Samm UR, Sunblock hazardous to sea life?

The article I found for this week deals with sunblock and it's affects on ocean life. The article states that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles (which are common ingredients in sunscreen) can interact with ultraviolet light to form hydrogen peroxide, which could be toxic to micro algae, like phytoplankton. These micro algae will go on to feed other fish and whales.
The first thing I did after reading this article was to run straight to my sunscreen to look at the ingredients! I didn't necessarily find the two chemicals the article stated, but they could be under a different name. Although, simply trying to google it gave me a couple of websites that talked about how titanium dioxide and zinc oxide were used more as sunscreens because they are more likely to "scatter" the UV Rays  more than other man-made, chemical ingredients.
It's intriguing (and alarming) to find something that we use often (like sunscreen) might actually be harming the environment and the creatures that live in it, especially when we talk about how much better it is for US. It definitely makes you think about what you're really buying and using, knowing how it will not only affect you, but everything around you.
In the article, the two researchers went to Majorica Island's Palmira beach (in Spain) to test the seawater for spikes in hydrogen peroxide levels. I would be interested to see what kind of hydrogen peroxide levels are found in our beaches, and if it's affecting phytoplankton.

Brent Meister UR: The solution to ocean pollution?

     This article that I have found deals with water quality in our oceans. The article starts by  saying," The solution to pollution is dilution." which was the saying since no one believed that the oceans could be filled with trash back in the day. Which is totally ridiculous if you ask me. Also it list the major types of pollutants dumped in our oceans directly and indirectly like: pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizer, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids just to cover a few. It goes on to explain how farmers use fertilizers and pesticides on their crops, and with rain and watering that stuff makes it to our runoffs which leads to our rivers and streams and eventually into our oceans or lakes which cause algea blooms which starve the ecosystems of oxygen killing off marine plants and small animals in time. Also things like shipping accidents dump oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids into the oceans were it gets trapped in places like the pacific trash vortex, which is about the size of Texas, or in the Mississippi Delta area. Also they have discovered a new vortex of trash in the Atlantic ocean in 2010. besides just pollution people have decided to dilute in our oceans the article mentions noise pollution like underwater bomb testing, sonar testing, noise from oil rigs, and even earthquakes. even though earthquakes cant be prevented it still, along with noise from oil rigs, sonar testing, and bomb testing they all mess with migration of marine mammal species, reproduction, communication, and hunting. However steps have been taken in the right direction to end dilution with marine sanctions, national laws, and international protocol which prohibits the dumping of pollution into our oceans.

http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-marine-pollution/

Photograph by Ed Kashi for National Georaphic

     If you ask me what I think about this article I would tell you that it is an eye opener to how much trash and pollution we dump into our oceans which we know so little about. With the additives of polutants causing algea blooms starving marine species of oxygen and choking out marine plants which throws off the balance of the ecosystem in that area there may be nothing left of our oceans and we may as well call them the big blue wet things, because there may not be a big diversity of life left if we keep polluting our oceans. Also the discoveries of the trash vortexes in the pacififc and atlantic, and also the trash just floating in the Mississippi Delta, just tells me that the solution to pollution is dilution is not the way. The people of times past have created quite a mess for our generation but with the help of Marine sanctions and international and national law we will be able to shink the sizes of the trash vortexes and clean up Mississippi delta so we may save our oceans and have something we can continue to explore and enjoy.

Brent Meister- UR Oceanography introduction

         Hello, my name is Brent Meister and my major is Marine biology. I am very interested in marine life especially that of the deep water species. Also water quality is big for me. This is something I have wanted to do as a little child. You're probably thinking what made me make my mind up so early, well its kind of a long story. From the beginning my parents put me in scouts where I had a native American as a scout master. through him I became very in touch with nature learning how to live off the land and water, I was more interested in water than land. anyways through him you could say I became closer to nature, but not like a hippie. I eventually became good friends with him and his family and learned how to do things the "native way". I learned how to sing and dance and protect the environment. under my native scout master I made the rank of eagle scout, which is the highest award in scouting. while in scouts I got my scuba certification and my love for the sea grew. I guess its in my blood since the Irish were a sea fairing people. however with my scuba certification I opened new doors into a bigger world. I then meant chad the the marine discovery center and he did nothing but strengthen my interest in sea life. now I am in college chasing my dream to be a marine biologist. I hope to get my bachelors to start and then keep moving.

