To start off our second to last morning in Cleveland, we received our tests and quizzes from the previous day. After correcting our quizzes, it became clear that accurately identifying 40 different species of birds and fishes is extremely difficult. We then continued with the topic of whales which we had touched on the day before, but this time, we took a more political approach. The class was divided into 1-3 person groups that represented different countries and the organization Greenpeace. We were given some background on our country or organization’s view on whale hunting, and discussed the moratorium of whale hunting that currently exists throughout the world.
http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/04/12/1226582/023180-australia-japan-whaling.jpg
Every country argued that in some way, whale hunting was an essential part of the economy and therefore should be allowed. Greenpeace argued against every country and claimed that many countries exploited or supported the exploitation of whales and allowed whale meat to be sold on the black market.
After a short break, we returned to class and learned about plankton, algae, and plants. We learned that plankton is defined as any organism that floats in the water column. People tend to think of plankton as microscopic, and they often are, but they can also be larger than a human in the form of jellyfish. Plankton can also be very harmful in the form of viruses or toxic bacteria such as the bacteria that causes red tide. We were also told that we would spend time studying mangrove forests, which sounds very exciting. Mangrove forests are home to many different species of fish, and snorkeling through them should be spectacular.
Garrison's Oceanography
After lunch, we returned to class to continue with preparations for our trip. As this is a very exciting time, we have a lot to get done and to learn about before we can leave the snowy state of Ohio. For example, one of the days we are in the Bahamas we are going to go scuba diving. In preparation our trip, we have watched numerous videos and read numerous articles about the risks, stories, and even world records relating to diving. As some of the stories we learned about were rather frightening, we were reassured by Ms. Post and Mr. Daly that the kind of scuba diving we are going to be doing in the Bahamas has no risk factor that compares to these stories. Of course, scuba diving can be extremely dangerous if done improperly, but we spent the afternoon today learning about how to scuba dive. Mr. Daly and Ms. Post explained what exactly is going on around us AND in us while we are scuba diving. We learned that if you follow the rules, and listen to the instructor, scuba diving is one hundred percent safe! Additionally, we learned how to use a dive table. A dive table is a sheet of paper that, if used correctly, can tell a person how long they can stay at a certain depth without having to worry about decompression-related issues. We also saw some pictures and videos of underwater life that we could potentially see in the Bahamas. This got the class extremely excited about scuba diving and seeing these under water creatures first hand!
http://www.scubatoronto.com/images/rdp1.jpg
To end the day, we watched an extremely interesting video about marine life. This video not only introduced more marine life to our class, but also demonstrated to us how all of the animals survive. We learned that many animals survive off of other animals. For example, we learned that sharks are sometimes at risk of bacterial infection so they use, to clean them off. Another example is how dolphins force smaller fish towards the surface of the water and therefor the fish become easier for dolphins, sharks, and even birds to eat them!
Tomorrow is our last day of class before we head off to the Bahamas!
-Isaac & Eliza
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