A trashy blog post

After our beautiful sunny day yesterday, we awoke this morning to cloudy skies foreshadowing the rain and storm we were going to get later in the morning. Walking to the cafeteria we could smell freshly made French toast. Trays held plates of sausage and oatmeal with orange juice on the side. Students from the University of Virginia, Gettysburg, University of Tennessee Knoxville, and Miami of Ohio crowded to get coffee and toast before a long day of snorkeling. Unfortunately, we already knew today would be dreary and in the end proved enlightening.

Before the rain started, we took a 10 to 15 minute truck drive to East Beach, south of the Gerace Research Center. Our objective for the morning was to take a trash survey of the beach. We first walked out and collected the first five pieces of trash we found and sorted them into separate categories. We created eight separate categories to put our collected trash into including: plastic, metal, glass, rope, rubber, Styrofoam, wood, and mixed/other. We also identified sizes for small, medium, and large pieces of trash. Large was the size our fist or larger, medium was the size of our palm, and small was the size of our pinky or smaller. We split up into three groups and measured out 25 meters. The groups were separated into fore beach, mid beach, and hind beach. The trash was accounted for and discussed between section groups. Due to the heavy clouds in the distance and we had to leave the beach and head home. It was pretty spectacular watching the sheet of rain trail behind us and one of the students, Fish, caught a time lapse of the weather.

It was not too long before lunch began and trash picking really developed our appetite. Today’s menu was chicken patties, potato salad, salad, sandwich station, peaches, and red Kool-Aid. We were all excited that the rain had finally calmed down when another ruble of thunder began. This was just not our day. Instead of snorkeling we collected the data from the trash survey and compiled graphs for the beach section and sizes of trash. We put our data into a table separating the types of trash, the size, and where it was found (fore, mid, or hind beach). With this table we were split into pairs to create a graph for one of the sizes in one of the locations. The graph had specific parameters that everyone followed in order to provide ease in comparing the graphs. After the graphs were created, we were asked to look for patterns and develop questions and hypotheses in relation to anything we saw among the graphs. That could be patterns relations to the type of trash found in areas, the size, and effects of the tides on the trash deposits. A question is going to pop-up on the exam asking us to describe our pattern and hypothesize a solution to the question.

After about two hours of free time, which we spent either working on projects, napping, or coloring, we headed to the cafeteria for dinner. Dinner consisted of pork chops, ham with pineapple, curry with potatoes, carrots, and celery, rice and peas, corn, spinach, applesauce, salad, leftover mac and cheese casserole, chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, and fruit punch cool aid. All of which was delicious, as per usual. Thankfully right before dinner, the rain subsided and the beginnings of sun was poking through the clouds. However, the downside to the rain is that the “no-see-ems” came out to play once again. After dinner we had a short hour break until we returned to our lab for our nightly lecture.

The lecture tonight was presented to us from Dr. Phillips, and consisted on the different types of birds found around the island of San Salvador. We looked at the different guilds the birds are in based on their preference of food. We also looked at the identifying features and learned several interesting facts about the birds. Some of the native birds include, Osprey, Bahama Mockingbird, Bananaquit, Magnificent Frigatebird, Grey Kingbird, and American Kestrel. We finished the night off by hanging out and chasing around a giant purple land crab.

Amber Luke ’17 and McKayla Blake ‘17

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