FCGU WEEK :
Mon. - Wed.
                This week has been gruesome, but eye opening.  The material we have covered has been very interesting, but intense.  On Monday we extracted core samples from two sites in the estuary.  It was amazing to look at sediment and organisms that could possibly be over a thousand years old. Then, judging by its composition, we had to hypothesize what the history of that sediment was.  And I personally had no experience with geology and the task was daunting to say the least. 
                    On Tuesday we learned about different gradients that act to move the water in an estuary.  Once again the information was extremely intriguing but difficult to comprehend.  We learned about three main forces: horizontal density gradient, friction, and surface slope.  These forces work with and against each other to impact water movement, but some are more important than others.
                 Today, Wednesday, we learned about nutrient cycles, and detrital food chains.  The work was less intense and I felt like I could enjoy it more.  Also, learning about nutrient cycles and how they impact one another was fascinating.  For example,  Plants use nitrogen in the form of the ammonium ion and they have a symbiotic relationship with "nitrogen fixing" bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium ions.  Without these bacteria plants would be much more nitrogen limited.  We also collected and observed detritus in the form of mangrove leaves and ranked them on their level of degradation. 
               In addition I attempted to work on my independent research project today but due to a sudden thunderstorm shortly after arrival, which was terrifying, I had to to postpone.  However, I did observe what I believe was a nudibranch swimming near the surface and it was delightful to watch him swim.  Shortly after it started storming more intensely I spotted a water moccasin as I turned around and it swam off, but then came back and chased me up on shore.  The good news is, I found my first buttonwood! And so hopefully I can include this species in my research.

The degradation of the collected mangrove leaves.

Buttonwood!