This morning, on June 2, 2014, we travelled to Fortune Hill Beach, which is an extension of East Beach. The beach is more open than others because of the heavy winds that come in from the northeast. These winds bring in trash from as far as Africa because of the North Antillean Current. At this site our objective was to conduct a trash survey, which included picking up trash from the three different zones: the fore beach, mid beach, and hind beach. We separated this trash based on size and composition, then counted how much had accumulated. We then made a stop at the local landfill, where all of San Salvador’s trash ends up.
After a magnificent lunch of spaghetti and cheesy bread, most of the group piled into the truck and headed to Snapshot to begin their research projects. Others stayed at a site near campus to conduct their research projects. Today was a trial run to prepare us for the rigor of obtaining research. It was a successful day for many groups, where some groups gathered fecal matter, obtained a count of Christmas tree worms, or searched for Diadema in the various habitats.
Class tonight consisted of celebrating both Lauren and Dani’s birthdays, who turned 20! The professors surprised the class with a delectable guava cheesecake. We then learned about the biology of coral reefs. The reefs are divided by zones based on depth, which include the deep fore reef, spur and groove, reef crest, and back reef. Here in San Salvador, we study the back reefs most often.
The class is excited to dive into research, and to test their hypotheses.
Erin Hord ’17 and Courtney Dunlap ‘17