Today was our first official day collecting data to be used after our two weeks in La Parguera. Our first destination of the day was a nice mangrove area near Isla Mata La Gata (aka the secret hermit crab island as I like to call it). On the boat ride there, I thought about the effects that hurricane Fiona had on the area and how it affected the canopy densities and nutrients in the soil. I immediately noticed the broken docks and fallen trees. My group went along the trees to measure their canopy height, trunk width, seedling count, and seedling width to quantify the state the trees were in and where their growth was headed. The sound of waves behind us was soothing and the hermit crabs kept us company. In Enrique, we conducted benthic surveys to measure Thalassia and Syringodium length and coverage. Sediment cores were taken to really evaluate the above and below ground biomass of both seagrasses. The BRUVs (Baited Remote Underground Videos) were finally set up and I am eager to see what sea life was caught on camera! Phytoplankton cell counts and water treatments were conducted back at the lab after samples were taken on the boat back. I really hope tomorrow more sea life will show itself for pictures!
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