Biodiversity by snorkel

Every year I issue a challenge to marine scientists to compare the biodiversity of two habitats. I suggest high & low in the intertidal, horizontal & vertical in the rocky intertidal, plankton tows in two locations or two areas on the dock. I always offer the option of snorkelling and a few students, like 3 or 4, usually take me up on it.

This year there were more takers for the snorkelling option than ever – 7 students in the first class and 6 in the second class.

Ivonne and Yorlenis

Becca and Matilda

Annie and Abigail

Becca and Matilda

Abigail

Emilio

A few students even snorkelled across Pedder Bay to compare the two different sides of the bay (see photo above).

D block snorkellers

Gaia emerging

And not all students snorkelled, below are Tomma in the intertidal and Karel sampling plankton at the green buoy. While Karel and I were in Hyaku, we watched a submarine make its way to the navy dock.

Tomma sampling intertidal biodiversity

Karel sampling plankton diversity

Submarine!

For more photos see Flickr album Biodiversity 2017.

And for a reminder of last year’s sampling see Biodiversity in Pedder Bay.

Pedder Bay sunrise – 13 January 2017

Thanks to Abbie for the photos!

Pedder Bay pancakes

Pancake ICE, that is!

Pancake ice by Second Nature

Pancake ice under ramp

Defined in a sea ice glossary as “Predominantly circular pieces of ice from 30 centimeters to 3 meters in diameter, and up to about 10 centimeters in thickness with raised rims due to pieces striking against one another. It may be formed on a slight swell from grease ice, shuga, or slush or as a result of the breaking of ice rind, nilas, or under severe conditions of swell or waves, of gray ice.”

Pancake ice is not common in Pedder Bay, but due to many days of cold air temperatures, it is abundant around the Pearson College dock and around the Pedder Bay Marina.

I did a quick measurement of surface salinity (ppt) and seawater temperature (oC):

Yikes!! The poor mergansers, their feet must be very cold!

Snow and Sunrise – 6 December 2016

After a snowfall last night, a stunning sunrise this morning.

Pedder Bay Marina

Pearson College dock

First year Marine Science students also measured seawater temperature and salinity at 9:40 am while the air temperature was 4.2^oC.

Depth (m)	Temp (oC)	Salinity (ppt)
0.0	7.1	18.0
0.5	9.7	29.7
1.0	9.8	30.0
2.0	9.8	30.0

Brrr….

Dock diving

While it may not be their preferred dive site, second year divers immersed themselves in the seawater of Pedder Bay and went diving around the Pearson College dock on Friday 18 November and again on Monday 28 November. Below are Marie-Claude, Aurora and Maya, pretty happy after a decent dive.

Divers did a good service by collecting debris that has been accumulating under the dock for many years (see the previous generation of caf dishes!). Below are photos from 18 November and 28 November.

Garbage collected on 28 Nov.

Two generations of caf dishes

Garbage (and treasure!) collected on 18 Nov.

We released a crab from the plastic bottle (above, middle right of photo on left).  Ian collected two crabs (Cancer productus and Cancer gracilis) seen below in the photo on the left.

Ian and Maya inspect the haul

Ian in a bucket

Pedder Bay sunrise – 29 November 2016

Aurora on the Pearson College dock

Pedder Bay sunrise – 4 November 2016

Thanks to Abbie for the photos!

River otter on PC dock

We have had a regular visitor in the form of a river otter (Lontra canadensis) at the Pearson College dock. A group of students watched this otter rub its body all over the dock on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.

Thanks to Kohtaro for the photo! See Flickr site for more river otter photos.

Happy New Year!

Pedder Bay sunrise 11 January 2016

A stormy day and another very high tide

With waves breaking beside the Pearson College dock and an extremely high tide again, it was an exciting morning in the floating building.

Above are B block marine scientists beside the pile with the tide gauge on it. I’ll take another photo of the same team during a low tide…