Me in Labadee Haiti 

Me at an Eagle scout Ceremony

The Native crew

Heather--UR, Oceanography week 1

Hello my name is Heather Talley, I am a mother of a 4 year old son named Hayden James and he is the main reason why I have decided to go back to school. What brings me to the Environmental field is that I have always been fascinated with the way that ecosystems thrive or don't thrive and what it is that may effect the balance. I started to mainly be interested in Geology because one of my main goals is to better understand the way the earth can neutralize or buffer out the pollutants that we are increasingly adding to the environment. So far the main studies I have done where on the buffering capacities of the different soil horizons to see how they may buffer out the pH of a very acidic acid rain (pH 5), but I am also interested on the way that the plants can filter out air born pollutants. I am very excited to learn the proper way to gather data and samples; as well as, the correct way to log the data in the field book. I am also excited to get the field training that most students do not have the opportunity to receive, I feel that it will be a real leg up when it comes time to transfer or even get an entry level position.

My son Hayden

Me and my son.

   

Brittani Beaudet, UR Introduction

Me Snorkeling & Surfing

Hey everyone,

My name is Brittani Beaudet. I was born and raised in Daytona Beach. I LOVE THE BEACH & OCEAN, and always have as long as I can remember! I pretty much grew up at the Granada Beach Approach & my family's condo at Flagler Beach, always in the sun and ocean. Being in any water has always been second nature to me. I was a competitive swimmer all my life from the age of 7 up until after high school. I traveled to other countries and all over Florida for meets/competitions. After high school and developing bad shoulder tendonitis, I gave up the competitive part of the sport and now just swim for fitness and to be in the water. I like to go surfing whenever I can, and when I'm not in the water with everyone surfing, I'm taking pictures and videos of surfers. My first camera was gifted to me by a family member and ever since I can't stay away from surf photography. Traveling for waves with friends is one of my favorite things to do. I want to travel the world, and my goal is to one day live in Costa Rica. I have two amazing big baby pitbulls who will attack you with love. Their names are Duke and Toaster. Yoga is a big part of my life. I go to hot yoga almost every single day, and it is amazing both mentally and physically. Home decor and interior design are also a hobbies of mine, making furniture and re-doing my house every second I get.

Duke & Toaster 

My love of the ocean and animals combined are what got me to this point in my education. I want to do everything I can to make a difference in saving our oceans and our marine life. I also want to learn as much as I can about waves, currents, and tides due to my love for the sport of surfing. In addition, I have a huge passion for sharks, and I plan to do my research project on them. If anyone has any ideas, please share them with me! I am excited to be in the Oceanography Lab, and hope to learn as much as I possibly can, while having an amazing experience along the way.

Some of my Surf Photography

Mike Salisbury - Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Mike Salisbury. I live in New Smyrna, just a few blocks away from the beach. A few of my hobbies include: surfing, hiking, camping, listening to/playing music and traveling. This is my last semester at Daytona State College; in the spring I am off to the University of South Florida to study environmental science.

I received my Associate of Arts with an undecided major from Daytona State. After doing some soul-searching, choosing to study environmental science made sense.  Being raised near the Atlantic Ocean, I have seen the local ecosystem drastically decay over time. Local jetties causing coastal erosion, beach nourishment that resulted in a decline of the local sand flea population, improper management of wastewater (i.e. polluted runoff flowing into the sea), tourism, and overpopulation are a few of the local issues that fuel my passion for the environment. In OCE1001L, I plan on researching how beach driving affects coastal environments. I am looking forward to this semester!

October 2012, Hurricane Sandy

Samm Miller - UR Introduction.

