Richard Artificial Reefs

The Japanese are the champions when it comes to building artificial reefs! But here was one that I found interesting................


Constructing an Artificial Reef with Direct Current

A test series in the bay of Tensing Pen (Jamaica) is the largest research lab for artificial reefs.

Jamaica DC Current Project

At present scientists operate on a procedure to let artificial reefs grow by a type electrolysis. A power DC source
connected via long cables are attached at the artificial reef, usually constituting a simple metal lattice construction.
The current causes that calcium-carbonate (lime) separated from the sea water settles on it and laminates the lattice, which
 is immediately followed by a natural settlement of corals.
At the anode, the positive pole oxygen and chlorine are
separated, enriched at the negative pole, the cathode, calcium carbonate and magnesium - a new corral reef can develop.
The current comes in this separated area from solar cells. Coral growth achieved by the new method not only is faster but
result also in more resistant colonies. The corals prosper even with bad water quality, if natural reefs already die.
The most interesting discovery of the scientists was however the effect of weak current on the polyps themselves. They
 current led directly to diseased corals resulted in a quick recovery of already bleached stocks within only few days.
This new technique uses for the first time the almost unlimited occurrence of dissolved minerals in the sea. If one wants to
 deposit these minerals on the metal lattice, one needs only current - for example from solar power.
Meanwhile, also the industry is beginning to show interests for this new method. First industrial applications included the 
 construction of breakwater systems in tropical regions to protect the shorelines, dock areas, and harbor sites.
(info and pictures supplied by Maricela Yip)http://biophysics.sbg.ac.at/ar/reef.htm   Salzburg, Nov 22^nd 1998 Being in the electrical field for 28 years this article sparked my attention. My training  in the trade was that electricity and water was not good partners. But here we are speaking about D.C. current coming from solar panels. Below is an example another type of artificial reef maybe a reef ball or a memorial mount.
                               

Almost every type of scrap or discarded object has been used to construct reefs.

Type	Life time	Recommended
cars and streetcars	» 6 years	No, they are subject to corrosion to debris
wooden materials	< 1-6 years	No, they collapse even sooner from wave surge and destruction by marine borers.
household appliances (stoves, refrigerators and freezers)	» 6 years	Not recommended because they are buoyant and difficult to sink and keep in place
tires, rock, concrete rubble and others	Very durable	Not recommended because they are difficult to keep in place
ships, barges, dry docks, culverts, toilet bowls, trees, bricks prefabricated shelters and artificial seaweed	Varies	Yes

Sea grass Project - Seaira

This post pertains to both my field work experience at the Tomoka River Boat Club, and my research regarding sea grass.

While on the boat taking samples last week I was thinking about how I wanted to use the data we collected that day. I decided that I wanted to compare the water's pH to the amount of dissolved phosphates present in the water. Through my research I discovered that generally when the water pH is more acidic there are more phosphates present in the water. I wanted to test this based on the data we collected in class. As I mentioned in my last post algae blooms are aided by high levels of nitrogen, and phosphates, and minimal oxygen. Algae blooms affect sea grass habitats, and block sunlight inhibiting photosynthesis, thus reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen present in the water. While in the field we sampled 5 sites throughout the river, and the connecting mouth to the ocean. To test the pH I used a HACH HD113 ph meter which was a small hand held instrument attached to a wand, which when lowered into the water gave us a pH reading.

 Testing the water for the dissolved phosphates was a little more involved.

 A sample was taken, and poured over a filter into an Erlenmeyer flask set up, from here the filter is rinsed with distilled water and the dissolved solids remain on the filter. A hand vacuum, apposed to the electric one we used in class, is used to create suction to pull all over the water through the filter. From there the filter and its dissolved solids are quickly placed into the HACH DR 1890 colorimeter, when will then read the phosphate levels.

When I got back from the field I created a graph comparing water pH levels to dissolved phosphates.I thought that the more acidic the water the higher levels of phosphates I would find, but my hypothesis was incorrect. There was not a strong positive correlation between the two measurements, which is shown by the low R^2 value.  In the near future I would like to create a graph to compare dissolved oxygen levels to dissolved phosphates. I would also like to possibly take more samples regarding dissolved nutrients in locations directly within sea grass habitats.

Angela - Why Plastic

Beachgoer: "Oooooh, are you doing turtle research?"

Me, excitedly: "No, I'm looking for plastic pieces!"

Beachgoer: silence - looking dumbfounded

Me, passionately: "I'm doing this for my Intro to Oceanography project at Daytona Sate College in order to..."

