My Shark Experience!

As a meteorology major, the last thing I thought I would get to do is touch a shark, let alone feel one. It was a cool encounter, and I really enjoyed the experience. I was allowed to accompany the shark REU group out into the field where they were anesthetizing sharks and doing stomach inversions. We started our trip in the morning on a boat ride to the north sound of Bimini. Once we reached our destination, I was very elated to hear that there was one inversion left. This meant that I would get to hold the shark while the inversion was being done. The process was actually very interesting. First, a box of water large enough to place the baby lemon shark in it had to be filled with water. Second, this water had to have the anesthetizing chemical added it to make the shark fall asleep. After this was done, the shark was taken from the holding pen and placed into the box. After a few seconds of thrashing, the shark quickly fell asleep. After a brief lecture on how I was suppose to hold the shark, I placed my hand for the first time on the tiny, peaceful shark, and picked it up out of the water. This was one of the coolest experiences that I have ever been fortunate enough to take part in. The shark's skin was silky smooth when brushed from one way, but it felt like rough sand paper when stroked from the opposite way. After the stomach contents were collected, we placed the sharks stomach back in its mouth. We then woke it back up. The contents of the sharks stomach seemed odd to Dr. Damien Chapman. The shark must have eaten some ribs from a local restaurant overlooking the water. To me though, it appeared that sharks like ribs just as much as humans!

Bimini Day 10: island life, back in the swing of things

One of the perils of living, however temporarily, on a small island with a resident population of only 1,600 is that the things we have grown to assume will be there are often quite fleeting in their availability. We had a large thunderstorm come over the island friday night and while it only took out power for less than an hour, it took out the internet for much longer. We only just got internet restored this evening, so we apologize for the lack of blog posting, and we will be back to our regularly scheduled daily blog post by tomorrow.

June 16, 2010: Indiana Jones and the Bimini Healing Hole

            What comes to mind when you hear the term "Healing Hole"?  The possibilities are endless, but to the Bimini locals this is the name of a so-called spring that is said to hold magical healing powers.  Some have reported the water contains lithium, commonly used medically to treat bi-polar disorder, so in that sense it definitely holds the miraculous possibility of having curative properties.  As a result, the members of the self proclaimed B-Team (Dr. Bokuniewizc, Ruth, Mike, Aaron, and I) are not only attempting to gain a better understanding of groundwater in Bimini, but are also trying to uncover the mystery of this supernatural "Healing Hole".

            If you asked me what I first thought of the term "Healing Hole", I would have chuckled and added a slightly inappropriate comment, but today it entailed getting up at 6, lugging heavy, oddly-shaped equipment onto a 17-foot wailer, and setting off into the depths of the thick mangrove brush.  Although I tried to keep my optimism up it was difficult with unfriendly, ominous clouds hovering over the horizon. All I could think of is what I have gotten myself into, and I subconsciously applied another layer of sunscreen and bug spray in fear that I would be relentlessly burnt and eaten alive.  However, we passed the midnight lemon shark crew of the Bimini Shark Lab and I comforted myself with the thought that I would come out alive.  Unfortunately the further we got in the more I second-guessed my circumstances.  With sightings of lemon shark, numerous 'cuda' attacking the boat, peculiar sounds escaping the dense mangrove jungle, and having to travel through areas known as "quicksand" I began to think Indiana Jones had nothing on me.  Today it was I, Cody from DePauw University in Indiana, uncovering the treasures of the Healing Hole.  The only difference being that my location and beach attire get-up was so much sweeter!

