Seven Colby students, participating in the Colby-at-Bigelow fall semester program, spent two days on Allen Island learning field methods and conducting surveys.
The students collected a nighttime zooplankton sample to characterize the zooplankton community in the passage between Allen Island and Benner Island. They deployed a plankton net with a strobe light, and identified the collected organisms back at the bunkhouse. It was a beautiful fall night, and there was an impressive display of bioluminescence in the waters off the dock. A group of students returned to the water the second night to enjoy the bioluminescent light show
The students also conducted a survey of marine debris, establishing a baseline for future coastal surveys. They worked hard, covering sites around the whole perimeter of the island.
Students examining their zooplankton sample via a microscope and monitor. A mysid captured in a night tow with a net and strobe light. The image was projected from a microscope to a monitor.
Participants
Nick Record
Maria Pachiadaki
Emily Geske
Jared Wang
Echo Chen
Elenia Lin
Julia Park
Tom Kiffney
Ellie Irish
Project: The Ocean Environment, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Colby-Bigelow Changing Oceans Semester