Beachgoer disappointedly interrupts:  "No, that's ok, I just thought you were looking for turtle nests; I like turtles..."

Me: looking dumbfounded and thinking "no, wait, come back, I need to tell you this..."

I've had different versions of the above conversation four times so far, two of those at Fernandina beach which had turned out to be a jackpot for plastic pieces. At this point you would think I've developed a deep resentment for turtles, but instead my concern for plastic ignorance has just increased.

Why am I doing this?

As mentioned before, I want to find out if FL's east coast has more plastic content than the west coast, possibly due to plastic pieces being released from the North Atlantic garbage patch.

"Average plastic concentration and range of North Atlantic garbage patch" - Jess McNally

How much fish is caught between the North Atlantic garbage patch and FL's east coast? - Concerns:

 

1. Food Chain - how much plastic that didn't get washed up on the beach ended up in stomachs of fish, birds, and even turtles? What if the situation got so dire that the majority of small fish died due to plastic intake? Large fish eat small fish and humans eat fish of all sizes, but major concern for the trickle up effect of fish death by plastic may not arise until it's too late.

Image from International Pellet Watch

2. Chemicals - let's say the fish don't die from plastic intake, but how do the chemicals transported and exuded by plastic affect marine organisms from the outside and inside? According to International Pellet Watch, plastic absorbs, transports, and emanates endocrine disrupting chemicals, which are hormone disrupting chemicals that can cause cancer and birth defects. Would you like a touch of cancer causing chemicals with your fish and chips?

"Digesting" Data

In my last post, I talked a bit about "contextualizing" your result/data (what question are you trying to answer, and is there a hypothesis?). After you've talked about your findings/data, you'll want to let your readers know "so what?" If you've learned that plants only grow in certain sediments, for instance, what impact does this have? Who should care, and why should they care? Help your reader "digest" the data, make sense of it, and know why it's important!

In real, formal, scientific writing, this is referred to as the "Discussion" section, and it usually comes after the "Results" section. You don't have to label sections on the blog or anything like that, but a sentence or two to tell us what makes your findings meaningful would be a really nice addition!

Ryan Darcy- Boat day

This week I went out on the boat and got to take all kinds of readings with a bunch of fancy equipment; however, I believe i was tol not to post any data as not to spoil the trip for the boat 2 people.  I had a great experience seeing as how I am trying to make a career in the same feild of work as what we were doing out on the river. 

Here I am doing Science!



 

I learned how to use many new instruments, and as a musician thats exciting..., and my favorite was the Hach DR 890 calorimeter( used to test for disolved phosphate).
I caught on quikly with every instrument but the anemometer (measures wind speed). I believe this was due to it running out of batteries though as it seems like a simple device.


A big thanks to Jeff, Deanna, and Angela for all the great pics.

Ryan Dail - Project Update

This past week I have looked more into my project. I learned I would be meeting at a seafood market with a fishery biologist from NOAA to examine the fish that the commercial fishermen are selling to the seafood markets. The fish being examined would already be dead and on its way to the seafood shelf. Since the otoliths are located in the head, seafood markets have no problem donating that part of the fish so research can be done. Unfortunately due to the government shutdown, my sources have been very limited. I have put a lot of thought into how I should go about this dilemma and I feel like I can't wait around for the government to reopen. I am going to spend this next week coming up with a new topic. If there is no progress made with the government reopening  I am going to have to switch research topics. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I am unsure of the process on how the otoliths are extracted but I am hoping I still have a chance to learn.

Michelle LaComb - Hydrophone Practice

The hydrophone ready to go!

Caution: Hydrophone in use.

The mic down in the river.

This week, I continued to practice using the hydrophone. On Tuesday around noon I ventured down to a small park on the Halifax River. Armed with a laptop, camera, hydrophone, and a friend to keep me company, I walked out onto the dock and began my research! I unwound the cords of the hydrophone, turned it on, and lowered the microphone down over the railing into the water. I listened to the sloshing sounds of the water through the external speaker for a few moments before plugging the hydrophone into my laptop to start recording the sound. I had practiced recording sounds at home and thought that I had the hang of it. I was mistaken, however, for when I tried to record at the river nothing happened. Before I could figure out what was wrong, my laptop died. Clearly, I suck at being prepared! No worries though! Mistakes are just part of the learning process! Though I was unable to record any sounds, I remained on the river for about an hour moving around to different locations in an attempt to find something to listen to. Sadly, all I heard was water this time!
I had a chat with an older man who was fishing off the dock I was on. He told me that he often sees pods of dolphins swimming by and manatees feasting upon the grass along the shore at that park between 6 and 8AM. Looks like I'll be taking an early morning adventure sometime this week!

