the devastating effects and the high risks, drilling in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and around the world, has continued.

On the Weatherbird. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

Pulling the net aboard the ship. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

Tuesday morning, we prepared to leave on the Weatherbird. We loaded up all of the equipment and went out into the water. We went to our deep water site first, so we had a nice long break to eat lunch, take naps and learn about the ship. Once we arrived on site, it was a flurry of activity to get each piece of equipment in and out of the water in a time efficient fashion. The first piece of equipment in the water was the CTD, which measures water quality parameters: conductivity, temperature and dissolved oxygen. Then the neuston net was deployed to collect surface-level plankton. 

Trying to free the giant sea star. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

This was followed by the bongo nets which collect plankton below the surface of the water. Then the otter trawl was deployed off of the back of the ship to collect organisms about half-way in the water column. We had to deploy our trawl twice, because the net twisted the first time and therefore collected nothing. The second time, we did not collect very many organisms, likely because a giant sea star got caught in the TED (turtle exclusion device) and blocked most of the net. 

Sorting the trawl catch. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

Once the trawl was back on the ship we quickly pulled all of the organisms out of the net and placed them into water. Then we began sorting them, first by invertebrates and vertebrates, then by species. While this was going on, we also deployed the dredge off the back of the ship to collect benthic organisms. The goal was to sort, count and measure all or most of the trawl organisms before the dredge came up. Once the dredge came up, we repeated the sorting process for the dredge organisms.

Me with the giant sea star! Photo: Dr. Judkins

Me with the brittlestar! Photo: Amanda Schaaf

Me with the lightning whelk! Photo: Hannah

After the dredge was up, the ship started motoring to our second location, which was shallower and near shore by the Skyway Bridge. We finished our sorting and identifications, then enjoyed an amazing dinner by Chef Doug. We then had another break before arriving at the second site. Once we arrived at the second location, the entire process repeated itself: CTD, neuston net, bongo net, otter trawl, then dredge. We switched up teams so that we could all learn a new piece of the puzzle. We worked on our sorting and identifications for the trawl and dredge. Once we were done, we cleaned up the deck, then enjoyed some snack while we waited to arrive back home.

Flame streaked box crap (it squirts water
when the water is shallow enough)

Emily and I observing plankton. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

We arrived back fairly late Tuesday night, or really early Wednesday morning depending on how you look at it, so we had a late start on Wednesday. Wednesday was spent analyzing the plankton we captured the day before. We also teamed up to build our own plankton. Our plankton, Sphaera pentaflava, by maintaining neutral buoyancy the longest. We also started to develop some research questions based on the data we obtained the day before. We paired up and picked the research question we would be working on the rest of the week.

Our group with the winning clay plankton. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

Me and the Hawaiian black triggerfish. Photo: Lisa Mann

Thursday morning we worked on our presentations and data analysis for our presentation during the morning. Emily and I chose to do our presentation on the correlation between pH and the abundance of invertebrates at the two stations we observed on Tuesday. In the afternoon we performed ethograms of various organisms at the aquarium. I chose to observe a roseate spoonbill, an ornate diamondback terrapin, and the Hawaiian black triggerfish. The roseate spoonbill I chose ended up being the least active organism, and spent most of his time perched on a branch. The terrapin at least moved around a bit and got into a couple of fights with his mates over prime underwater locations. The triggerfish was exhibiting some pretty interesting interactions with the other fish in the tank, which is why I chose him. I love the aquarium, so I was really excited to learn something new that I can do when I go there.

Emily and I presenting our data to the class. Photo: Amanda Schaaf

Finally, on Friday we finished up our presentations and presented them to the class. Emily and I presented on the correlation between the decreasing pH of the Gulf and its potential effects on the abundance of invertebrates. Overall our data found that overtime both the pH decreased and the abundance of invertebrates decreased with a very strong statistical correlation between the two. However, because we did not look at any other water quality parameters, we cannot definitively say that pH decreased the abundance of inverts. After our presentations, we had our post test and wrap up for the week.

I'm sad open ocean week is over, because it means the class is almost officially done. We're heading to UWF in Pensacola later today. I'm looking forward learning more about estuaries and seagrasses. I also can't wait to finally analyze the microplastics that we have been collecting all over the state.
Until next time!
-Dominique