Start Your Engines!!!

As we pass the halfway point in this adventure, it is time to crack the whip and make some real headway on my independent study, Primary Productivity by Phytoplankton in Salt Marshes.  The goal of this study will be to assess the levels of primary production, which is the process of converting inorganic molecules, like CO2 and H2O,into vital organic compounds through cellular respiration, and is the base of the estuarine ecosystems food web.  An evaluation of any changes in abundance, species diversity and dominant species will allow for comparison to other variables to see any correlations and possibly point towards a cause for these changes.  Variables for this study will water salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and biological oxygen demand (BOD).  In order to calculate productivity levels I will be extracting chlorophyll a, from the phytoplankton filtered out of the water.  Chlorophyll a is a pigment used in the process of photosynthesis.  Chlorophyll absorbs light of a certain wavelength, and can be measured using a machine called a flourometer.  I will be taking weekly water samples from various site within three different salt marshes around the island.  Samples will be taken back to the lab at the Field Station to be processed for readings with the flourometer.  I had my first interaction with the flourometer this weekend.  Ashley gave me great introduction to how it works and them we took a couple of practice samples from Folger’s Marsh at the Field Station.  On saturday we went through the whole process of filtering the phytoplankton from the water and stored them in the fridge covered in tin foil, to slow photosynthesis and preserving the chlorophyll.  The filters, containing the phytoplankton, were soaked on acetone to separate the chlorophyll.  We also ran a chlorophyll standard curve, a process that involves doing a series of dilutions to a know concentration of chlorophyll, to get a formula that is then used to convert flourometer readings into chlorophyll concentrations.  This afternoon we returned to the Field Station to run our samples through the flourometer.  We were both very excited to see results, because it was not certain that we have enough chlorophyll to read.  Also, it was a sign that we didn’t screw anything up.  Some question did arise during this weekends experiences and I look forward to finding the answers and applying them to my research.  The best part was that I finally realized that I would be able to report some good data by the end my experiments.  I am hopeful that I will also see some changes in levels as the spring rolls in and conditions change.  Soooo, that was a handful, I know but I had to get it there.

Another week has passed and Nantucket island has grown a little more on me.  I was supposed to meet up with a fisherman to go scalloping and do some bycatch assessment, but due to the storm that was delayed until this week which should be very productive being able to go scalloping with a couple different fisherman which should go better.  Its almost like it should’ve happened this way, with being able to get more data than going out once would’ve last week.  I can’t wait to fish and get to know the island from the water.  The fisherman are what make this great island, and I get to hang out with them and learn from them, you knowwwww!!

Rants; Pessimism & Optimism

How else can you say it? Capitalism always opposes Sustainability. The ways in which our modern, global society is structured on top of the economic base of Capitalism has driven us into the ground – Literally! And unfortunately, we took everything we found there. We are constantly hearing about how multi-national corporations have no regard for the Earth’s finite resources. Their shortsighted pursuit of the dollar has changed the trajectory of an entire planet. The damage has already been done.

Anyway, the good news is: there are people working on and with it! Before coming to LivingLab: Nantucket I subscribed to a certain view that there is no escape or hope from the stormy prospects of Climate Change. That all changed at 2 specific moments. The first was during a Monday Dinner presentation with Sarah Oktay, she was the first person I had ever heard say with conviction that sea-level rise and climate change is inevitable. A scary thought, but she wasn’t trying to scare us, she was accepting and preparing for reality. The second inspiration moment on Nantucket was during Paul Kirshen’s lecture about Adaptive Infrastructure – Urban and Regional Planning of the future! Regional Planning is the field I want to pursue and it was thrilling to hear about the efforts to modernize our built environment.

To live with sea-level rise, intense and frequent storms, and warmer climate; Its going to happen! The best we as individuals can do is educate ourselves on what day-to-day practices are sustainable for our local environment and how we can create connections to promote scientific knowledge and understanding. Thankfully, thats exactly what we are doing on Nantucket!

Getting our ‘Stuff’ together – With Ashley Bulseco-McKim!

Many of the students in the LivingLab program are getting excited about future employment and internship opportunities that are now within reach, given the valuable experience we are obtaining here on Nantucket.  As summer internship deadlines are approaching, people are working on updating resumes and filling out applications.  Sunday night our Program Assistant, Ashley Bulseco-McKim, took the time to prepare and present a thorough PowerPoint on creating good quality resumes and CVs, as well as how to seize some upcoming opportunities.  We learned some great tips for customizing our resumes to the job we are applying for, such as including keywords from the actual job post to boost hits, and being quantitative as well as descriptive when listing skills.  Many of us haven’t updated our resumes in a while, as we’ve been full-time students, so her presentation was very useful and greatly appreciated.  Ashley is a PhD student, so much of her spare time is focused on her research and projects on shellfish larvae.  We feel very lucky to have such an ambitious and accomplished woman amongst us, sharing time, knowledge, and helping us succeed with our individual studies.

