Redondo Pier Alternate Site Activity

Transcription

1 Name: Section: Redondo Pier Alternate Site Activity (Fisherman s Wharf, Redondo Beach, CA 90277) Lab 14C-1 The purpose of this activity is for you to participate in water sampling. We will examine ocean water, measure its characteristics, and discuss what our measurements reveal about the local ocean environment. Directions 1. Take Crenshaw Blvd. south. 2. Turn right onto Torrance Blvd. 3. Torrance Blvd. ends at the Redondo Pier. Take one of the left two lanes into the underground parking garage for the pier. 4. After getting your parking ticket, turn left (you cannot go forward up the ramp), and then take the next right into level 2. Drive (slightly) downhill into level 1. Go to end, as far as you can go, and park. 5. Meet at north end of the parking garage, level 1 next to the parking ticket machine and Quality Seafood Inc. While you are waiting, observe the water in the harbor where the boats are moored. (You will need to pay $5.00 for parking.) What to Bring Lab Manual Pencil Shoes for walking on wet and dry sand. Sunscreen Hat Bathrooms are available. Redondo Pier Meet here Manhattan Beach Blvd El Camino College Redondo Beach Blvd 405 Crenshaw Blvd Parking Lot Torrance Blvd.

2 Activity #1: Plankton Sample Lab 14C-2 Note the storm drain at the meeting spot. 1. Describe the method used to retrieve a sample of plankton from the ocean. 2. Did we collect organisms who live at the surface of the ocean or down deep? How deep? (Answer in feet, meters, fathoms, etc.) Why is this the best place to try to catch plankton? 3. What is the mesh size of the plankton net? What does mesh size mean? 1 micron = 1/1000 of a millimeter, which is about 1/25,000 of an inch! 4. Are the plankton captured in the net representative of the plankton in the ocean? In other words, could we have missed any plankton? Could they have avoided capture? Explain your reasoning. Hint: Consider the mesh size of the net and how you should conduct a poll or survey. We will examine the plankton in our sample back in the classroom. 5. What are plankton? Are all plankton small? Can some plankton swim?

3 Lab 14C-3 6. What are nekton? 7. What are benthic organisms (benthos)? 8. How do most nekton and benthic organisms begin their lives? 9. Name the two major types of plankton and their characteristics Kind of Plankton How do they get their food? Characteristics 10. Which kind of plankton is probably more abundant in the ocean water? Why? 11. Which kind of plankton is easier to catch and may be more abundant in our plankton sample? Why? Hint: Consider the mesh size of the net. 12. Why are plankton important to you and all humans? Discuss 3 reasons: (a) (b) (c)

4 Activity #2: Secchi Disk Sunlight Lab 14C Observe the use of the Secchi Disk to measure the depth of light penetration. (a) At what depth did the Secchi Disk disappear? Pier (b) What is the depth of the photic zone (Secchi depth x 3)? What is the photic zone? Secchi Disk 14. Use of the Forel Color Scale to describe the color of the water. (a) How would you describe the color of the water? Is it blue? Is it green or other colors? (b) What is the Forel Color of the water? (c) What does this Forel Color (and the color of the water) tell you about the water? Explain your reasoning. Look at the color of the Secchi disk (the white part) while it is underwater. Examine the picture of the Secchi disk taken 2 miles from the shoreline. The secchi depth was 25 meters. 15. Based on your own observations today and these observations from a ship, where are phytoplankton more abundant, near the shoreline or far from shore? _ How can you tell from this evidence? Explain your reasoning. 16. Why are phytoplankton more abundant in one place than the other place?

5 Lab 14C-5 Chlorophyll (micromoles per liter) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Examine the chart above showing measurements of chlorophyll concentration in local water over a year. More chlorophyll indicates more phytoplankton in the water. 17. What do phytoplankton use chlorophyll for? 18. How does the color of ocean water change when phytoplankton are abundant? Why does it change? 19. When are phytoplankton most abundant near the coast? During which months? which seasons? Why are phytoplankton more abundant at these times? Why are they less abundant at other times? What might have caused the dip in the phytoplankton population in June? How could you test your hypothesis?

6 Activity #3: Surface Temperature & Salinity 20. What is the temperature of the water at the surface? 21. What is the salinity of the water at the surface? 22. Examine the table. Is the temperature of the water at the end of the pier typical for this time of the year? Lab 14C-6 If the temperature is not unusual for this time of year, discuss the various factors that can make water temperature unusually high or low. If the temperature is unusual for this time of year, propose hypotheses that would explain why temperature is unusually high or low. How could you test your hypotheses? 23. Examine the table. Is the salinity of the water at the end of the pier typical for this time of the year? Temperature Salinity Jan o C (ppt) Feb o C (ppt) Mar o C (ppt) Apr o C (ppt) May o C (ppt) Jun o C (ppt) Jul o C (ppt) Aug o C (ppt) Sep o C (ppt) Oct o C (ppt) Nov o C (ppt) Dec o C (ppt) Hints: Consider the time of day, El Nin o, changes in the California Current, evaporation, precipitation, upwelling or lack of upwelling, etc. If the salinity is not unusual for this time of year, discuss the various factors that can make salinity unusually high or low. If the salinity is unusual for this time of year, propose hypotheses that would explain why salinity is unusually high or low. How could you test your hypotheses?