My little brother and I at Uncle Dale's lake!

Hello! My name is Samantha Miller. I am a 22-year old, majoring in Marine Biology here at DSC. I decided to take on Marine Biology after my first year of college, after deciding that Graphic Design was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It came to me while watching a Blue Planet special; when I didn't want to be a singer, I wanted to be an oceanographer! But I was always skeptical about getting into marine biology (I was never really good at science). And after my first year of college, I had lost myself, both academically and mentally. It took another year of telling myself that I COULD do it before I took my first class at DSC. And now, as every semester goes by, I am more and more sure that this is what I want to do with my life. To be near the ocean, or a river, or a lake, studying the organisms that live in our waters. I have never felt so sure about anything else in my life!

I signed up for this course to push myself. This will probably be one of the hardest class I take here at DSC. Not just because of the research project, but even the field work. I still have many mental blocks that I must break before I can uncover my true potential, and I hope that this course helps me break them, one by one, as I continue to discover the amazing world in our waters!

Angela, CUR – Disappointingly Clean Beaches in Oregon

As you can see from the Intro post made August 2013, Dr. Woodall has a hard time getting rid of me. Since then, thanks to the Oceanography lab research project, Environmental Health - especially effects of Marine Debris – has become my field of interest.

As a Continuing Undergraduate Researcher (CUR), I have the opportunity to continue posting about plastic waste. This summer I visited the Oregon coast; however, expecting to find at least one piece of Tsunami debris I was quite disappointed when all I found was a lonely miniature My Little Pony.

 

During my original research project that focused on plastic debris found on Florida’s beaches, I found hundreds of pieces on our state’s east coast. “Tourists are to blame!” is usually one of the first responses I receive, however, Florida’s west coast and some of the Oregon beaches I visited were just as populated as some of the littered beaches along our east coast.  The one thing I did notice: no garbage bins and no driving on the Oregon beaches I visited! Garbage bins and vehicles were two criteria I did NOT think to notate during my original Florida research, and thus I do not know if the lack of plastic debris on Florida’s west coast may pertain to the lack of vehicles driving over trash that didn’t make it into a bin!?

Skylar Kaminsky U.R. - My underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV) design process.

To start, I suppose you could call me a bad student. For some reason or another I would either forget or just be too tired to even bother updating this these past few weeks. Regardless, I spent time before I built my ROV looking at different designs and trying to imagine what a simple ROV would entail. First I started with this rectangle. I imagined housing everything inside the protective PVC, so I would not run the risk of having my components damaged.

My initial design with the top missing. 

My second picture is of it assembled completely for the first time, minus the GoPro. After zip-tying the wires down I instantly noticed a problem which I had to address - the cables ran the risk of running into the propellers.

This was the first design before I ran the cables. One motor in the front faced down, controlling
the pitch (vertical mobility) of the ROV. The two motors in the back controlled the yaw (horizontal mobility).

I fixed this dilemma by moving the two motors forward into the center of the ROV, which also provided better stability.

Here is the completed prototype I designed. I've learned many things
using this build.

One of the things I've learned is that I need to drill small holes into the corners to let water in faster so it will equalize in the water much more easily. Another thing I have learned is that the controller, while perfect for the lab we had in class, would be extremely difficult to use out in the field. Small adjustments are just not possible with the lack of how the switches are. I will also need a few more motors to have even more control over it. All in all, I plan on continuing this project. I wish to leave something behind that will be usable for future OCE1001 Lab students.

Tomorrow I will update this with the dimensions of my ROV. I'm too tired tonight.

