Catalina Field Project

Heath, Alex, Chris

 

CELP

 coming soon ....
During the week of October 17th to the 21st, our PCDS 8th grade class went to Howland's Landing on Catalina Island. We conducted various experiments about fish populations, water conditions, and other land-sea connections. Our trip was based upon the four principles: everything is connected, biodiversity is good, there is no waste in nature, and everything runs on energy. On the trip, each group did such activities as the night snorkel, snorkel in Emerald Bay, kayak in Howland's Cove, and various hikes designed to explore the island's land-based wildlife. How has the density and location of the kelp forest changed over time? What conditions are ideal for kelp to grow? We feel that our project based on this question is quite accurate because we are considering vast amounts of data. Thus, making an accurate prediction of what factors affect the kelp forest. By comparing the conditions and events of years past, we are able to find, in essence, what makes kelp grow. We personally collected a small portion of the data through our own tests and observations during the kayaks, snorkels, and dock experiments. However, most of the details came from previous years. Therefore, we were not able to gather it by ourselves and were forced to rely on other researchers' work. If we had a chance to return to the island, we would collect more data to make our analysis of this year's kelp forest more complete. With more allotted time for this project, we would be able to study the question in more detail and depth, looking even further into the past and making predictions about how our topic will change even more in the near future. If someone else picks this topic, they should stay at the same location on the island for as long as possible and do as many tests as they can during that period. If they could obtain their own experimental results, they would not have to rely so much on other scientists' data as we were forced to do for virtually our entire project. The parameter that we have chosen already takes into account the climate changes in the ocean, along with any other conditions that changed over time such as water temperature and salinity. Because we are comparing such a vast array of overall data for years at a time, we feel that we are providing as accurate of a measure as possible. Essentially, we are considering a long period of fluctuation including extraneous forces, such as climate changes over the island, el nino, and other effects.