            Upon arriving at the site our tour guide, Stratta, informed us that we had to leave the boat behind and trek into the mangrove forests on foot.  As the trail narrowed I realized this was at the point of no return and out of fear of traveling back alone I headed in.  There was a constricting trail of 1-meter mud banks and just enough room for a single file line of reluctant and somewhat excited followers.  Spontaneous mangrove roots protruded into the path but were concealed by the knee high murky water, and led to interesting encounters and cries of bloody murder.  Not to mention excessive spider webs and the thought of Bimini boas, also led to daunting thoughts.  After what seemed an hour (in actuality 5 minutes), we submerge ourselves into a deeper hole of a brown, murky fluid, and held onto a strangely textured rope.  It smelt as if someone had eggs for breakfast and had the control capacity of an 80-year man.  With my body submerge up to my neck in gunk that turned my once white shirt brown, I was also informed that if I didn't hold on I would sink into the depths and never come back.  Why does this scenario remind me of another of the terribly terrific Indiana Jones saga? "Here we are!" Stratta joyfully exclaimed.  This is the Healing Hole?  It was definitely not what I expected, even though I didn't expect much.  The Fountain of Youth (which we visited previously) was actually looking grand after this experience, and apparently at low tide the sulfur and other foul odors are concentrated leading to a not so attractive "Hell Hole".  I doubted that the bugs wanted to get us here.  We took our measurements, nearly drowned filing up sample containers, and left with a bittersweet feeling. On the upside it could have been worse.  We were granted shade cover and had no use for our bug nets.  Sadly it left me wanting a few beers (don't worry, I'm at the legal age of 22) to help suppress my OCD tendencies.  As an interesting side not it is rumored that Martin Luther King came to this Healing Hole before he was motivated to write his speech. Honestly, I left motivated to take a shower and wash my clothes…multiple times.

            We were scheduled to take another set of measurements at high tide, but not wanting to waste boat time and potentially not wanting to come back we headed to East Wells on the east side of North Bimini to scope out potential sites for our next seepage meter experiments.  We found an untouched, pristine coast with beautiful white sands and nothing but the sound of the waves and the gentle rustling of trees in the wind.  If you asked me, this should have been the site of the Healing Hole.  After measuring an hour of groundwater flow we reluctantly headed back to the real Healing Hole for high tide measurements and to our surprise it wasn't so bad.  High tide brought in clear salt water that allowed us to see our own feet.  We could actually see the bottom sediment.  We were also in a better mood and had enough energy to smile and crack a few too many jokes.  Stratta swears that the Healing Hole does heal and he came a few days earlier for a sore back and insisted that 24 hours later he felt better.  Given my scientific desire, I decided to give the Healing Hole a chance.  I have strained an ankle while dodging Long Island drivers on my road bike and haven't fully recovered.  If the Healing Hole is healing then in a 24 hour time period it should potentially feel better.  This may be a little one sided because swimming has been shown to take pressure of the spine and salt water has been found to benefit tense muscles, but even so I still have three main theories:  First, the Healing Hole has properties that are healing, or elements that rejuvinate the human body and mind.  Second, swimming around in the muck makes you realize you have reached rock bottom, and can only go up from the experience and smell of the Healing Hole.  Everything is relatively better! Third, you get infected by a benthic microbe or parasite that cleanses your system, in the sense that your are stuck on a bathroom thrown, while simultaneously hugging a trash can and releasing everything, good or bad.  I think the second and third theories are highly possible.

 

            As Stratta insisted I have let a 24-hour period pass by before I wrote this second part of my blog post and although my ankle is not any better than before the experience has reminded me of a very important life lesson.  That lesson being that all experiences are what you make of them.  The Healing Hole itself is a very personal experience, and in retrospect it was a great, although dirty experience.  I'm happy to say I've done it. Though, I still have some time before I can officially say I'm clear in respect to contracting a parasite.  In the end, I leave the Healing Hole with a better attitude for the week-and-a-half left in Bimini and the last five weeks of my Stony Brook REU.  Surprisingly in a way it was healing.  I guess sometimes science alone cannot explain natural phenomena, but I'll make that final decision when I see the results back at Stony Brook.  Unfortunately, I cannot end this in the typical Indiana fashion and unlike Mr. Jones I didn't leave with exotic treasure or run off with a beautiful maiden, but if it makes me feel any better I have come out of this experience with the longest, over-exaggerated blog post ever, and an excessively large grin on my face!

Bimini Day 5: Mangroves and Minnows

The alarm clock rattled at 6:45 in the morning as the sound resonated throughout the quiet condo. Today was the day we would finally begin sampling in the field. With the supplies packed, we ventured down the road in the group golf cart to discover our sampling site and begin taking measurements. We were scouring for the mangrove location we had discovered on an earlier kayak adventure. The tides were low and we were ready to work. Upon arriving at our destination, we set up shop and begun work, work that ensued for a very long and very hot seven hours… But in the end, very interesting and exciting work.