Cathy UR: COPPER in the Tomoka River

I have spent the last week collecting water samples and testing them in the lab. I have been on the hunt for copper now for awhile. Last Friday Dr. Woodal, Skyler, Erin and I went out on the class boat on the Tomoka River to collect water samples. We collected samples along the river, near the shore, on the north and south side of the river, both sides of the fork. All in all I ended up with 13 samples, due to the poor weather that we encounter I was unable to test my samples in the field

Me collecting the sample that contained copper

.                                                                          We also drove over to the Tomoka River State park and I sampled there as well. Once we got back to the lab I started testing my samples, when I was almost done testing my samples and turning up with no results my second to last sample I was finding no copper, But on my second to last sample I found some copper. I have never been more excited during this project then when I found the copper. So over the weekend I went back to the park where I found the copper on Friday and collected a few more samples. While I was out there I looked for sources of the cooper and the only possible sources could be were the docks where the samples were taking the bridge that was up steam or the men fishing from the bridge.

Erin Weinreich U.R. - Week in Review

Look at the color difference

This past week in the lab was a little interesting. I finished my lab project which consisted of finding if pesticides affect the physical appearance of seagrass. Thankfully my hypothesis was correct when all said and done, but it wasn't the exact outcome I expected. I did notice with the larger quantities of pesticides in each fish tank there was a greater change than those without as much. It was interesting to see that how such a large change could happen in only a weeks time period. There were a few hiccups along the way, but like with any lab project there is a potential somethings could go wrong.
This week I will review my data, make my graphs, and also finish my powerpoint so it will be ready to go on May 9th.

Go slow! There are manatees! 

Along with finishing my lab project this week, I assisted Cathy (along with Dr. Woodall and Skylar) on the school boat to collect data for her lab project. The day started off with a few clouds in the sky with some suspected shower storms in the afternoon. All together we collected 13 samples when all said and done, but we weren't able to test any of the samples on the boat due to bad weather conditions. The weather was so bad at one point that we had to tie up the boat and stand under somebody's porch until the thunder went away. We continued on after the weather cleared up in a few places. We found her samples in the Tomoka River in various locations such as near houses, in the middle of the river, and also near the dock where we had the boat tied up. The group also took a trip to the Tomoka State Park and took a few samples in the park as well. We even saw a few deer, and spotted a redhead woodpecker! Overall it was a good experience and I can't wait to see what the outcome of her project is.

Angela, CUR - Plastic Art

by John Morris, Source: Surfrider Foundation

The majority of the myriad pieces of plastic I collect at the beach end up in my recycling bin, which then more than likely end up in a landfill unless they escape the garbage truck during transportation. I'm not really solving the overall plastic problem, but at least I'm keeping some pieces out of the ocean and hopefully spreading awareness as people watch me or ask me what I'm doing.

 

by Mary Ellen Croteau, Source: Clean Ocean Action

by Tess Felix, Source: Surfrider Foundation

A much better form of creating awareness would be through art, but there is a reason I've been postponing my humanities electives....I'd choose a WEEK of math problems over a single DAY of writing/art/music.

Luckily, as you can see in the pictures and video(from Washed Ashore), there are some amazing artists out there that can transform plastic debris into mosaics and sculptures.

Kristen Ghaffarian U.R. Week in Review

This past week was pretty interesting.  I was getting all prepared for my day out for my research project, and the night before we had a huge rain storm and the following day the wind was surely 20mph or higher.  You wonder why this would be an issue, well I will be boating in the lakes with an inflatable boat.  It is sturdy but with the wind speeds we had that day I would not have been able to keep the boat in place long enough to secure my water samples with the equipment in tow.  Dr. Woodall and I also thought it could pose a safety hazard if I were to possible go overboard with the waves; it'd kind of funny, I know go ahead and chuckle.  So we postponed the research day till next week, so hopefully we have good weather and I will be able to report my day in the field.

Ahoy Matey

 The week of the 11th we worked in the lab as well as in the field.  We collected settling plates from the Marina in Daytona Beach.  One of the buoys with the settling plates had been there for around 6 months.  We each placed the plates in tupperware and took them back to look at under the microscope. It was awesome we came across some invertebrates that looks like alien life forms.  It was really fun to lookup what each living specimen was in source materials, as well as using our own ways of tracking down the info, i.e google.  We also learned how to calculate in excel the area of coverage, it's amazing what you can do with technology nowadays.

Barnacles, Skeleton Shrimp, and more