View of the river.

My friend James listening to the speaker.

Jeffrey-Exploring the Tomoka

this be the Captain

 One Captain, one research vessel, seven cadet scientists, and the will to adventure. We departed the Tomoka Boat Club Friday morning; set off if you will, to gather data from 5 sites on the Tomoka River.

this be the Argosy

Our first site was near the mouth of the river and each site after brought us closer to home port. It was a glorious adventure; we spent 5 hours on the river testing water samples and gathering data.  At each site we used a variety of instrumentation; we collected data on current velocity, turbidity, salinity, diatomic oxygen, pH, and water temperature.

the crew and her Captain

We tested for total phosphorous by titration; it was awesome. We also got to use a secchi disk.

First Mate Angela demonstrates

I would like to thank the Captain and the crew for an awesome learning adventure.  Now it's off  to hone my excel skill and put this data in to a chart.

Richard Artificial Reefs

Joe Nolin Earlier this year at the
Artificial Reef Seminar I attended

I continued my research this week and realized that placing artificial reefs is an engineering feat that requires much time and collaboration. As part of our local history, a few members of the Halifax Sport Fishing Club were interested in keeping our Volusia coastline beautiful, they petitioned the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (U.S.A.C.E.) to step in and oversee local regulations. It should be noted that the Halifax Fishing Club and the Volusia County Research Team have a common interest in keeping our ocean beautiful and work together by helping each other with their events on a regular basis. The major undertaking that is going on now is updating the chart locations of area reefs. (I hope they remember Latitude 1st than Longitude! LOL!) The problem before these regulations were in place was unknowledgeable anglers would dump all kinds of debris in order to create a secret fishing spot in our ocean. One of the dangers of these practices is that during a violent storm these debris would dislodge and create havoc with vessels and the shoreline. This practice is still going on unfortunately, but heavy fines are now in place. All artificial reefs need to be permitted and charted. The artificial reefs off our coastline are in federal waters. Future projects to deploy artificial reefs closer to shore are in the planning stages. Some of the major obstacles  being discussed are erosion, sea turtles and the effect on the shrimping industry. When placing an artificial reef it needs to be placed in an area free of any other natural reefs. The theory behind this is we don’t want to simply move species from one location to another. Several other factors are researched before placing a reef.

This is where the Volusia Research Team comes into play along with the Port Authority management headed up by Joe Nolin. Joe receives hundreds of request for artificial reef deployments that need to be permitted. Artificial Reefs are regulated by local governments but must be approved by (U.S.A.C.E). Funding for these projects come from a small percentage of the tax on tackle. Secondly, Joe has to survey commercial fisheries and tourism dollars to see if there is any positive impact.  If you look at your property tax bill Ponce Inlet/ Port Authority has a separate entry. A request is put in for part of that money, but it is not always approved. The biggest contributor is from private citizens and contractors donating their time, equipment and boats. Fishing tournaments are also used as fund raisers for various deployments.

Juvenile Cocoa Damsel
 (note blue dot near fin)

Squirrel Fish

After Placing a reef it is very important to track what species are inhabiting the reef. This is a picture of a squirrel fish (right) which is very unique to be found near an artificial reef.

Lion Fish invading our reefs!

Pictures are courtesy of the Volusia County Reef Team.

Rebecca - Dissapointing Trial Run

Rain trying to catch sand fleas

My project is to see if the sediment size affects the number of sand fleas in a given area. I'm curious to see if beach replenishment, which is covering beaches in a different type of sand then is normally found, causes the sand fleas to not gather there.
Saturday I set out ready to catch some sand fleas. I went to my usual beach spot which is by the Ormond Holiday Club. I brought my field journal, pencil, sand flea rake, scoop for taking sediment samples, ziploc bags to store the sediment samples and permanent marker to label my bags. I got to the beach just after 11a.m. which was a few hours after high tide. There were not a lot of people around which was nice. I saw quite a few birds on the beach so I chose a spot near them to start trying for sand fleas.

Mister Pinchy

I quickly realized that I need a lot more practice looking for sand fleas. I caught a total of zero the whole three hours. My helpers didn't catch any either. We did however catch a crab that my son named Mister Pinchy. It was quite frustrated because I actually saw a few sand fleas as the water receded but was unable to successfully catch any in the rake. We also tried digging for them which was not successful. I'm going back out this weekend and instead of camping in one spot, I'm going to walk the beach and hopefully have better luck finding some sand fleas.