 

Nantucket Geology Lesson with Dr. H

A few weeks I was lucky enough to join Dr. Sarah Oktay, Amy Meloski and Llewin Froome to take measurements of a Common Dolphin that had died and  washed up onshore near Pocomo Beach.  Amy is a volunteer at the New England Aquarium and she gets calls for dead and stranded animals.  Last week she recieved a call for another Common Dolphin near Siasconset(pronounced simply Sconset by the locals).  Before checking out the new one we went back to Pocomo to see if the first one we saw was still there, in order to help determine if they could be the same animal that just floated with tides and currents.  The one at Pocomo was no longer there but due to the location of the new one and the shape of the island we were pretty sure there was no way for them be the same.  As we walked down the beach at Pocomo we realized the extent of Nemo’s wrath on Nantucket’s coasts.  About  ten feet of the bluff along most Polpis Harbor had just dropped off onto the beach, nearly twenty feet below.

The picture titled “Profile of a Beach” is a diagram of the different geological features that make up the beaches on Nantucket.  It was drawn by Dr. Robyn Hannigan-(emphasis on the DR.-not artist 😉 HAHA)

The picture on the top left, “Sand Layering by Storm Wash”, is what is found beneath the UMass Boston Field Station.  It shows thin layers of sand that were deposited by storms.  The bluff near Pocomo also lost the same amount but revealed some more interesting geology.

The “Old Beach Berm” picture shows a profile of  beach face that has been subsequently covered over through time.  The fact that we can see this profile from this view, looking from the current beach, suggests that the beach from that time extended in opposite directions than it does today.  The white layer near the top is called Caliche and consists only of sand that has completely leached everything that can possibly be leached out.  The dark layer below that is an older B-horizon(basically just a fancy word for distinct layer in soil), and consists of oxygenated minerals, or iron-oxides.  The middle of the picture is the profile of the berm itself, and would have a beach ridge and runnel extending in each direction.

The picture titled “Glacial Deposits Near Pocomo” shows what is know in geology as a conglomerate.  A conglomerate is a type of sedimentary rock that consists of many different grain sizes, from sand to boulder, cemented together.  This type of formation found here on Nantucket is evidence as to the islands formation, as it can only be deposited by a glacier.  Around 12.000-19,000 years ago the Laurentide Ice Sheet stopped here, and began to retreat northward.  As it receded, it left behind what is called a terminal moraine, forming Nantucket, Martha’s Vinyard to the west and Cape Cod to the north.  The layers above the conglomerate show that sediments have been piling up on the moraine, along with accretion by wave and tidal action, shaping Nantucket into what it is today.

I want to thank Dr. Hannigan for coming out in the rain with Sarah Jacobs, Rubio Rodriguez and myself to explain this to us.  You are a great teacher, advisor and friend.  Can’t wait for you to make it back to the island.  The bacon will be ready when you get here!!!

5 Weeks & Counting; Onward

So far, so good! 5 weeks in and the island of Nantucket is abuzz with scientific inquiry and investigation. Us students have begun to delve deeper into our independent study projects, meaning: reading pages of text from myriad sources spanning several disciplines, meeting with local members of the community and visiting experts, and getting down and dirty in the salt marshes, on the seas, and… the dance floor at the Rose & Crown ! Personally, as the one-man communications department at LivingLab Nantucket the limits of possibility have never been so wide open. Nantucket Chronicle, a widely-read digest that functions as a nexus of community discussion, has opened a page for LivingLab where we can share the progress of journey during our time here on Nantucket. There isn’t much yet, but check back soon (and often) for more LivingLab updates [http://www.nantucketchronicle.com/nantucket-soundings/2013/livinglab-nantucket-2013]. There is definitely more to come of this.

In other news, we are rounding the corner of our Hydrology class. A traditional Environmental Science, studying the movement and distribution of water around the globe – and locally – has never seemed so poignant. With Nantucket as a subject, and resources like Mark Willett from Wannacomet Water Company, we have been able to learn and observe how the distribution of water is related to the geologic history of the island and how modern methods of water extraction can impact the essential resource of groundwater. Hydrology has proven itself to be extremely informative, and Ellen is doing a great job of sharing her passion for the subject with us.

Lastly, we saw some MIT kids at Sankaty Lighthouse on Friday with Mass DCR. I wish we had been able to connect and learn about what they are doing on the island; it would be great to collaborate together! Hope to see more academic activity on island, after we pave the way first 😉

 

Snow, Snow Snow….and a little SUNSHINE!