Our research aims to target mangroves (trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics) and their subsequent production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through plant respiration. In particular, we are aiming to measure concentrations of isoprene, dimenthyl sulfide (DMS), and various terpenes. These particular chemical compounds released by plants are reactive with hydroxyl radicals (OH^-) and contribute to the formation of harmful atmospheric ozone. These compounds also help to form biogenic acid rain and are important in the overall tropospheric chemistry. My question upon arriving to the Bahamas was "why are the mangroves important to study." I later came to the conclusion: while trees produce more VOCs, the majority are coniferous and do not produce a significant amount during fall and winter. By looking at the mangroves which photosynthesize yearly, we will be able to calculate concentration of VOCs during the entire year and subsequently their overall impact in the yearly atmospheric chemistry budget.

Collection of the VOCs is a fairly simple, yet time consuming process. This morning myself along with my mentor Tracey located a small, slightly removed mangrove bush and placed a 4 x 5 foot Teflon drawstring bag over the mangrove completely enclosing the bush. Then, by placing a small Teflon tube into the mangrove we pumped in clean air for a twenty minute duration to flush any accumulated VOCs out of the bag. Then, we sit and wait for an hour while the VOCs collect within the bag.



The key word is WAIT! There is a lot of down time. And often times to keep ourselves entertained we resort to funny jokes, childhood letter games (thanks mom!), and music. While we waited today, we noticed the fish kept jumping strangely out of the water nearby. As we examined closer, we noticed a small lemon shark swimming in the shallow waters just an arms throw away. With the quickly approaching rising tide, this did not comfort the both of us. The rising tide forced us to finish our collection wading in the water. The mass of minnows swimming around our toes however was quite amusing as they followed our shadows to stay out of the intense sun. It was fun to play with them to help the time collecting the samples pass. The next part of the collection pulls air from inside the enclosed bag into a narrow "trap" that is about four inches long and filled with a compound that captures chemical compounds. Keeping track of the elapsed time of collection and analysis of the traps back home, we can then compute the concentrations using complicated computer programs.



I might compare our field research here in Bimini to your favorite shampoo. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. We brought with us forty-two traps to use within the mangroves. This means forty-two samples, forty-two collections, and a lot of time. Each collection takes roughly two and a half hours. We managed to dodge the tide and find two other locations that did not require us to stand in water. However, we could not escape the quickly rising sun which soon left no shade in sight. The thought of escaping the intense sun and the buggy area near the mangroves couldn't come soon enough.



After many applications of bug spray and sun screen, a bottle of water, a much needed cool afternoon rain, and some fun along the way, we packed up for the day and began walking back to the condo. After a long day in the field, we fantasized about ice cream, cheeseburgers, and lemonade. Overall, it was an exciting and exhausting day.

I am excited to finish taking samples and get back to the lab where we can begin analyzing our traps. Bimini has been a treat and I very much look forward to the next week and a half to discover more about mangroves, marine ecosystems, and self. The best part of field research (next to the science of course…) in the Bahamas, the snorkeling is great!

By Steven Curtis
Penn State

Bimini Day 3: first taste of shark science

I strolled into the Shark lab around 8:30 just as the shark lab volunteers were coming off the boats looking exhausted after a long night of shark fishing in Bimini's North Sound. We took off in one of the lab's skiffs towards the pens where the sharks were held from the night fishing. As we approached the shallow water of the sound, the plastic orange mesh of the pens showed up in the distance. After anchoring our boat near the shark pens, Doc Gruber and a French film crew arrived by boat with their cameras ready for some action.



Kristine, the resident principal investigator, gracefully demonstrated the stomach inversions which included capturing and
anesthetizing the sharks, holding them while carefully pulling out the stomach, catching the contents as they spewed from the stomach, and finally raising the shark vertically so that the stomach falls back into place. After contents were collected, water was forced over its gills until it regained consciousness and was placed back into the holding pen. After the film crew got their shots, Jana, Sara, and I took over the inversions and worked on the last few sharks left with full stomachs. Each lemon shark was identified by its individual PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tag, and each gut content sample was labeled accordingly. After working hard with the sun overhead, our trip ended with a cold and refreshing rain shower and a quick boat trip back to shark lab!