7 Activity #4: Surface ph and Oxygen Lab 14C What is the ph of neutral water? What phs indicate acidic water? What phs indicate basic (alkaline) water? On average, is the ocean a little acidic or basic? 25. What is the ph of the water at the surface? 26. How are humans making ocean water more acidic? 27. What kinds of ocean life suffer the most as the ocean grows more acidic? What does acidic water do to them? 28. What is the oxygen concentration of the water at the surface? Why is there oxygen in sea water? In other words, where does the oxygen in the water come from? We will skip activity #5, so there is no activity #5 in your notes. You are not missing any pages.

8 Activity #6: Weather and Waves Lab 14C Describe the motion of the material floating at the surface of the water outside the surf zone. (The surf zone is where the waves are breaking.) How does water move beneath a non-breaking wave? How do wave orbitals shape change as waves approach the shoreline? 34. Estimate the period of the waves: Describe the method used to estimate the period of the waves. 35. Estimate the wavelength of the waves in the surf zone (where the waves are breaking): Describe the method used to estimate the wavelength of the waves. 36. Describe the weather (simple observations/estimates only): (a) air temperature : (b) wind : speed = direction = (c) percentage of clouds : 37. What created the waves coming into the beach, the local winds or winds far across the ocean? Explain your reasoning.

9 Activity #7: Humans and the Ocean: Hard Stabilization Lab 14C Are the waves in the harbor larger or smaller than the waves in the ocean? Why? Explain. 39. What is the typical direction of longshore transport along our coast? Sketch an arrow representing LST into the map showing King Harbor. 40. Where are the beaches wider, north or south of King Harbor? Why are they larger in this location and smaller in the other location? Beach (North) 41. Examine the shape of King Harbor in the map on the right. Why was the entrance to the harbor built on south side of the harbor? Hint: What would happen to the entrance if it was built on the north side of the harbor? King Harbor Breakwater North Entrance Redondo Pier Beach (South) 42. What are the large rocks piled along the shoreline of the beach (between the piers) called? What is their purpose? How can they affect the beach in front of them?

10 Activity #8: Humans and the Ocean: Pollution Lab 14C Examine the surface of the water in the harbor. Do you see anything on the surface? What do you think it is? What do you think it comes from? 44. What are storm drains? What are they suppose to do? 45. Why are beaches often closed after it rains? What is in the water that causes government officials to close the beach? 46. Why is there tar along the beach? Where does the tar come from? 47. Why is plastic trash especially harmful to ocean life? 48. What is a bloom? 49. How can a bloom be harmful? 50. How can humans cause a harmful bloom? 51. Why is a harmful bloom more likely to become especially bad and long-lasting inside a harbor? What is a marine terrace? How many marine terraces can you see in the distance? How do they form? Name: Section: Stamp

11 Redondo Pier ASA (14C) Review: Hints & Advice Lab 14C-11 Activity #1: Plankton Sample Use the photograph of the plankton measurement in the slides to determine how plankton are collected from the ocean. After describing how they get their food, you do NOT have to describe any other characteristics of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Notice that the last question asks you about plankton. If you want to give an example of something done by phytoplankton, you must specify that you are discussing phytoplankton, because not all plankton do what phytoplankton do. Activity #2: Secchi Disk In this activity, you may find yourself repeating the same information that you gave when answering previous questions. This is a GOOD thing. Please DO repeat the information, because it is good practice: this is part of the point of the exercise. You must completely answer each question individually. Do NOT expect your reader to do extra work and refer back to earlier answers to check whether or not you understand a concept. This is a poor assumption and a bad habit to develop. Activity #3: Surface Temperature & Salinity The temperature of the water is given in the slides. Use the photograph of the salinity measurement in the slides to determine the salinity of the water. As stated in the slides, both samples were taken in November, so use the November observations in the table to answer the questions. Activity #4: Surface ph & Oxygen Be careful when discussing the ph scale; acids do NOT have a high ph. The ocean is not quite neutral. If you do not already know, please do some research to determine if the ocean is a little acidic or a little basic, on average.

12 Activity #6: Weather & Waves Lab 14C-12 Watch the video of the kelp in the water to see how it moves. To determine what created the waves on the day the photographs were taken, examine the slides showing the measurement of the local wind speed and the size of the waves inside the harbor and outside the harbor. Then, consider the following: Do strong winds create big waves or small waves? Do weak winds create big waves or small waves? The waves in the harbor MUST have been created by the local winds. Why? Were the waves inside the harbor large or small? What does this tell you about the strength of the local wind and its ability to create large waves outside the harbor? Activity #7: Humans and the Ocean (Hard Stabilization) Explain why sand piles up on the north side. Simply stating that it does so does not answer the question which was asked. Explain why sand is removed from the south side. Explaining that sand cannot reach the south side does not explain why less and less sand is present on the south side. Activity #8: Humans and the Ocean (Pollution) Make sure you explain how or why each kind of pollution causes a bloom of algae or of bacteria. As part of your answer, you need to discuss what algae or bacteria need and why they need it.