Brant Point Light Through The Snow

When we first arrived on the island everyone was wondering what the weather was going to be like.  The locals that we asked all said that it gets cold and windy, but it doesn’t snow all that often.  Oh really!?  We had a blizzard the first night capped off by an epic snowball fight in the middle of nowhere (we figured out we actually were when we left a a water tower on a field trip).  It seems that since that night it has snowed fairly significantly at least twice a week.  Now, I’m not saying its a bad thing, it definitely adds a different dynamic to the atmosphere over here.  Snow is preferred over rain any day.  The wind, however is something entirely different.  When it blows, it howls, and it cuts to the bone.  Today is the nicest day since we got here.  Some of us went for a walk on the beach which was very relaxing, even though it was to go take some measurements from a dead dolphin.  I think I will go back outside and enjoy it for a little while longer…..

 

 

I couldn’t give you a better example of Beauty

Its more than we know

I can’t say enough how relaxing and serene of an experience this has been for me personally.  I believe everyone feels the same at one point or another on this island.  I took a few pictures that made me finally realize how lucky I was to be out of the city and able to look at beauty at its best.  the ocean is intriguing, mysterious, and this right here is the reason why for me.  It looked like there were a million sparkles on the water each one glinting just enough for me to catch as I skimmed the water left to right, clear enough that it looked like there were two skies, one on top of the other.

Brant Point Run

 

A run near Jetties Beach – Timchi and Sarah

As we are adjusting to our new schedule on Nantucket, many of us have realized the opportunity we have to pursue new goals, whether educational or more personal.  Lately I’ve taken to reflecting on what I need to do to strengthen my body and restore some of that energy I used to take for granted.  I’ve never been a fitness guru by any means — in fact I don’t think I’ve ever set foot inside a gym.  But this fresh air and the absence of city sounds and stress has me whistling a different tune.  Exercise:  what seemed like a chore before feels possible now, especially in the presence of my highly motivated colleagues.  Three weeks on Nantucket now and I have been exercising regularly with a few of the other women in my program.  Somedays we focus on toning and core strengthening via YouTube instructional videos.  On pretty days we just just run…

 

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Living Lab Rundown

 

After being delayed due to rough seas and high winds the University of Massachusetts Boston Living Lab students arrived on Nantucket at 10:10am on Monday January 21, 2013. Over the next twelve weeks this group of seventeen undergraduates and two program assistants will be taking environmental based courses including (Eco-Poetics, hydrology, and Coastal and Marine Ecology) and working on individual and group research projects. (Climate change, Beach profiling, Groundwater, Saltmarsh, Shellfish management)

Upon arrive the students were taken to their living quarters where they were greeted with lunch and welcome packages provided by local nonprofit ReMain including maps, information packets, personal desks and a number of gift cards for local restaurants. After the group lunch the students set off on walking tour of the downtown area led by Leonard Germinara. Stops along the tour included the Atheneum where students will be attending classes throughout the semester, Michael’s bookstore, Main Street and the African Meeting house. That afternoon students returned to the house where they unpacked and made a trip to the market in preparation for the busy week to come.

The remainder of the week students attended three hours of Eco-Poetics class per day and joined in numerous evening events (Poetry workshops, movie screenings, and a weekly group dinner at St. Paul’s Church). These events provided a valuable opportunity for students to get acquainted with each other and the community.

Friday afternoon the students attended a meet and greet lunch at the Dreamland Theater. This was their first chance to socialize with the UMB administrators and the Nantucket community members responsible for creating this Living Lab program. Attendees also included local community members that will be collaborating with the students throughout the semester on their independent research projects.

On Saturday the students joined the community at the Quaker house for the kick off of the Moby Dick Marathon. This was immediately followed by an island tour with Dr. Sarah Oktay. Beginning at Alter Rock Sarah spent the afternoon bringing the students to several locations around the North, East and South side of the island. That evening from 12-3am the students returned to the Mob Dick reading at the Atheneum to read three chapters. As a great end to week one the students joined the local community on Sunday afternoon to listened to the conclusion of the reading. This event allowed for students to interact with the community over a cup of warm clam chowder and locally brewed ale.

Over the past three weeks the students have settled in to life on Nantucket. They have completed their first course and have begun working on their research projects. They have all done a great job respecting the island culture and representing UMass Boston. In the coming weeks they will be studying the bulk of their science courses. This will prove to be the most difficult portion of the semester. However there is no doubt that this dedicated group of students will preserver and make the most of this life changing experience.

Stay tuned~~>