These smelly shark vomit samples will come back with us to NY for analysis! Our study will determine if the method of DNA barcoding can be used to identify fish species in the gut contents of the lemon sharks. By using universal primers and then amplifying the gut content DNA, this technique will allow us to compare our genetic material to an established prey database. In effect, we will match our gut DNA sequences to sequences of likely prey in the Bimini area. This project will contribute to a larger question to whether Lemon sharks actually prey on the sick or the weaker fish. This would include studying Mahara and their MHC (major histocompatibility complex) gene which is important in immunity and results in immune diversity in the Mahara population. The study will determine if there is a correlation between the high susceptibility genotype of the MHC gene and the fish that are being consumed by the lemons.

Bimini Day 2: Groundwater and Sunburns

Today, after a strong week and a half preparing for our Bahamian excursion, we put our skills to the test in the clear sandy shores. Cody, Mike, and I are working together with Ruth and Dr. Bokuniewicz to test submarine groundwater discharge. “SGD” is the fresh groundwater and recirculated seawater that leaks out through the sand-water interface. SGD is driven by the hydraulic gradient due by an elevated fresh water lens created by rain that soaks into the land.
SGD is possibly important to island ecosystems as it can result in excess nutrients in the ocean, leading to algal blooms and subsequently fish kills from lack of oxygen. We are studying the volume of SGD and ratio of fresh/seawater, hoping to discover where this water is coming from.



We’re starting with taking measurements just outside the resort (we’re in a really nice location). So, to most, it just looks like a full day at the beach, which…it is. We were collecting samples every hour, but even that just means snorkeling down and around a ways in the clear blue water. Spending a whole tide cycle has its advantages. We saw a variety of fish swim by including some giant southern stingrays, observed some snails, and “got our tan on”.



While I’m really not one to go to the beach just to tan, it would have its advantages…it builds up a nice resistance for what I got today. SPF 50 sunscreen and a long-sleeve rash guard wasn’t enough to stop the sun from turning me into a red raspberry.
But it’s all worth it, a little aloe and we’re all back in the field tomorrow. Bottom’s up!

Bimini Day 1: late arrivals and sharp teeth

Our trip from New York to Bimini and our first full day here on the island was not without adventure, but we all made it through... and almost all of us are unscathed.

There was a slight set back in Ft. Lauderdale, so two of us ended up staying there for a night while the rest of the REU crew made it over to the island as planned. After the final two arrived, the full group was gathered at the Sands Resort and we began our day of exploration. We spent time scouting locations for field work as we worked our way over to the Shark Lab where we got a tour of the lab and learned about the various research projects that are going on. The Shark Lab has an incredibly long data set of lemon shark tagging results and genetic information on the shark populations, which we'll tell you more about as the week goes on.

After the lab tour, the lab manager Sean and our very own Demian Chapman led us out to the shark pen to swim with baby lemon sharks.



Not only were we able to hang around in the pen, but Sean and Demian each both caught a shark so that we could touch them and learn more about their physiology.



They are holding the sharks upside down to induce a state of tonic immobility, which means they are temporarily paralyzed and can be handled without struggle. But once you turn them back over, they quickly regain their senses, and, as Demian found out, they will bite to get away. Even little sharks still have teeth that can do damage, but don't worry, Demian's arm is doing just fine!

At the end of the day, we even got some snorkeling in. We had reports of a small lion fish and a sting ray, as well as a whole host of other fish.



We'll be posting regularly over the next two weeks to let you know all of the exciting science we're doing and to keep you posted on our Bahamian Adventure. So stay tuned for more fun filled posts!

The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program is a 9-week program funded by the National Science Foundation that enables students to actively participate in research concerning the implications of a changing global climate on coastal environments. This summer, the students will compare marsh/beach ecosytems of Long Island with mangrove/beach ecosystems of Bimini, Bahamas. The students and their mentors will spend two weeks in Bimini conducting fieldwork and will share their experiences here.