A Week at USF St. Pete

          This week was much different than what I expected. Memorial Day was celebrated Monday, which was a nice day or rest from such a hectic schedule. I even got to visit the Florida aquarium. Class began Tuesday morning and consisted of a lecture and practice classifying organisms to prepare us for an open ocean excursion that would follow on Wednesday. Even though I anticipated what was to come on Wednesday, I understood the longevity of the Tuesday lecture. Wednesday arrived bright and early and the 14 hour field day was more exciting than I expected. Fortunately I made it to the boat on time after getting turned around on campus.
           Once boarded and much more comfortable, the class got the opportunity to explore the ship. It was interesting to see how everything on board allowed for life at sea. Lab equipment, doors, and other everyday home items were designed to withstand the thrashing of the ocean. The trip to the first sight was eventful and beautiful. The water foamed around the boat in shades of blue I have never seen. During the four hour trip my classmates and i took turns identifying the wild life around us. We spotted several brown pelicans and species of Dolphins. 

Exploring the Weatherbird

Invertebrate Species Collection

           At site one I was apart of the team in charge of the the neuston and bongo nets. I recorded data while the other girls helped move the nets into the water. I have never worked with plankton nets so large. I also helped identify the fish and invertebrates caught in the otter and dredge trawls. It was a challenge to identify all the species, but I really enjoyed all of the tasks I was charged with. Sea life is not for the faint of heart, but I could really see myself having a career focused on the open ocean. Site 2 consisted of a night trawl and my team was in charge of taking a dredge sample. The composition of the water environment changed vastly as night settled in and we moved farther  in shore. We seemed to gather an unending amount of sea urchins and crabs. As the night advanced we wrapped up our data collection and fought the wind and waves to clean up the deck area. Finally we made it back to campus around 1:30 am. It was a really long day, but it was so much fun.

          The next day we observed plankton samples and dissected sponges to truly understand the biodiversity of an  ocean environment. Friday followed with more data analysis and sea shell identification. Although most of the days were spent indoors it provided a lot of insight to marine biology lab work. I really enjoyed this past week and I'm even more excited about the next few weeks.